University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, one of Canada's leading universities, is a rich and supportive learning community for students and faculty alike. Widely recognized for leadership in research, inspired teaching and community engagement, UVic provides innovative programs and real-life learning experiences in a diverse and welcoming West Coast environment. UVic ranks consistently among the top comprehensive universities in Canada.
Ranked as one of Canada's most research-intensive comprehensive universities, UVic Research are addressing critical research questions that have major consequences for the future of our society on issues such as the dynamics of our earth and ocean environments, the preservation of our cultural heritage, and the social determinants of our health and well-being.
UVic is known for its research strengths in the arts and sciences and selected professions. Some areas of note are:
- Society and health
- Oceans and climate
- Matter and energy
- Indigenous and cultural studies
- Global Change and sustainability
- Genomics and proteomics
- Fine and performing arts
- Computational modeling and information processing
With 790 faculty members and more than 2,400 graduate students, UVic conducts more than $60 million a year in externally funded research in the arts, sciences and professional fields.
Faculty of Business
UVic Business is a young and vibrant, state of the art business school whose mission is to prepare students to manage successfully and assume positions of leadership in the business world of the 21st century.
Its educational programs offer students a rare hands-on approach to a modern business education that strengthens their problem solving skills, as well as encourages entrepreneurial thinking. UVic Business emphasizes innovation, interdisciplinary and integrative education, an international perspective, and a hands-on experiential approach to learning. By combining these fundamental elements of learning, its students graduate as emerging business leaders, equipped with a competitive edge to meet the challenges of the world’s changing economy.
Faculty of Engineering
The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Victoria has three Departments: Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Undergraduate degree programs are offered in those disciplines as well as in Software Engineering. Master's and doctoral programs are offered in all departments. Co-op education, mandatory in engineering undergraduate programs, and optional in computer science and at the graduate level, provides students with practical experiential learning opportunities.
There is a diverse range of research activity in the departments and in the research centres associated with the Faculty. The research achievements of faculty members and graduate students has led to inclusion in several provincial and federal Centres of Excellence as well as research partnerships with government laboratories, industry and other universities across Canada and world-wide.
Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science at the University of Victoria is comprised of five departments and one school, each offering undergraduate and graduate programs. The departments of Biochemistry & Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics & Statistics, Physics & Astronomy and the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences make up the Faculty. Together with linked research centres, they offer exciting opportunities for research.
Two major new buildings are under construction that in mid 2008 will provide new laboratories and teaching spaces for UVic mathematicians, statisticians, earth and ocean scientists and organic chemists. Moreover, for the first time, the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences will see all of its faculty members and graduate students housed under one roof.
UVic Co-operative Education
As Western Canada’s largest co-operative education program, UVic Co-op allows students to alternate academic terms with paid, relevant work experience in their chosen field. UVic co-op students from more than 40 academic departments take part in close to 2,700 work terms a year, working for employers locally, across Canada, and internationally. UVic co-op work terms are traditionally four or eight months long, and co-op coordinators help students and employers through every stage of the hiring process.
Many of UVic Co-op’s valued local employers are among the companies located at the University of Victoria’s Vancouver Island Technology Park (VITP); 13 of VITP’s 28 tenants have hired UVic co-op students in recent years, and there are normally at least eight UVic co-op students working at VITP each term. Since 2005, UVic Co-op’s Employer Service Coordinator has been working on-location at VITP to further develop the successful relationship between UVic Co-op and VITP.
