Información
Dalhousie University blends the finest academic traditions with innovative thinking and outstanding educational opportunities. Here, in one of North America's most dynamic university communities, is a warm and welcoming university that attracts students from around the globe.
With 11 faculties and 3,600 courses in 180 areas of study, Dalhousie offers students a wealth of choice and flexible degree programs in one of Canada's leading research institutions.
We're proud of our past and confident in our future. We've been at the heart of Halifax, a lively coastal city of almost 400,000, for almost 200 years. Our historic, tree-lined campus combines the welcoming atmosphere of Canada's east coast with the international prestige of a big-name school.
STUDENTS
Dalhousie hosts 15,197 full and part-time students at last count. As one of the largest universities on the east coast, that translates into choice: 3,600 courses in 180 areas of study.
What’s more, many of Dalhousie’s programs are unique in the Atlantic region, such as architecture, biomedical engineering, costume studies, community design and informatics.
Enrolment has stayed fairly steady over the past several years, as the graduating "double cohort" - Ontario students who arrived at Dal in 2003 from both grades 12 and 13 - have been replaced by a growing number of new undergrads. The number of students new to Dalhousie has increased each of the past three years. This year, 2008-09, there are 2,079 new students arriving to Dalhousie from high school, an increase of 136 over last year. Overall enrolment is holding strong with a slight increase of 92 students according to figures from the Association of Atlantic Universities .
Stellar students
Our students are a smart bunch:
- The average entering grade of first-year students is 85.3 per cent. (2007-08 figures);
- The percentage of first-year students arriving from high school with averages of 75 per cent or higher: 97.
- More than 60 per cent of first-year students receive entrance scholarships.
- Dalhousie boasts 86 Rhodes Scholars, far more than any other university in the region.
- In 2008, 80 Dalhousie varsity athletes were recognized as academic all-Canadians, leading all other schools in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference.
- Elaine Craig received a 2007 Trudeau Foundation Scholarship for her human rights research. The prestigious scholarship, worth $200,000, is awarded to 15 doctoral students across the country in the social sciences and humanities. The previous year, Meredith Schwartz (MA '04) was awarded the scholarship for her work examining how adult genetic screening for certain diseases affects social attitudes towards personal responsibilities.
- While Dalhousie is the 26th largest university in Canada, our students rank sixth nationally for the number of academic awards they win (7.6/1000).
Student satisfaction
Students express satisfaction with Dalhousie as their choice of university and with their professors:
- Percentage of undergraduate students at Dalhousie who agree or strongly agree that “generally I’m happy with the quality of teaching I have received”: 86.4% See graph. (2006 figures. Source: Canadian University Undergraduate Survey Consortium)
- Student evaluation on the quality of teaching at Dalhousie (on a scale of 1 to 5): 4.138 (Source: Dalhousie University, Centre for Learning and Teaching)
- Percentage of undergraduate students at Dalhousie who are satisfied or very satisfied with university services: 82.8%. See graph. (2008 figures. Source: Canadian University Undergraduate Survey Consortium)
- Students who graduate: 91.5% (Source: Dalhousie University Registrar’s Office)
- Students who agree or strongly agree that “I am satisfied with my decision to attend this university:” 84% agree or strongly agree (2006 figures. Source: Canadian Undergraduate Survey Consortium)
Students abroad
Many of our students gain international experience during their years at Dalhousie, enriching their studies in a different cultural environment and improving their language skills. Others come from around the world to attend Dalhousie and take advantage of opportunities the university offers.
Students studying Russian at Dal can go to Saint Petersburg University in Russia; Spanish and International Development Studies students can study at the University of Havana in Cuba; Computer Science students can study at the Future University in Hakodate, Japan — these are just a few of possibilities.
Dalhousie students can also study at Oxford University in England for one full year on the Oxford Study Abroad Program — a program that's unique in Atlantic Canada and one of only two across the country. Another unique program offers Dalhousie students the chance to study at the International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle , a 15th century castle located in East Sussex, England.
Check out the possibilities at Dalhousie's International Student and Exchange Services .
FACULTY
The calibre of Dalhousie's faculty is key to our reputation as an academic leader.
Our faculty members are nationally and internationally recognized for their achievement, research and teaching.
Dalhousie hosts 50 Canada Research Chairs — more than at any other university in the Atlantic Region. The Chairs advance the frontiers of knowledge in their fields, not only through their own work, but also by teaching and supervising students and coordinating the work of other researchers.
Many of our professors are national and international award winners. Françoise Baylis (Philosophy), Canada Research Chair in Bioethics and Philosophy, was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2007. Neil MacKinnon was selected as a 2007 Harkness Associate, a program limited to only 13 individuals worldwide each year. He is the first Canadian pharmacist to receive the honour.
Mary Anne White, director of Dalhousie's Institute of Research in Materials, was awarded the McNeil Medal for the Public Awardness of Science by the Royal Society of Canada . She joins prestigious company, including past winners David Suzuki and the Discovery Channel’s Jay Ingram. And Dalhousie Computer Science Professor Srinivas Sampalli is a past recipient of the prestigious 3M Teaching Fellowship.
In 2007, Susan Sherwin (Philosophy) was honoured with the Killam Prize in Humanities for her work studying the relationship between gender and ethics in medicine and health care. The previous year, Brian Hall (Biology) won the Killam Prize in Natural Sciences.
With a steller academic reputation, Dalhousie is a highly competitive employer, attracting over 90 per cent of first-choice candidates for academic positions.
President Tom Traves has made a commitment to increasing the proportion of first-year teaching provided by tenured or tenure-track faculty. Exposure to strong teachers attracts students as departmental majors and creates a solid foundation within a discipline for future academic success.
LIBRARIES
Here’s a look at Dalhousie’s library funding, the collection’s size and currency.
Libraries:
Dalhousie has four major libraries:
- Killam Memorial Library — the administrative centre, home of the University Archives, and collections in the humanities, sciences, social sciences, education and management.
- Sir James Dunn Law Library — with collections in law, international law, marine and environment law and criminology;
- Sexton Design and Technology Library — serving engineering, architecture, planning and related disciplines;
- W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library — serving the faculties of Dentistry, Health Professions and Medicine and related disciplines.
Learning Commons: Learning Commons are student-friendly places to do research. There are learning commons now at the Killam, Kellogg and Sir James Dunn libraries.
Total library holdings: 2,296,183 books, journals, technical reports, microfilm reels and microfiche items.
Holdings per student: This figure represents the number of volumes in all campus libraries, divided by the number of full-time students: 149.
Acquisitions: A look at the proportion of the library budget allocated to updating the university’s collection: ($12.8 million divided by $5.8 million): 45.3%
Expenses: Percentage of the university budget (2006-07) devoted to maintaining library services: 5.28%
