University of Alberta ID

Design Discussions students and schools
1

Has anyone gone through, or heard anything about the university of alberta’s industrial design program. How are resources(technology, teachers, labs, studios)? How well does it prepare it’s students. I dont know very much about it, so any oppinions on the program would be appreciated.

2

The University of Alberta consistently ranks as one of the top five universities in Canada, along with the University of Toronto, McGill University, and the University of British Columbia.

he U of A has approximately 36,000 students, more than 6,000 of them in graduate studies,[2] while about 2,000 are international students from 110 countries.[11] The university has 3,353 academic staff along with about 6,000 support and trust staff.[2] The university’s professors have won more 3M Teaching Fellowships (Canada’s top award for undergraduate teaching excellence) than any other Canadian university, 26 awards since 1986.[12] The university offers post-secondary education in about 200 undergraduate and 170 graduate programs. Tuition and fees for both fall and winter semesters are slightly more than $5,000 for a typical undergraduate student, although they vary widely by program.[2] The University of Alberta switched from a 9-point grading scale to the more common 4-point grading scale in September 2003.

The continued economic boom in Alberta, driven mainly by high energy prices, has resulted in multi-billion dollar government fiscal surpluses.[13] This has led to the introduction of Bill 1 by the provincial government, which promises to create a $4.5 billion endowment for Alberta’s post-secondary institutions.[14] Given the rosy economic conditions in Alberta, it has been suggested that as the University of Alberta enters its second century it should aim to be one of the top twenty universities in the world by the year 2020

Best Overall

In its 2006 survey, Maclean’s, a leading Canadian news magazine, rates the University of Alberta the best overall by National Reputational Ranking.[21][22] The top five in this category were:[23]

  1. University of Alberta
  2. University of Waterloo
  3. McGill University
  4. University of British Columbia
  5. University of Toronto

[edit] Top 5

The Times Higher Education Supplement rates the top 5 Canadian universities (world rankings in brackets):[24]

  1. McGill University (21)
  2. University of Toronto (27)
  3. University of British Columbia (50)
  4. University of Alberta (133)
  5. McMaster University (155)

Academic Ranking of World Universities rates the top 5 Canadian universities (world rankings in brackets):[citation needed][25]

  1. University of Toronto (24)
  2. University of British Columbia (37)
  3. McGill University (67)
  4. McMaster University (90)
  5. University of Alberta (101-152)

Webometrics Ranking of World Universities rates the top 5 Canadian universities (world rankings in brackets):[26]

  1. University of Toronto (23)
  2. University of British Columbia (36)
  3. University of Alberta (49)
  4. Université de Montréal (58)
  5. University of Calgary (59)

Research Infosource rates the top 5 Canadian universities by research criteria:[27]

  1. University of Toronto
  2. Université de Montréal
  3. McGill University
  4. University of Alberta
  5. University of British Columbia

Newsweek (International Edition) rates the top 5 Canadian universities (world rankings in brackets):[28]

  1. University of Toronto (18)
  2. University of British Columbia (31)
  3. McGill University (42)
  4. University of Alberta (55)
  5. University of Waterloo (84)

It should be noted that the University of Alberta (along with 22 other universities) has declined to participate in the 2006 Maclean’s annual university rankings issue, due to a concern that past rankings have been inaccurate.[29]

The Globe and Mail’s University Report Card reflects the opinions of 32,700 current undergraduates who responded to some 100 questions about their respective universities.[30] The University of Alberta received high (A- and above) grades in the following categories:

  • overall academic reputation of the university, reputation of university among employers, reputation for conducting leading-edge research, reputation for undergraduate studies, reputation for graduate studies
  • overall quality of education, faculty members’ knowledge of subjects
  • overall university atmosphere, sense of personal safety/security, tolerance for diverse opinions/ideas, availability of quiet study space
  • overall library, library services, online library resources, availability of journals/articles/periodicals, total number of library holdings
  • computer accessibility on campus, availability of up-to-date computer equipment, on-campus network for Internet/email, overall quality/availability of technology on campus, access to course/teaching materials online