Dalhousie University offers a wide array of subjects in its academic portfolio, including:

• Sciences
• Medicine
• Law
• Engineering
• Arts
• Agriculture

Like most Canadian universities, many of the courses are offered to be studied through co-op learning that encourages practical, real-life, and often paid, work experience with classroom learning and theory.

It is an impressive university academically, being the Top Ranked University in Atlantic Canada (Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education World University Rankings) and also in the Top 300 Globally (QS World University Rankings).

The Carleton Campus houses the Faculty of Medicine where their proximity to Queen Elizabeth II hospital and IWK Health Centre allows easy access for students to immerse themselves fully in the world of medicine, shown in that it is the only ranked medical doctoral university in Atlantic Canada (Maclean’s, 2021).

Dalhousie is split across 4 campuses:

• Studley Campus - the largest of the four, home to the Killam Library and Student’s Union.
• Carleton Campus - situated near Queen Elizabeth II hospital, base of studies of Medicine.
• Sexton Campus - in Halifax’s downtown square and is home to the Engineering and Architecture faculties.
• Truro Campus - an hour outside of Halifax, a working farm where the faculty of Agriculture operates.

The Killam Library on Studley campus holds over a million books and 40,000 journals and is Dalhousie’s largest library, complete with archives and a Special Collections Reading Room.

The Halifax campuses are serviced with interconnecting buses such as the Routes 10, 18, 41, and 42 which can be accessed with the UPass, a discounted bus pass for Dalhousie students. Students are also offered full access to Dalplex, Dalhousie’s primary fitness and recreation facility.

The Bissett Student Success Centre on campus is there to help students with job and career support, particularly in informing students of the resources available to them to achieve their goals.

Dalhousie’s Management Career Services also offer employers a host of resources to aid in recruitment and branding strategies, such as funding opportunities, directory of online resources and the associated forms for hiring.

Dalhousie is committed to its tag as a research university and attracts more than C$180million annually in external research funding. There is a lot of opportunity to work alongside researchers who are striving forward in their subjects.

The university’s location on the East coast of Canada gives it an edge in terms of the kinds of research they can achieve; the Truro campus in particular having over 1000 acres of research fields and numerous gardens and greenhouses. The Equation Laboratory is also Canada’s largest university aquatic research facility and a base for global marine research.

Also, the grants staff at Dalhousie have practical experience in each step of the application process, including plan development, application writing, processing, and more.

The university’s emphasis on co-op degrees is a leading factor in the high graduate employability at Dalhousie, ranking in the top 10 in Canada for graduate employability (Times Higher Education, 2020). The university rose 18 places from 204 to 186 on THE’s Global University Employability Rankings, entering the top 200.

These co-op courses will transition students from academic prospects into work-ready graduates and there are multiple career services on campus to help students along their professional journeys. One such service is the International Student Work Experience Programme which aims to give those who have moved from abroad the chance to further their professional skills, with 78 positions being available to international students in the 2021/22 academic year.

Dalhousie has more than 400 active student societies and clubs for newcomers to engage with and create new friends and connections. The Dalhousie Student Union is also a hub of activity including societies, campus radio and student services.

Halifax is Canada’s 13th largest city and is on the coast, facing the Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the countryside in a way that other universities in Canada are not, meaning students can visit the Cape Breton Highlands, Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse, and the lakes can be traversed by canoe.

Live music can be enjoyed at Pogues Irish Bar and the Dome and Pacifico nightclubs are good student spots for those who wish to enjoy Halifax’s nightlife. The city’s seafood is also famed in Canada for its high quality and freshness.

Dalhousie’s biggest attraction as an education institution is surely their facilities in the fields of Marine Biology, Agriculture, and Medicine where the university’s location gives it an advantage in these fields. For students who wish to embrace the research aspect of the university experience, then Dalhousie seems a natural fit.

The employability of the university’s students is also impressive, particularly as the alumni includes three former Canadian prime ministers amongst other impressive academics and achievers.

The situation of the university on Canada’s Atlantic coastline would offer an alternative to students who don’t prioritise living in the most metropolitan of Canadian cities and the landscape would provide a scenic setting to one’s studies.