Queen’s boasts some of the finest academics in residency at the university, including the 2015 Nobel Prize Winner, Dr. Arthur B. McDonald. Engineers, social scientists, philosophers, and more are all academics that work with the university in their fields and are part of the excellent resources that Queen’s has to offer.

The university is built of 8 faculties:

• Faculty of Arts & Science
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• School of Graduate Studies
• Faculty of Law
• Smith School of Business
• School of Policy Studies

In terms of subjects that the university is famed for, Engineering stands out because of the well-funded and high-research output of their labs, namely their robotics lab. The astrophysics resources are also unique to this university as a course that not many other universities in this part of the world can offer, especially not with the level of research output as Queen’s.

Split across four campuses, (two being the Bader International Study Centre in East Sussex, UK, and Smith School of Business in Toronto, ON) the main campus lies in the heart of Kingston and is only a short walk to the waterfront of Lake Ontario.

At the centre of the main campus is the intersection of Union Street and University Avenue where students can get almost anywhere on campus within a 10 minute walk. Here you’ll find the Douglas Library and John Deutsch University Centre. You can also catch a City of Kingston bus around town using a Queen’s student card making it easy for students to commute to lectures or see the city.

Kingston is serviced with railway stations, and the Kingston and Toronto airports making travel between cities, both locally and globally, easy and accessible.

The QPI (Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation) team are on hand to aid students with big ideas in the ways of entrepreneurship. The Startup Runway Incubation Programme is designed to help students and SMEs in the Kingston area through acceleration programmes, workshops, patenting and more. The Toronto branch of Queen’s also opens the scope further afield than just Kingston, making for more opportunities for students and SMEs.

The Foundry programme is also in place to help students with enterprising drive connect with research-based intellectual property with financial potential through a licensing framework. This programme is specifically good for students interested in research and where that may take them in tandem with business.

Research is a key factor at Queen’s University, particularly in Astroparticle Physics in which the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics went to one of their staff, Dr. Arthur B. McDonald. They were also awarded C$63.8 million through Canada First Research Excellence Fund, and hold one Canada Excellence Research Chair in Particle Astrophysics. Their research is also adaptable and key to wider world events, with Dr. Arthur B. McDonald also working on low-cost ventilators to be produced during the coronavirus pandemic in Canada.

Students wishing to get involved in Queen’s University’s broad research approach, they can contact the Vice Principal Research Portfolio or Research Services, who will point students in the right direction regarding funding opportunities, proposal writing and more.

Queen’s is placed between #101-110 for Graduate Employability in QS Top University Rankings showing that it is a respected establishment to have a degree from, particularly a degree in Law where 95.4% of the class of 2018 were in Law-related placements by September after graduation. 

Careers Services are also available around the clock to help students from any faculty and at any point of their study to with their employment prospects. They are ranked second in Canada for their “Impressive Career Services Model” that works in partnership with student organisations, academic departments, and other units on campus to provide the best support for students that they can. One such way is through Queen’s Undergraduate Internship Programme (QUIP), offering students the opportunity to gain paid work experience in 12-16 month placements in technology, languages, business, and industry.

There is an enormous range of food options on campus, ranging from world-famous poutine, Thai food to pizzas, and vegan and halal restaurants, not to mention the numerous coffee shops.

Sports and athletics are also a key feature of Queen’s culture, with the Gaels varsity team competing across a variety of sports against various Canadian universities. The gym and sports hall facilities also encourage students to stay active and social in their time at Queen’s.

Kingston is a city for all seasons as the trails like Rock Dunder make for a beautiful way to connect to nature, and in the winter time students can skate around Market Square and experience the beauty of winter. In the summertime the beaches are also a great way to get out and relax with a swim along the shores of Lake Ontario.

Queen’s is an incredible university to attend for the student who wants to grasp research opportunities at their fullest; its track record in this field is incredibly impressive, particularly in the areas of Sciences and Technology. 

It has a well-mapped centralised main campus that offers students the chance to immerse themselves in the city of Kingston, with an infrastructure that is clever and user-friendly. The limestone buildings of Queen’s are steeped in history without getting left behind academically, as shown by their constant output of high-quality research and academics. 

Kingston makes for a pleasant university city with the most restaurants per capita in Canada and gorgeous scenery that puts the qualities of Canada at the forefront.