Tracing its academic roots over
more than 100 years, the University evolved from the 1974 merger of Sir George Williams
University and Loyola College. Concordia is a large, urban university, reflecting
Montréal’s bilingual and multicultural environment. The two campuses are seven
kilometres apart, and connected by a free shuttle-bus service. Sir George Williams Campus
is in the downtown core of Montréal and the Loyola Campus is in the city’s
residential west-end.
The University promotes accessibility, innovation, and an
interdisciplinary approach to learning, with a strong tradition of part-time education.
Concordia enrolled 25,318 students as of Fall 1999: 11,482 full-time and 8,304 part-time
undergraduates; 2,612 full-time and 662 part-time graduates; and 2,258 others.
Approximately 80 per cent were Québec residents; 10 per cent came from other Canadian
provinces, and 10 per cent were International students. Approximately 15 per cent listed
French as their mother tongue.
Concordia offers more than 160 undergraduate programs in the
Faculties of Arts and Science, Commerce and Administration, Engineering and Computer
Science, and Fine Arts.
Through the School of Graduate Studies, the University awards MA,
MSc, MTM, MBA, MASc, MCompSc, MEng, and MFA degrees in approximately 40 subjects. Nearly
20 PhD programs are available, as are over 15 Graduate Diplomas and Certificates.
Concordia Athletics Department offers extensive opportunities for
participation in intramural and intercollegiate sports. Facilities include several
full-sized playing fields and a fully equipped physical education centre at the Loyola
Campus. The centre includes a gymnasium, an ice arena, training and sports medicine areas,
an activity room, and a weight-training room. Location
The city of Montréal enhances the Concordia University experience. It is one of the
oldest cities in North America and one of the world’s largest French-speaking cities.
While French is the predominant language, there is also a large English-speaking
population, and the many ethno-cultural communities complement the vibrant, cosmopolitan
atmosphere. The city is steeped in history and tradition, yet dynamic and contemporary.
Concerts, films, plays, art shows, and athletic events abound,
but if one wishes to get away, there is always the 100-acre Mount-Royal Park set in the
heart of metropolitan Montréal. In addition, the nearby Laurentian mountains and the
proximity of New England offer an easy retreat from the urban bustle.
Academic Program
The academic year is composed of two terms: a Fall Term (September to December) and a
Winter Term (January to April), followed by a Summer Session (early May to mid-August).
Academic activity is measured according to a credit system. Each credit involves a minimum
of 45 hours of lectures, tutorials, laboratories, studio or work practicums, examinations,
and individual work.
Successful completion of a minimum of 90 credits to a maximum of
120 credits (usually 15 per term) is required for most undergraduate degrees. In some
cases, students must complete additional credits. Undergraduate programs require a
cohesive sequence of courses, and graduation requires completion of one of the following
concentrations: Honours, Specialization, or Major (or in Fine Arts, a Double Minor).
International Network
Concordia recognizes the importance of international academic relations and operates a
Centre for International Academic Cooperation to develop and coordinate the
University’s international orientation. Professors and students travel worldwide, and
Concordia continues to play host to visiting students and academics from around the globe.
Associations exist with universities in the United States, Central and South America, the
Caribbean, Pacific Rim countries, Africa, Great Britain, and most European countries.
Research/study programs have been developed in Costa Rica, England, Greece, and Italy.
Concordia was the first Western university to establish a joint doctoral program with a
counterpart in the People’s Republic of China, and it maintains exchange programs
with eight PRC academic institutions. The University is a member of the Association of
Commonwealth Universities and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. The
Faculty of Commerce and Administration is accredited by the International Association for
Management Education (AACSB).
Academic Facilities
The Georges P. Vanier Library and the R. Howard Webster Library house collections
including books, periodicals, indexes, government publications, microforms, audio-visual
materials, and electronic resources. The computerized library catalogue is accessible by
modem via Gopher and the World Wide Web to assist in identifying and locating materials.
Interlibrary Loans Service makes items accessible from virtually any library in the world.
Instructional and Information Technology Services (IITS) provides
computing and audio-visual resources and services to the entire University community.
Available computing resources include several super-mini computers, extensive lab
facilities offering 250 public access personal computers, Internet access, and specialized
graphics equipment. A comprehensive software library contains numerical analysis routines,
statistical processing packages, database products, simulation languages, graphics
support, all widely used computer languages, text processing, on-line news services, and
other general-purpose utilities.
IITS operates three audio-visual equipment depots, which are
primarily responsible for media services in teaching areas but also provide sales of
materials and loan of equipment to the University community.
The facilities in the IITS Learning Laboratories, media workshops
(AVISTAs), television and sound studios, preview and presentation rooms, cinemas, and
media library are available to all students, faculty members, and staff for
self-instruction, training, and preparation of presentation materials. Professional
production services and consultation are available in the areas of video, sound, graphics,
photography, computer-controlled presentation and distance education. The University is a
member of the Québec educational television network, CANAL, which broadcasts a variety of
credit and non-credit courses, lectures, seminars and interviews on UHF Channel 29 in the
Montréal region and on Cable 23 in other areas of Québec.
The Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery presents a year-round
program. Exhibitions feature material from the University’s extensive permanent
collection, works produced by the Faculty of Fine Arts professors, or collections from art
institutions across Canada and beyond. The Visual Arts Gallery is devoted to work by
Faculty of Fine Arts undergraduates. The Bourget Building Gallery exhibits work by Fine
Arts graduate students.
The Faculty of Fine Arts operates several performing arts
facilities, including a state-of-the-art concert hall with seating for 600, and the Joseph
P. Cazalet Studio, a flexible teaching facility serving theatre students. Dramatic
productions are staged in the D.B. Clarke Theatre.
Faculty
Concordia employs 696 full-time professors, 795 part-time instructors (CUPFA only), and 26
professional librarians. Many faculty members are professionals drawn from the artistic or
business world who have gained Canadian and international reputations as experts in their
fields.
Principal research areas are psychology, electrical engineering,
computer science, building studies, transportation engineering, cell and molecular
biology, behavioural neurobiology, human development, and management studies.
Concordia University Entrance Scholarships
A number of scholarships are available to students entering their first year of full-time
study at Concordia. These are awarded on the basis of academic achievement at the
pre-university level. Recipients are required to maintain a credit load and performance
standard as prescribed by the Scholarships and Awards Committee. You need not submit a
separate entrance scholarship application unless otherwise stated. All eligible students
submitting an application to Concordia University by March 1 for the Fall Term and November
1 for the Winter Term will automatically be considered for an entrance scholarship.
Only those students offered an entrance scholarship will be notified.
Due to the limited number of entrance scholarships, they are
restricted to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents.
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