Laurentian University at a Glance

And yet, this is only the start. Laurentian continues to be the top ranked university in Ontario in post-graduation employment rates. Within six months of graduation 97% of our graduates find the job that they want.

Responding to the needs of our communities has been the driving factor of our growth. Our world-class Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) now delivers medical curriculum in more than 90 sites across the north, while the award-winning Vale Living with Lakes Centre continues to lead the charge in the environmental monitoring of our lakes and waterways. This Fall, we will be opening the doors to our new $45M School of Architecture located in Sudbury’s downtown core where the delivery of the school’s design-build northern focused curriculum will continue with a fourth cohort.

Our national Tri-Council research funding has increased by 22% since 2008-2009 while it has been stagnant nationally. We now rank #1 in Canada in Economic Geology, in Applied Geophysics, in Rock Mechanics and in Social Policy, Planning and Social Prevention, and #1 in Ontario in Mining and Mineral Processing.

Laurentian’s unique and sought-after signature programs include the only business degree in Canada in Sports Administration, and the first of only two forensics programs outside the US accredited by the Forensic Science Education Program Commission (FEPAC). 

Undergraduate students are also drawn to Laurentian’s expertise in Education, Engineering, Geology, History, Medicine, Indigenous Social Work, Nursing, and Sports Psychology among others. Signature studies at the graduate level include Boreal Ecology, Indigenous Relations, Mineral Exploration, and Rural and Northern Health.

On the heels of a celebrated 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics for recent discoveries by Dr. Arthur McDonald and colleagues in the fascinating world of neutrinos, Laurentian researchers continue their work with colleagues from Queen’s University, Carleton University, University of Alberta and Université de Montréal on a variety of important projects two kilometres underground in the world-renowned Sudbury Neutrino Observation Laboratory (SNOLAB). These projects include the SNO+ and EXO experiments on neutrinoless double beta decay reactions, and the PICO experiment using superheated Freon in the detection of dark matter particles.

Ensuring the continued enrichment of our students along their journey solidifies our institutional mandate and our very raison d’être. We value and invest in opportunities for our students to embrace bilingualism, Indigenous studies and the ongoing and focused pursuit of success. And we’re providing the necessary supports and listening attentively to their needs along the way. For one, our recently established Centre for Academic Excellence is expanding its services exponentially to both anticipate and be responsive to student needs. 

Laurentian is now home to the Goodman School of Mines, the Bharti School of Engineering, the School of the Environment, as well as the new School for Northern and Community Studies. Investments in these entities have generated new impetus for many of our signature programs. Our engineering students, for instance, are repeat winners in multiple competitions such as the Canadian Mining Games and the Canadian Engineering Competitions. They’re also recognized for earning top prize in the NASA Lunabotics Competition.

We have been diligently transforming our Faculty of Management offerings to be both responsive to market needs and uniquely accessible to students young and old, in a variety of platforms. A restructured MBA program, the introduction of seven undergraduate specializations, the establishments of a dual-degree program in Accounting with Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics (ZUFE) and investments in a new state-of-the-art Executive Learning Centre are all part of our renewed approach.

At Laurentian, the new flexibility of customizing a degree to include minors, majors, concentrations and specializations, including new cross-disciplinary options, allows students to differentiate themselves in the workforce. Extra credits in the specialty of choice could be determinant factors in the hiring process. By providing these options, Laurentian sets the stage for successful graduates who are passionate about their future.

Offering employers the best candidates starts with admitting top-ranked applicants. Laurentian got there by being a university of choice. The average entry grades of our students has climbed from 79% to 82%. Since 2008, our intake of students with an average entry grade of 85% has nearly doubled, while the number of students with an average entry grade of less than 85% has declined.

There is renewed energy on campus resulting from many substantial enhancements to the student experience. We have added ever-popular men’s and women’s varsity hockey teams to our athletic roster and invested in student infrastructure: a new $20M 236-bed residence, an additional $7.5M in residence remodelling, expanded food services across campus including a marché-style dining assembly and generous meal plan. Creating vibrant amenities and involving students is our recipe for success.