Saint Mary's University

Established: 1802

University Type: Primarily Undergraduate

Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Background Information:

Nestled in the heart of Halifax, Saint Mary’s University is marked by iconic buildings, green spaces and fresh sea air. The university has a strong international community, with 33 per cent of those enrolled hailing from more than 115 countries. The school has forged partnerships with more than 40 institutions in 25 countries, offering students exchange programs and learning opportunities in countries such as China, Gambia and Ireland. Partnerships with two universities in China have been mutually beneficial for both universities. SMU’s Confucius Institute, partnering with Xiamen University in southeastern China, opened six years ago and offers courses on Chinese medicine and language. A new partnership with Beijing Normal University Zhuhai offers the bachelor of commerce program from the Sobey School of Business to Chinese students. “Saint Mary’s is proud to educate citizens of the world,” says president Robert Summerby-Murray.

At Saint Mary’s, you have lots of opportunities to expand your education internationally through field study courses. Participating in an international field study gives you the chance to immerse yourself in the place that you’re studying, adding an extra element to your practical experience. Not only will you gain valuable research skills and life experience, you’ll also learn to work in unfamiliar territory. It is important to Saint Mary’s that our students and neighbours form good relationships and enjoy living in the community together. We actively work to create partnerships with police and community members to address issues before they become problems.

The annual Maclean’s magazine rankings measure universities on 13 performance measures. Maclean’s evaluates 49 universities in three categories; Saint Mary’s is in the Primarily Undergraduate category along with 18 other institutions where it ranked 7th in 2016.

University Strengthen:

The co-operative education option allows you to apply your knowledge, develop skills and gain confidence, while you earn money to help pay for tuition.

The Sobey School of Business has been recognized as one of the top 5 business schools in Canada. The Bachelor of Commerce program at the Sobey School was ranked 5th among 47 Canadian universities. Sobey School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). AACSB Accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Less than 5% (about 20 in Canada) of the world’s 13,000 business programs have earned AACSB Accreditation.

You will gain the strategic financial skills that global employers demand through this program. The Sobey MFin effectively prepares graduates for professional careers in: Financial Analysis and Advising, Portfolio and Risk Management, and Corporate Finance. The program will thoroughly prepare you for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams. In just one year, you will have the tools and confidence to achieve career success in a highly competitive field. The CFA exam pass rate is 95% and above.

• Anthropology: Students use cutting-edge electromagnetic sensing technology to examine soil beneath historical Acadian settlements in Grand-Pré and sites in Lunenburg.
• Computing Science and Business Administration: This interdisciplinary program responds to an increasing demand for people with solid technical knowledge of computing science who understand how to apply this technology to business problems.
• Forensic Science: Forget what you see on TV. Real-life forensic science is much more complex; this program gives a firm grounding in the science; professors are practicing professionals as well.

The ratio between student and faculty is 16 to 1 in Saint Mary’s University. It has the highest number of professors who have won national awards (amongst all primarily undergraduate universities in Atlantic Canada) and has the highest percentage of full-time faculty with a PhD in Nova Scotia (this includes comprehensive and primarily undergraduate combined).

Saint Mary's University committed to ensuring your success by providing over 260 scholarships, bursaries, and rewards academic excellence with over $5 million in student scholarships and awards annually. The highest scholarship is $ 24,000 in four years and nearly 40% of new international students are awarded entrance scholarships.

Academic Programs