Dalhousie University

About Dalhousie University

Campus: Facilities, Residence and Location

Dalhousie has three “walking distance” campuses in Halifax. The largest is the Studley Campus, which is the major campus for students who are planning to take undergraduate studies in the Sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Engineering and the Arts. Its facilities include the Killam Library, the Life Sciences Centre, Kenneth C. Rowe Management building, the Henry Hicks Academic Administration, Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences building, Student Union building and a building which is on its way to completion on 2010.

The Carleton Campus includes the Pharmacology, Nursing, and Occupational Therapy Departments. It also includes the Dentistry, Health Profession, and Medicine faculties. Downtown Barrington Street is the Sexton Campus, where it includes the Planning, Engineering, and Architecture faculties. Recently, the campus has been constructing new buildings, such as the Faculty of Computer Science, Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building, Howe Hall, John Risley Hall, and Keeneth C. Rowe Management Building.

Dalhousie offers students two alternative options for their accommodation. The first one is the Traditional residence, a dormitory-styled building which provides the students single and double rooms. It includes meals plans, and students have the opportunity to be involved in sports, educational, and social events as well. Some of the residences that fall under this category are: Shirreff Hall, Howe Hall, Gerard Hall, Eliza Ritchie Hall, O'Brien Hall, Risley Hall, and the Mini Residences. The Non-Traditional Residence is for the student who wants a more private lifestyle. These apartments and houses have more support services, residence programs and facilities for the students. Also, they can choose if they want to avail of a meal plan or not. The Non-Traditional residences are: Residence Houses, Glengary Apartments, and the Graduate House.

Student Services and Student Life

The campus offers these services to students: Writing Centre, Studying for Success, Student Services, Student Accounts, Student Accessibility Services, Registrar, MyGuide, Multifaith Centre, Money Matters, International Student & Exchange Services, First Year Advising, Counselling and Psychological Services, Co-op Education, Classes: Select/Register, Career Services Centre, Career Counselling & Information Centre, Career Connections, Black Student Advising Centre, Allies for Gay and Lesbian Students, and Academic Advising.

The Dalhousie Student Union is the representative of the students’ interests, rights, and needs. They provide services that make the students’ experience more fun and fulfilling in a social, environmental, and financial way. Some of the services it gives are: TigerOnline, External Lobbying, Student Advocacy, Legal Assistance, Food Bank, Health and Dental Plan, Tiger Patrol, Academic Issues, Grants, Student Accessibilty Bursary, Financial Aid Information, Student Leadership Program, and TigerBooks online. Students who plan to join clubs can go to the TigerSociety, Dalhousie Student Union’s online society ratification system. It helps students search the database of societies available in the campus in a much faster way.

Dalhousie has an estimated 300 student-athletes, staff, and coaches that represent the University in the Atlantic University Sport conference. The Tiger squads compete in these sports: Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball, Track and Field, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, and Swimming. Students who would like more variety can join the Intramural sports for free, or they can join the 17 sport clubs on campus, such as: Baseball, Badminton, Cheerleading, Curling, Dance, Fencing, Lacrosse, Judo, Masters Swim, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Scuba Diving, Squash, Table Tennis, Tae Kwon Do, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee and Waterpolo.

Students can also enjoy the Dalplex, the University’s fitness centre, where it offers 35 weekly fitness classes, such as Pilates, Yoga, Swimming Lessons, and Climbing sessions. For students who are more into arts and culture, they can try the Dalhousie Arts Centre, the venue for musical events and theatrical performances. They can also try the Dalhousie Art Gallery, or check out the events calendar of the Department of Music and Theatre.

Academic Programs

Architecture and Planning (Bachelor of Community Design, Bachelor of Community Design Honours, Master of Planning, Master of Planning Studies, Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies, Master of Architecture), Arts and Social Sciences, Computer Science (Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University), Dentistry, Engineering (Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Food Science, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering and Mining Engineering), Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Law, Management, Medicine, and Science.

Rankings

Dalhousie is a consistently ranked as a Top Research University. It is a member of Group of Thirteen (G13), the best research universities in Canada. The Scientist magazine ranked the college number five in the world outside of the United States for scientific research and postdoctoral work in 2003-2004. In 2007, the Scientist’s ranked number one in the “Best Places to Work in Academia”, and according to a survey, it was the “Best Non-Commercial Scientific Institute” to work for in Canada. In 2008, Maclean’s Magazine ranked it eighth in the Medical Doctoral Rankings and sixth for the Dalhousie’s law school. It was also ranked eleventh out of the 197 international universities in the 2008 edition of the Times Higher Education Supplement-Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings.

Halifax Information

The urban area of Halifax, with a population approaching 300,000, is located in the western end of the municipality, fronting on Halifax Harbour. The dense urban core is centred on the Halifax Peninsula and the area of Dartmouth inside of the Circumferential Highway. The suburban area stretches beyond Mainland Halifax to the west, Cole Harbour to the east, and Bedford, Lower Sackville and Windsor Junction areas to the north.

Halifax's climate is heavily influenced by its location on Nova Scotia's Atlantic coast. The weather is usually milder or cooler than that of central Canada, with the temperature remaining between about -15°C and 35°C inland but the coast can be milder in the winter and cooler in the summer with the maritime influence.

The urban area of Halifax Regional Municipality is a major cultural centre within the Atlantic provinces. The municipality's urban core also benefits from a large population of post-secondary students who strongly influence the local cultural scene. HRM has a number of art galleries, theatres and museums, as well as most of the region's national-quality sports and entertainment facilities. The municipality is home to many performance venues, namely the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, the Neptune Theatre, and The Music Room. HRM also is the home to many of the regions major cultural attractions, such as Symphony Nova Scotia, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and the Neptune Theatre.