Concordia University

© Concordia University
Motto: Real education for the real world
Founded	1974, with the merger of two institutions, Loyola College (1896) and Sir George Williams University (1926)
School type	Public
Rector	Frederick Lowy
Location	Montreal, Quebec
Enrollment	25,417 undergrad, 4,444 grad
Campus surroundings	Urban
Campus size	40 acres (Loyola Campus)
Sports teams	Stingers
Mascot	Buzz
Concordia University's downtown (Sir George Williams) campus: the Hall building (at left) and the library.

Concordia University is a large urban university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university has two campuses, set approximately 7 km apart: Sir George Williams Campus is in the downtown core of Montreal (at Guy-Concordia metro station), and Loyola Campus is in the residential west-end district of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. They are connected by free shuttle-bus service for students, faculty and staff. Concordia is one of Montreal's two universities that teach in English, with McGill University; it is officially bilingual.

History

The university traces its academic roots back to the early 20th century, with the development of the Jesuit-run Loyola College and the YMCA-based Sir George Williams University. Sir George Williams College — as it was originally called — was started to allow working people in the English-speaking community to pursue their education in the evening while working during the day. Concordia has continued this tradition by offering many night classes with summer night classes as well as the traditional fall and winter sessions. The two schools were merged in 1974 under the name of Concordia University, taking the name from the motto of the city of Montreal, Concordia salus (meaning 'well-being through harmony').

Programs

Concordia has more than 180 undergraduate programs are divided into four Faculties: Arts and Science, Engineering and Computer Science, Fine Arts, and the John Molson School of Business. Students are enrolled in one of these Faculties, but they may take courses from any of the others as part of their studies. Many programs also offer a 'co-operative' component, whereby students get work experience while they study.

In addition, the School of Graduate Studies offers more than 70 programs leading to Master's and doctoral degrees, as well as a variety of graduate diplomas and certificates for professionals seeking to upgrade their knowledge and skills.

Students enter the university in September, or in some cases, in January or May. An undergraduate degree normally takes three or four years to complete, a Master's takes from a year-and-a-half to three, and a PhD is at least four years long. Certificates and diplomas usually take no longer than a year and a half to complete.

Athletics

Concordia University's athletic teams are called the Stingers.

Notable Graduates

Notable alumni of Concordia include the late author Mordecai Richler, and Mario Dumont, leader of the provincial ADQ party.

See also: McGill University, University of Montreal, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), List of Quebec Universities

External link

• Concordia University