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Mount Saint Vincent University

166 Bedford Highway
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3M 2J6
Telephone: 902-457-6788

Profile

Mount Saint Vincent University is small enough that you can think big! Our students get the personalized attention they deserve in a unique academic environment, tackling social issues that matter to our community. The Mount offers a unique mix of undergraduate degrees in liberal arts and sciences and an array of professional programs, including applied human nutrition, business administration, child and youth study, education, public relations, and tourism and hospitality management. Co-operative Education is offered in three of these professional programs. In addition, 14 graduate programs build on and enhance undergraduate program strengths.

More than 4,000 women and men from across Canada and 60 countries around the world take advantage of the University’s programs and unique sense of community through on-campus classes, or at a distance.

The Mount is nationally recognized for its small class sizes. Faculty members are invested in the successful academic outcome of every student, whom they quickly come to know by name. Lively group discussions, personalized attention, and small team projects not only enhance learning, but they enrich them through the background and experience of each student.

Teaching excellence is a hallmark of the Mount. Faculty members are not only the recipients of prestigious teaching awards, but students notice the difference too. In a recent survey, 93 percent of respondents were satisfied with the quality of teaching and 95 percent said that the Mount’s faculty was accessible outside of class time to help advance their learning. Faculty involvement in research -– which has become extensive over the last decade -– further enhances academic excellence by exposing students to current knowledge and intellectual discovery that ignites their academic vision and provides solutions to some of the most pressing social issues in Nova Scotia, Canada and the world. In fact, the Mount ranks among the top five undergraduate universities in Canada for Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grants.

Research drives transformative learning in another way at the Mount, providing the opportunity for students to become involved in faculty research. While most universities provide research assistantships mainly for graduate students, the Mount engages students at the undergraduate level as well. With research activity blossoming at the Mount, the University has more than doubled the number of undergraduates holding research assistantships over the last three years. Notably, graduate research assistantships have also increased in the last three years. These opportunities can be life changing for students, opening up professional possibilities and new aspirations.

The Mount continues with its commitment to increasing student financial aid and has one of the most generous scholarship programs in the region.

Building on its esteemed 135-year history, the Mount has the highest percentage of female students and faculty among Canadian universities, reflecting the University’s long-standing commitment to the advancement of women.

History
Year of foundation: 1873
Former names of the institution: Mount Saint Vincent Academy (1873-1925); Mount Saint Vincent College (1925-1966).

Student fees

Canadian student fees  2009 - 2010 *
Undergraduate tuition fees: $4,530 - $5,550
Graduate tuition fees: $6,595 - $7,615

International student fees  2009 - 2010 *
Undergraduate tuition fees: $10,845
Graduate tuition fees: $12,910

* Source: Statistics Canada. Fees for general programs in arts and humanities.

Note: In addition to tuition fees, universities generally charge fees for goods and services supplied to students. This includes areas such as student associations, sports and health. These additional fees vary widely per university and per student and can run from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. Check with the university for details.

Student enrolment

2009 rounded preliminary fall enrolment *
Full-time (undergraduates): 1,920
Full-time (graduates): 60
Part-time (undergraduates): 980
Part-time (graduates): 1,010

* Source: Association of Atlantic Universities

Programs and degrees

Note: The program information is compiled by AUCC staff in cooperation with staff at member institutions. The programs are classified according to the Classification of Instructional Programs 2000. To search for the programs offered by this institution, please consult the Directory of Canadian Universities’ programs database online at http://www.aucc.ca/can_uni/search/index_e.html.

Student facilities and services

Personal support services
Career planning, chaplaincy, counselling and psychological services, daycare centre, emergency telephones, financial aid office, fitness centre, security walk safe program, health centre and physio clinic, resident assistants, sexual harassment and fair treatment officer, services for students with disabilities.

Academic support services
Academic advising, international student advising, library services, peer tutoring student newspaper, student success course, students’ union, study skills workshops, and writing resource and student volunteer centre.

First-year student programs
Academic advising, orientation, counselling, writing resource centre, workshops on variety of topics including study skills, more than 35 clubs and societies.

Housing
On-campus: The Mount provides accommodation for 405 students in both traditional and apartment-style residences (co-ed and female-only). Traditional space consists of single and double rooms in a dorm-style building, as well as single rooms in five townhouses. Apartment suites, designed for upper-year and transfer students, offer an independent living alternative with the convenience of living on campus. Meal plans are mandatory in all traditional residences, with the exception of one of the townhouses which is reserved for international and mature students. A minimal meal plan commitment of $650 is required for apartment students. The spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Annual cost of room, board and meals: $6,530 - $8,150.

Off-campus: Housing is readily available and extremely accessible. Rent for apartments is approximately $700 per month, average rent for a room is $500 per month and the average cost of room and board is $600 per month.

In September 2007, the Mount introduced the Transit U-Pass, giving all full- and part-time time students unlimited access to regular public transit services during the academic year (September - April).

Student assistance
Undergraduate/Graduate: Over the last few years, the Mount has more than doubled the amount of money that goes to students through scholarships and bursaries and introduced an entrance bursary program. Mount entrance scholarships are offered to high school students in the top five per cent of their graduating class and are worth $16,000 to $36,000 over four years. The Mount also offers a guaranteed scholarship program for all first-year students with a high school average of 80 per cent or higher. Merit scholarships worth $1,000 to $3,000 are offered as annual award based on academics. In-course awards are also available to students on the basis of academic achievement.

Bursaries are based on financial need. New full-time students from high school or transfer students may be eligible for an entrance bursary ranging from $500 to $2,000. In recent years, 98 per cent of those who applied for bursaries received funding. Applications are available from late September through October and must be received by November 2. In addition to many job opportunities on campus, the university offers meaningful and career-related work experience on campus to students who demonstrate financial need through the Mount’s student works program. This program runs year-round.

Mount Saint Vincent University is a leader in community-based research and ranks among the top institutions in the country for the number of SSHRC awards per faculty member. External research funding has more than quadrupled in the last five years and the Mount is home to four Canada Research Chairs. More than 50 per cent of faculty members are involved in more than 150 funded research projects. Through these funded projects, close to $1 million has been earned by undergraduate and graduate students in the past three years through research assistant positions. Faculty members have forged more than 100 ongoing research partnerships with community organizations and have captured numerous grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

At the Mount, graduate and undergraduate students enjoy a number of advantages as research assistants uncommon at larger universities. As research assistants, students work at a professional level with professors who are experts in their fields and obtain a practical understanding of the research process while extending their academic knowledge. The Mount’s research assistants are attractive candidates for graduate schools, employers and professional organizations because they have practical research skills.

The Mount houses 16 research centres and institutes addressing real world issues like aging, food security and issues related to social justice.

International education

Mount Saint Vincent University is dedicated to providing the best university experience possible to all members of the community. Over 10 per cent of the Mount’s student body is made up of international students who represent 60 countries from around the world. The International Student Office is committed to the Mount’s mandate by helping international students with questions about working on-and off-campus, immigration policies, healthcare and Canadian culture. Tutoring services for English as a Second Language (ESL) are provided to students for free. Students who do not quite meet the English language requirement can enroll in the University Bridging Program. This three month program allows students to take one university course at the Mount while completing academic language training on campus. 

The Mount has student exchange programs with universities in Austria, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Korea, Mexico, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States (Hawaii & Utah).

Contact
International Student Office
Ms. Paula Barry
International and Exchange Student Advisor
Telephone: 902-457-6130
E-mail: paula.barry@msvu.ca