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Thompson Rivers University

Box 3010, 900 McGill Road
Kamloops, British Columbia V2C 5N3
Telephone: 250-828-5000

Profile

Thompson Rivers University (TRU) is unique in Western Canada for the comprehensive range of programs offered, the integration and laddering of credits between programs and the flexibility of learning options provided to students. The TRU student body includes more than 5,800 full-time and 3,800 part-time students on campus, including almost 1,300 international students from 75 countries around the world, along with 1,000 students in programs offered by the university in other countries and 15,000 students taking distance and online courses.

Originally founded as a community college, the institution has grown and evolved over the past four decades and officially became Thompson Rivers University in March 2004 when the government of British Columbia announced provincial university status would be given to the University College of the Cariboo, as it was then known. At the same time, it was announced that TRU would assume full responsibility for all courses and programs of the former B.C. Open University and Open College.

TRU today offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degrees, diplomas and certificates on the main campus in Kamloops, including many programs unique to the region or the province. In fall 2011, the university will launch its first professional program with the new school of law, offering a J.D. degree.

The university also serves students from a regional campus in Williams Lake and from offices in several other communities, along with extensive distance education offerings and flexible access to degree completion with open admission and Prior Learning Assessment (PLAR) through TRU’s new B.C. Centre for Open Learning.

Students can choose from almost 80 undergraduate degree options, along with a growing selection of post-baccalaureate diplomas and master’s degrees. The university also offers nearly 30 professional career diplomas, all of which ladder into one or more degree programs at the university, and more than 50 different trades, apprenticeship, vocational and adult education certificate programs. Graduates of college diploma programs from across Canada are also able to ladder their credits into TRU degrees, in many cases with the option of on-campus or distance studies.

History
Year of foundation: 1970
Former name of the institution: University College of the Cariboo.

Student fees

Canadian student fees  2009 - 2010 *
Undergraduate tuition fees: $3,539
Graduate ** tuition fees: $8,948

International student fees  2009 - 2010 *
Undergraduate tuition fees: $13,800
Graduate ** tuition fees: $15,000

* Source: Statistics Canada. Fees for MBA programs.

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): 5,870
Full-time (graduates): 100
Part-time (undergraduates): 1,660
Part-time (graduates): 2

* Source: Thompson Rivers University (numbers do not include students registered in the Open Learning Division).

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
Aboriginal centre -- The Gathering Place, Aboriginal student coordinator, Aboriginal Elder program, health clinic, wellness centre, student employment centre, campus chaplaincy, Safe Walk program, emergency telephone network, infant-K daycare, after school daycare, women’s collective, student leadership program, services for students with disabilities, student employment centre, First Nations student association, international student activity program, U-Pass program with aquatic centre access, recreation and intramurals program, fraternities and sororities, judicial affairs office, financial aid and awards, TRU student association.

Academic support services
Aboriginal student transition planner, academic advising, assessment centre, international student advising, counselling centre, co-op and career education centre, service learning courses, supplemental learning program, math centre, writing centre, U-Prep centre.

First-year student programs
Orientation program, workshop for prospective students, student success seminars, career development seminar, group advising for degree programs, transition mentorship program, student success courses (in study skills, wellness and communications), welcome centre.

Housing
On-campus: Housing is available for almost 900 students in two different residence complexes. The 11-storey TRU Residence and Conference Centre has 580 beds in single, double and quad formats. All rooms are fully furnished and include all services as part of the semester fees, which range from $2,675 to $3,000 per semester. In the McGill Housing complex, all spaces are individually furnished rooms in pods of four. Residences are co-ed. About 50 percent of residents are first-year. Priority for rooms is given to returning students. Remaining rooms are allocated to first-year students on a first-come, first-served basis. Cost: regular room, $1,705 per semester; deluxe room, $1,810 per semester. The meal plan is a campus card program. International students have access to a homestay program through the international office.

Off-campus: There is a third student housing complex directly adjacent to the campus that accommodates more than 1,000 students. Accommodations include traditional-style residences (quad-dorm rooms) or two- and three-bedroom apartments. Cost: quad dorm rooms, $1,800/semester; two- and three-bedroom apartments, $900 - $1,150/month. Apartments and other off-campus rentals nearby. Prices vary depending on the type of accommodation: room and board, $500/month; one-bedroom, $300 - $500/month; two-bedroom, $475 - $650/month; three-bedroom or more, $700+/month.

Student assistance
Undergraduate: TRU offers Ambassadors’ Entrance Scholarships, renewable for up to four years, along with open Presidents’ Entrance Scholarships, leadership and community service entrance scholarships and transfer scholarships. TRU also offers entrance scholarships to students in 24 high schools in the region. The TRU Sports Task Force Entrance Scholarship program offers renewable athletic scholarships to top-ranking high school athletes from across Canada, along with other awards for student athletes, including international student athletes. The TRU Foundation offers almost $600,000 in awards every year to students with top grades or in financial need with another $190,000 given out from private donor awards. In total, almost $1.9 million is made available annually through all programs managed by the TRU Foundation.

University research

Research at TRU is growing rapidly with the change in status of the institution to full provincial university. Research and scholarly activity are now integrated with teaching and learning. As a primarily undergraduate university, TRU has made great strides in research activity, with new research centres related to issues and opportunities connecting the university to the community and region. TRU expects to have upwards of a dozen research chairs in place in the near future, and is encouraging and supporting the involvement of undergraduate students in research activity. A fund to support student activities across the university is providing grants of up to $5,000 for undergraduate student research work. The close links between students and faculty in the smaller university environment of TRU provides students with invaluable preparation for studies at the graduate level.

International education

International education has become a major part of the student experience at Thompson Rivers University. With almost 1,300 students from 75 countries around the world on the TRU campus, students have incredible opportunities to establish friendships and gain a greater understanding of the world. This has led the university to make international experiences for its students a high priority, and TRU is one of only three universities in Canada to become a member of the International Student Exchange Program, which now connects TRU to almost 300 other universities in 36 countries around the world. In addition, many TRU programs have established exchanges with universities where students can expand on their major area of study, in countries like England (journalism), The Netherlands (international business), Sweden (geographic information systems/geography) and Switzerland (business).

Field studies are also an area of growth, with recent opportunities in Japan, South America and Eastern Europe; co-op education is also providing international placements. Incorporating international experiences into the curriculum is growing: the BSN nursing program has been doing clinical experiences in Nepal, Thailand and Samoa; adventure tourism students have been travelling to Chile; and social work students have been doing practicums in Mexico and Cuba. The growth of international experiences for both students and faculty is expected to continue, as TRU also delivers complete programs to more than 1,000 students in other countries.