Student Research @ Acadia
Excellence in research training for undergraduates and graduate students is one of the cornerstones of an Acadia education. Acadia faculty members understand the value in training student researchers - after all, they are the researchers of tomorrow. Dr. Luke Harris, a former Honours student at Acadia, sums it up by saying "By the time I finished my summer research work with my supervisor, his passion and commitment to student success had inspired me to pursue a research career. I am so grateful to Acadia for providing me with such an amazing undergraduate research opportunity."
Students are valued members of Acadia's vibrant research community. As a result of the close interaction with their supervisors, Acadia students obtain an educational and training experience that places them in demand as they advance to positions that require high quality research skills. Acadia students work on developing their written and oral communication skills and often travel to scholarly conferences to present their work. There are many other value-added opportunities for senior undergraduate and Masters students through involvement in research workshops and reading groups, collaborative research opportunities with industry, and publishing activities.
Acadia has played a key role in building Canada's research capacity by providing exceptional opportunities for students to experience early and thorough engagement with research under the close guidance of faculty members. A 2005 survey of the Faculties of Science, Arts, and Professional Studies confirmed that Acadia's Honours undergraduate program has made significant contributions to Canada's need for highly qualified personnel. Over the previous 5 years, 48% of Acadia's Honours degree recipients entered graduate school programs and another 20% entered post degree professional school programs. This importance in building Canada's research capacity was again evidenced by an extensive history of Acadia's Biology Honours program that was undertaken in 2008. This revealed that 85% of the Honours students that graduated since 1910 (those that could be tracked, which represented over 90% of graduates) had obtained post-graduate degrees, with over 50% of them attaining doctoral degrees, half of those as PhDs.
Acadia prides itself in the high standards of its Honours and Masters programs which require students to research, write, and defend a thesis in most programs. Each year Acadia graduates approximately 100 Honours students. Approximately 350 full and part time graduate students are currently enrolled at Acadia University.
There are many exciting opportunities for students to participate in research at Acadia - students may be involved in conducting research in the lab, in fieldwork away from campus, along with Library-based work. There are Honours options in the following programs: Biology, Business Administration, Canadian Studies, Chemistry, Classics, Computer Science, Economics, English, Environmental Geoscience, Environmental Science, French, Geology, German, History, Kinesiology, Latin, Mathematics and Statistics, Nutrition, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Theatre Studies and Women's Studies. There are graduate programs offered in the following areas: Applied Geomatics, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Education, English, Geology, Mathematics and Statistics, Political Science, Psychology, Recreation Management, Social & Political Thought, and Sociology. The Acadia Divinity College offers a Masters in Divinity, Doctor of Ministry, and a Master of Arts (Theology).