Best Universities in Canada

Canada’s Top 5 Universities? Look for the Best University for You

What are the best universities in Canada? The answer usually depends on what degree you want. Some universities find their way onto almost every list. But for specialized studies, other schools pop to the top.

For a change, instead of pitting Canadian schools against each other, I’ve looked at where Canadian schools stand in global rankings. This list of best universities in Canada is compiled from these ratings of universities worldwide:

* Thompson-Reuters 2011-2012 rankings of the world’s top universities for The Times Higher Education. This includes rankings by specialized areas of study.

* The Financial Times 2011-2012 Global MBA rankings.

* US News and World Reports list of Top 400 World’s Best Universities, 2011.

* Top 500 World Universities, Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.

The Best Universities for Engineering in Canada

Thompson-Reuters ranks engineering schools worldwide. Four Canadian schools earned spots on their Top 100 list of engineering schools:

18. University of Toronto
33. University of British Columbia
47. McGill University
48. University of Waterloo

The Best Science Universities in Canada

When you consider science more broadly, Thompson-Reuters rates universities separately for Pre-Clinical and Health Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences. The list below “ranks” each university according to its top score in any of the science disciplines.

* McGill University (11 in Pre-Clinical and Health Sciences, 24 in Life Sciences)
* University of British Columbia (14 in Life Sciences, 24 in Physical Sciences
* McMaster University (16 in Pre-Clinical and Health Sciences)
* University of Toronto (17 in Pre-Clinical and Health Sciences, 18 in Life Sciences, 22 for Physical Sciences)
* University of Montreal (47 in Pre-Clinical and Health Sciences)

The Best Business Universities in Canada

The Financial Times rates universities globally on their MBA programs. This list has seen some churn in the past few years, particularly as well-regarded US and UK universities have opened branch facilities in Asia and the Middle East. So a little slippage in a Canadian university’s rank is no cause for concern.

All of this makes the Desautels school’s 18-place upward jump since last year especially striking. Here is where The Financial Times’ global list of business schools ranks the Best MBA Universities in Canada.

44. University of Toronto Rotman
59. York University Schulich
61. McGill University Desautels
68. University of Western Canada Ivey
82. University of British Columbia Sauder

Best University in Canada

When professionals try to identify the best universities, factors can include the academic breadth and depth of many programs, faculty research impact, student success post-graduation, and more. US News uses QS Top Universities to assess the Top 400 World’s Best Universities. Thompson-Reuters does its own ratings. A third scale, more inclusive of institutions in Asian and Middle Eastern countries, is produced by the Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. Here’s how 11 Canadian universities that made at least one global Top 200 stack up in the three schemes (Thompson-Reuters is listed first / US News second/ Jiao Tong University third.)

19 / 23 / 24 University of Toronto
28 / 17 / 61 McGill University
22 / 51 / 36 University of British Columbia
100 / 100 / (101-152*) University of Alberta
65 / 159 / 88 McMaster University
104 / 137 /(153-201) Université de Montréal
173 / 144 /(153-201) Queens University
(201-225** ) / 157 / (202-301) The University of Western Ontario
(201-225) / 160 / (153-201) University of Waterloo
177 / 292 / NA University of Victoria
185 / NA / (202-301) University of Ottawa

*After 100, Jiao Tong University ranks by groups only.
** After 200, Reuters-Thompson releases ranks in groups only.

So what is the best university in Canada? If the professionals don’t always agree on how to rank our universities, make sure you count factors that matter to you. One professor in one discipline could make all the difference. In the end, the best university is always the best university for you.