Canada’s Technology Triangle’s strategic location is distinguished by exceptional access to quality post-secondary education institutions and world-class skills and talent.

• University of Waterloo
• Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
• Wilfrid Laurier University
• University of Guelph

17th Annual Maclean's University Rankings

Universities in Waterloo Region – Canada’s Technology Triangle – have won top recognition in the latest national rankings of Canadian universities by Maclean’s magazine. Maclean’s analysis is the most comprehensive and widely followed annual survey.

The University of Waterloo again emerged as the most highly regarded university in Canada. It ranked first in three of four reputational categories – “best overall”, “most innovative” and “leaders of tomorrow”. These rankings are derived from a survey of thousands of people across Canada, including high-school guidance counselors and principals, university officials, heads of organizations, as well as CEOs and corporate recruiters.

Wilfrid Laurier University ranked highly among largely undergraduate institutions, including a second place rating for “highest quality” in the reputational category. In addition, Laurier was in the top four nationally in the “best overall”, “most innovative” and “leaders of tomorrow” categories.

Neighbouring University of Guelph ranked right behind the University of Waterloo among comprehensive research-intensive universities in this latest Maclean’s report.

University of Waterloo

According to Maclean's magazine the University of Waterloo is the most highly regarded of all Canadian universities and is known worldwide for its leading computer science, mathematics, & engineering programs, as well as home of the world’s largest cooperative education program.

Technology transfer may have achieved its logical extreme at the University of Waterloo, where the bond forged between academia and the private sector has become an inherent part of university culture. The university's commitment to technology transfer is evident in the fact that the university is a Canadian leader in contract research, as well as in royalty and license revenues from technology transfer. The University of Waterloo accounts for approximately 20% of technology spin-offs from Canadian universities, and reports an estimated $1.1 billion a year in economic impact for the region. The University of Waterloo is also the world’s largest cooperative university. In fact, the Canadian cooperative education system was pioneered in Waterloo in 1957. The University of Waterloo:

• Produces 10% of Canada’s engineering graduates
• Produces 15% of mathematics and computer science PhDs in Canada, and 30% of all mathematics graduates in Ontario
• Home to: the world ’s largest mathematics faculty
• The world’s largest cooperative education program
• Canada’s Largest Engineering School
• Six faculties: Applied Health Sciences, Arts, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Mathematics, and Science
• Five professional schools: Accountancy, Architecture, Computer Science, Optometry and Planning, its 6th, the School of Pharmacy, opening in 2007
• Four affiliated institutions: St. Jerome’s University, Conrad Grebel University College, Renison College, and St. Paul’s United College

Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Conestoga was among the first of Ontario’s colleges to institute four-year degree programs in 2003, under the authority granted by the province’s Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB). Conestoga now offers five four-year baccalaureate programs - Architecture Project and Facility Management (Bachelor of Applied Technology), Integrated Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (Bachelor of Applied Technology), Health Informatics Management (Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences), International Business Management (Bachelor of Applied Business), and Integrated Telecommunication and Computer Technologies (Bachelor of Applied Technology). In addition, Conestoga offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing in collaboration with McMaster University and as of 2008, the Bachelor of Applied Technology - Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Wood and Composite Products will also be available.

Conestoga College ITAL’s mandate is “education for employment.” Its links to business and industry are strong, with many specialized training courses. Conestoga College believes in excellence in practical education, with the goal of contributing to economic growth and prosperity.

• Ranked the number one College in Ontario for the 9th consecutive year in a row by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
• One of the province’s largest providers of apprenticeship education
• Rising co-op education with 25 full-time programs featuring this component
• The overall employment rate 6 months after graduation is 93.8%, the highest of all Ontario colleges
• Offers a variety of program options in its six schools: the School of Business, the School of Engineering and Information Technology, the School of Health Sciences/Community Services/Biotechnology, the School of Liberal and Media Studies, the School of Trades and Apprenticeships, and the Conestoga Language Institute
• Offers customized training for business and industry
• Collaborates with McMaster University, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, the University of Windsor, and Brock University on a number of joint programs.

Wilfrid Laurier University

Ranked in the top 10 for Overall Ranking: Primarily Undergraduate Canadian universities in the Maclean’s Magazine Canadian Universities Ranking 2007. Wilfrid Laurier University is best known for its excellence in business, economics and music, including graduate studies. Laurier’s faculty provides students with a broad perspective of the world that opens up new ways of thinking. Wilfrid Laurier’s unique, interdisciplinary approach to learning allows students to combine majors in completely different fields. The recent addition of the Schlegel Institute of Entrepreneurship and the $11.4 million science facility offer an environment that draws on its renowned faculty’s wealth of teaching and hands-on experience.

• Laurier’s School of Business is one of Canada’s largest and most respected business schools
• Opened an $11.4 million science building with state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment last year funded in large part by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Innovation Trust
• Four faculties: Arts, Science, Music, and Business & Economics
• Programs specializing in Biochemistry and Biotechnology have been introduced
• The School of Social Work opening at the new Downtown Kitchener location

Nearby University of Guelph

Nearby University of Guelph is one of Canada’s most research-intensive universities. Areas of academic and research expertise include agriculture, veterinary science, animal biotechnology, molecular biology, food technology, chemistry, biochemistry, genetics and animal breeding and physics.

• Curriculum integrates a strong foundation in broadbased liberal learning with concentrated study in specialized and applied fields
• Offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in addition to diploma and certificate programs
• Offers partner programs with the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning to offer a U of G Honours degree and a college diploma in four years of study
• Six colleges and two faculties: Arts, Biological Sciences, Physical & Engineering Science, Social and Applied Human Science, Ontario Agricultural College, Ontario Veterinary College, Management and Environmental Science.

Boards of Education (Elementary & Secondary)