Algonquin College

Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college has three campuses, all in Ontario: a primary campus in Ottawa, and secondary campuses in Perth and Pembroke. It offers bachelor's degrees, diplomas, and certificates. The college serves the National Capital Region and the outlying areas of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. It has been ranked among the Top 50 Research Colleges in Canada and has been recognized as one of Canada's top innovation leaders. The enabling legislation is the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act. It is a member of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) and Polytechnics Canada. History The college was established during the formation of Ontario's college system in 1967. Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology were established on May 21, 1965, when the Ontario system of public colleges was created. The founding institutions were the Eastern Ontario Institute of Technology (established in 1957) and the Ontario Vocational Centre Ottawa (established in 1965 at the Woodroffe Campus and known as OVC). The original 8-acre (3.2 ha) site on Woodroffe Avenue was donated to the city by Mr and Mrs Frank Ryan. The Ottawa architecture firm of Burgess, McLean & MacPhadyen designed the midcentury academic complex with open-ended blocks alternatively faced with long glass expanses in a semi-gambrel formation that make up the curtain walls and precast aggregate panels. The corporate campus or modernist academic acropolis spread across North America in the early 1960s. The first Principal of the Ontario Vocational Centre (OVC) was Kenneth G. Shoultz. Shoultz took on the leadership of OVC in 1965 after working as a technical studies teacher and then as an inspector for the Ontario Department of Education. He continued on as the first Dean of the Technical Centre after OVC was amalgamated with Algonquin College in 1967. The college is named after the Algonquin people who were the original inhabitants of the area. In 1964, the Rideau Campus was established. "Satellite" campuses in Pembroke, Hawkesbury, Perth, Carleton Place and Renfrew were established in the late 1960s. The Vanier School of Nursing became a part of the Woodroffe Campus when nursing programs began to be offered at the college. In 1973, the School of Prescott-Russell joined the Algonquin family and the Colonel By Campus was created through the acquisition of St. Patrick's College. With the creation of La Cité Collégiale, 1990 marked the beginning of Algonquin as an English-only college. The Hawkesbury campus was transferred to La Cité Collégiale, and the Renfrew, Colonel By, Carleton Place, and Rideau campuses were progressively closed between 1990 and 2002. In 2025, the college announced plans to close the Perth campus and 41 programs, citing significant projected budget deficits. In 2026, a further 30 programs were set for elimination. Programs Algonquin has over 19,000 full-time students in more than 180 programs, focused on arts and technology. There are over 155 Ontario college programs, 18 apprenticeship programs, 40 co-op programs, 6 collaborative degree programs and 22 bachelor's degree programs. Some of these degrees are through direct collaborative partnerships with Carleton University and University of Ottawa. Algonquin offers the following bachelor's degree programs: Bachelor of Applied Science (Building Conservation) (Honours) Bachelor of Business Administration (Trades Management) (Honours) Bachelor of Science (Building Science) (Honours) Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) (Honours) Bachelor of Commerce (Strategic Human Resources Management) (Honours) Bachelor of Commerce (Supply Chain Management) (Honours) Bachelor of Culinary Arts and Food Science (Honours) Bachelor of Digital Marketing Communication (Honours) Bachelor of Early Learning and Community Development (Honours) Bachelor of Engineering (Automation and Robotics) Bachelor of Event, Sport, and Entertainment Management (Honours) Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management (Honours) Bachelor of Information Technology (Information Resource Management) Bachelor of Information Technology (Interactive Multimedia and Design) Bachelor of Information Technology (Network Technology) Bachelor of Information Technology (Optical Systems and Sensors) Bachelor of Interior Design (Honours) Bachelor of Public Relations (Honours) Bachelor of Public Safety (Honours) Bachelor of Science in Nursing Bachelor of Technology (Business Systems Development) (Honours) Bachelor of Technology (Digital Health) (Honours) The college's Woodroffe Campus boasts a fully functional (though non-broadcast) television studio with an adjoining control room, for students of the Broadcasting-Television program. Notable graduates from this program include director of the TV series 24, Jon Cassar and comedian Tom Green. The college used to have a second television studio, which now houses the Theatre Arts program. The college has one fully functional, broadcast radio station run entirely by the students of the Broadcasting-Radio program: CKDJ-FM, as well as an internet station: AIR - Algonquin, that is also broadcast as AIR AM 1700 via AM band. The Animation program is a three-year advanced diploma with its main focus on performance-based animation whether it be in 3D or traditional animation. Also, all students learn Toonboom's Harmony software. The program is celebrating its 20-year anniversary in 2009-10 and has its curriculum being taught in India, China and South Africa with negotiations with Dubai, Chile and others. The Public Relations program is a two-year diploma in which students have raised notable amounts of money for local not-for-profit organizations including the John Howard Society, LiveWorkPlay, and Harmony House Women's Shelter. Since 1990, the Public Relations program has raised over $300,000 for charity. The Pembroke Campus is well known for its outdoor training programs which attracts students from across Canada. These programs include Outdoor Adventure, Outdoor Adventure Naturalist and Forestry Technician. In 2012, a new Waterfront Campus opened in downtown Pembroke. International campuses Algonquin College has four international campuses through their international offshore partnerships: Manav Rachna International University (MRIU) – Faridabad, India Algonquin College (Orient Education Services Co) – Al-Naseem, Jahra, Kuwait Hotelski Educativni Centar (HEC) in Montenegro Jiangsu Maritime Institute (JMI) in Nanjing, China From 2013 to 2017, the college operated a campus in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, but sold it after facing financial losses and criticism over the quality of education. Residence In August 2003, the Woodroffe Campus Residence Complex opened, providing housing for 1,050 students. Most students commute from throughout the National Capital Region by Ottawa city transit or car. Full-time students have a transit pass included in their tuition fees to facilitate off-campus living and reduce the demand for parking on campus. The Pembroke Campus has a housing registry. College presidents Partnerships Algonquin has formed strategic partnerships with select universities to offer collaborative degrees. This includes the Bachelor of Information Technology - Interactive Multimedia and Design with Carleton University; Bachelor of Information Technology - Network Technology with Carleton University and Bachelor of Science in nursing with the University of Ottawa. Studies take place at Algonquin College and the partnering university and collaborative degrees are conferred by the university. Algonquin has developed articulation agreements with universities to assist qualified Algonquin graduates to attain specific degrees in shorter periods. Graduates are subject to the admission requirements of the university granting the degree. On February 16, 2017, Algonquin College announced a new partnership with The Ottawa Hospital in health research, innovation and training. The partnership, signed by Algonquin College President Cheryl Jensen and Executive Vice-president of Research at The Ottawa Hospital will be focused on digital health, clinical trials and biotherapeutics manufacturing. The partnership will stand for five years until requiring renewal. Algonquin College has a partnership with Shopify, specifically Shopify U, which has added the study of graphic design to its course list. The partnership will allow students to attend classes at the downtown Ottawa Shopify office and then practice their skills at local businesses. Internationally, the college has several partnerships with institutions in other countries to transfer expertise through technical assistance and training programs. Scholarships Algonquin College joined Project Hero, a scholarship program co founded by General (Ret'd) Rick Hillier for the families of fallen Canadian Forces members. Algonquin College bursaries for Aboriginal, First Nations and Métis students include: Peter Wintonick Bursary; Ottawa Police Service's Thomas G. Flanagan Scholarship; MKI Travel and Hospitality Bursary. Military The Diploma in Military Arts and Sciences (DMASc) provides Non-Commissioned Members (NCMs) of the Canadian Forces an online program made possible by a partnership between OntarioLearn (Algonquin College consortium member), the RMC, and the Canadian Defence Academy. Under a RMC and Algonquin College articulation agreement, all graduates of this diploma program who apply to the RMC will be admitted into the Bachelor of Military Arts and Sciences degree program with advanced standing. In 2006, Algonquin College was approached by the Canadian Forces Support Training Group (CFSTG) to explore the feasibility of developing and delivering a program to satisfy the training requirements exclusively for Canadian Forces Geomatics Technicians. The goal was to increase the number of CF graduates produced by the School of Military Mapping. Students in the Geomatics Technician program earn a college-approved certificate in Geomatics. Algonquin also grants a provincially approved Geomatics Technician Diploma to students who successfully graduate from the Geomatics Technician Training and have completed a small number of approved additional courses. Athletics Algonquin is a member of the OCAA and CCAA. It fields men's and women's varsity teams in basketball, volleyball, soccer and rugby. The team name is the Algonquin Wolves (renamed from Algonquin Thunder in 2021) and the school colours are green, black and white. Student publications The student newspaper of Algonquin College is the Algonquin Times, founded in 1986. The paper is written by students in the journalism and advertising programs and funded by the Students Association. There is also a special-interest-focused magazine called Glue. The former was printed fortnightly, and the latter semiannually, before both became digital-only publications in 2022. Notable alumni and faculty Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, former Prime Minister of Somalia Germaine Arnaktauyok, Inuk printmaker, painter, and drawer Michael Barrett, Member of Parliament for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes Jason Blaine, country musician Jon Cassar, Emmy-winning producer and director of the TV series 24 Zdeno Chára, former NHL player Frank Cole, documentary filmmaker James Cybulski, TSN reporter Janice Dean, Fox News weather specialist Ben Delaney, sledge hockey player Jon Dore, comedian François Gagnon, ice hockey journalist and television commentator Tom Green, comedian Collinda Joseph, wheelchair curler Ricardo Larrivée, television host and food writer Chris Lovasz, internet personality and member of The Yogscast Massari, singer Neil Macdonald, CBC Washington Bureau Chief Norm Macdonald, comedian Ian Millar, Olympic medal-winning equestrian Larry O'Brien, former mayor of Ottawa and technology entrepreneur Dan O'Toole, SportsCentre anchor, former Fox Sports Live anchor Anthony Rota, Member of Parliament for Nipissing—Timiskaming, former Speaker of the House of Commons Graham Sucha, Member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly for Calgary Shaw Katie Tallo, filmmaker and author Sally Thomas, Paralympic powerlifter Tim Tierney, City of Ottawa Councillor for Beacon Hill-Cyrville See also Higher education in Ontario List of colleges in Ontario References External links Official website Algonquin Times homepage