Simon Fraser has over 100 academic programs offering graduate and undergraduate degrees, diplomas and certificates in the liberal and fine arts, sciences, applied sciences, business and education. A large co-op program lets students gain valuable employment experience during the course of their studies. Innovation has been a hallmark of SFU since it opened its doors in 1965. It was the first in Canada to operate three separate semesters a year, with students for admitted to fall, spring or summer semesters. This system is flexible, allowing students to finish their degrees faster by studying all year round, or to work or study part-time to fit personal responsibilities or employment.
Classes take place in the daytime and evening.
A wide range of distance education courses take the university throughout B.C. and beyond. The downtown Vancouver campus at Harbour Centre opened in 1989. Thirty years ago Simon Fraser launched Canada's first executive master of business administration degree. Now based at the Harbour Centre campus, the two-year, evening or weekend program recently awarded its 1,000th degree. Most participants are sponsored by their employers and many student research projects are directly related to the work place.