University of Canterbury: Popular Programs & Ranking

The University of Canterbury in New Zealand was founded in the year 1873 and is the second university in Aotearoa New Zealand. It was formerly known as Canterbury College and was the first college to become constituent of the University of New Zealand.

The university campus was initially based in central Christchurch, but it was moved to the green suburb of Ilam in 1975. The Ilam campus is situated approximately 5 km from central Christchurch city. It is surrounded by expansive green spaces and the Avon River flowing adjacent to the University Drive adds to the physical beauty of the campus. Spread across 190 acres, the university campus includes lecture theatres, laboratories, computer suites, studios, and four libraries with 24x7 accessibility. There are 10 residence halls on the campus that accommodate nearly 2,279 students. In addition, there are about 15 bars, eateries, and cafes within the campus.

This university has five colleges namely College of Arts, College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Education, Health and Human Development, and College of Business and Law. It also has over 35 research institutes. Each of these colleges offers various degrees programs in arts, commerce, technology, fine arts, sports, and music, law, and health sciences. Many programs are focused on teaching, physical education, forestry, and language pathology.

The university also allows international students to pursue their degrees from its partner institutions in their country. Apart from this, student exchange programs and various other international short courses offer students opportunities to gain global experience. There are about 17,299 students enrolled for undergraduate and postgraduate programs, diplomas, and doctoral degrees. The university has about 814 academic faculty members and around 1151 staff members.

The university maintains a notable alumni list, which includes renowned authors, artists, academics and politicians, etc. One of the noble laureates of the University of Canterbury was Ernest Rutherford, a physicist who discovered the atomic structure and is known as the Father of Nuclear Physics. The famous mathematician Roy Kerr who discovered the Kerr geometry is amongst the alumni of the University of Canterbury. Other noted alumni of the university include Henry Field (educational psychologist), Craig Nevill-Manning (the Engineering Director of Google), William Young (Supreme Court Judge in New Zealand), Kevin Tod Smith (actor) among the others. The university's initiative named UC Legends celebrates its alumni with pride and maintains a link between the alumni and the existing students of the university.