Welcome From The Dean
Who We Are
A very warm welcome from Lakehead University, an innovative and energetic place where we care about you and your dreams for the future. We strive to provide everyone of our 600+ graduate students with an intimate, personalized environment for growth and intellectual development. We are a growing comprehensive university that works hard to attract and retain students at all levels, particularly those who select us to pursue a Master's or a Doctoral degree.
Graduate study can prepare individuals for a lifetime of scholarly activity, research, critical enquiry, creative activity or performance, and a wealth of professional roles that call for advanced study in order to provide someone with the right qualifications. We'll see that you're well equipped with the specialty knowledge, skills, and competencies your chosen field requires for a lifetime of success.
Lakehead currently offers 31 graduate programs in both academic and professional disciplines. Recently, we have developed exciting new interdisciplinary programs such as Biotechnology (at the doctoral level), and, Northern Environments and Cultures (at the Master's level). A few other new programs include an MBA (available either full-time pr part-time, at both our Thunder Bay and Orillia campuses), and Master's-level studies in Computer Science, and, Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Resources Available to You
Our facilities include, but are not limited to, the Advanced Technology & Academic Centre which revolutionizes the interface of learning and technology, the Paleo-DNA Laboratory, the Lakehead University Centre for Analytical Services, a state-of-the-art Instrumentation Laboratory, and a Virtual Reality Research Laboratory. Last November, Re$earch Infosource Inc., announced that Lakehead had placed third nationally in the University Income Growth ('02-'07) category, and 30th in "Canada's Top 50 Research Universities in 2008", up from 33rd place in 2007. Moreover, the report issued by Re$earch Infosource Inc., indicates that our sponsored research income over the past five years has increased by an enviable 107%. This is an excellent accomplishment by any standard. It reinforces the view that Lakehead's strategic objective of increasing overall research funding by at least 50% by 2013 is fully achievable. Our faculty secured over $16.4 million in research funding for '07-'08, while the University itself granted more than $8.1 million in awards and scholarships to our students, representing a 19.1% increase from the year before.
What Sets Lakehead Apart From All Other Universities
At Lakehead you'll be valued as an individual -- a scholar in-training whose skills are continuously fostered through personal mentoring, one whose ideas will be tested by both excellent peers and top-rated faculty researchers. Our relatively small program size allows us to enjoy close working relationships among our graduate students, their peers, and the faculty. This provides students with many opportunities to work, teach, and socialize. Graduate study is a profound challenge, one that tests your physical endurance, intellectual acuity, and emotional strength. We welcome you to take up this challenge with our outstanding community of graduate students, faculty, scholars and researchers. We invite you to realise your full potential at Lakehead by nurturing your critical thinking skills, pursuing advance research, and becoming a truly global citizen; a person who is educated, culturally sensitive, and aware of social and environmental responsibilities.
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Dr. Philip Hicks
Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies