Quality of Life

 

Education & Training

Post Secondary Education

Sault Ste. Marie offers top-tier post-secondary institutions at both the college and university levels, making the community a hub for learning.

Algoma University

  • More than 1,200 full and part-time students
  • Offers undergraduate degrees in more than 30 academic programs, along with three and four-year bachelor's degrees in disciplines such as biology, English, history, computer science, psychology, fine arts and sociology
  • In 2012, the university opened its $21.4-million Biosciences and Technology Convergence Centre, which houses business and technology tenants, including the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre
  • The university is also home to the Algoma Conservatory of Music, one of the largest and most recognized music schools in the province
  • Algoma University, which recently converted the Windsor Park retirement home into a downtown student residence, also plans on opening a $6-million Fine Arts and Music Education (FAME) Centre at the site in 2012
  • With its solid reputation, the university also offers selected programs on satellite campuses in Timmins and Brampton

Sault College

  • Total enrollment at the college is 2,500
  • In 2012, the college unveiled its new, $25-million academic wing, a 75,000 square-foot facility providing 19 classrooms, a fully-wired 120-seat lecture hall, learning commons and a reconfigured main entrance
  • Offers full-time programming is disciplines such as aviation engineering, business, arts, natural resources, public relations, native education, criminal justice and hospitality
  • Offers apprenticeship opportunities in a variety of programs, including industrial electrician, ironworker, marine engine mechanic and steamfitting
  • The college has transfer agreements with Algoma University, Lake Superior State University, and other universities in Canada, the United States, Finland, New Zealand and China
  • Offers one of the most highly-recognized aviation programs in the country

Lake Superior State University

  • Located across the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, the university has an enrollment of nearly 3,000, with about 15% of the students hailing from Ontario
  • Offers academic programs in areas such as fisheries and wildlife management, engineering, chemistry and the environmental sciences, teacher education, nursing, geology, business management, fire science, criminal justice and forensic sciences
  • Features a student/faculty ratio of 17:1, with 70% of classes consisting of less than 30 students

Elementary and Secondary Education

Algoma District School Board

  • Offers programs at the elementary and secondary school levels, along with French immersion, adult learning and special education
  • Serves communities along the north shore of Lake Huron from Spanish to Sault Ste. Marie and along the east coast of Lake Superior from the Sault to Wawa and includes Hornepayne, Chapleau and Elliot Lake

Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (HSCDSB)

  • One of the largest school boards in Ontario in terms of geography, encompassing an area of tens of thousands of square kilometers
  • The HSCDSB boasts 26 schools (23 elementary and three secondary) and employs more than 1,100 people while serving over 5,800 students

Research Facilities

  • The MNR also operates its Ontario Forestry Research Institute in the Sault, which houses 50 specialized staff with expertise in a variety of forestry disciplines, such as ecology, silviculture, soils and hydrology, biochemistry, pathology, and climate change
  • Natural Resources Canada operates another cutting-edge research institute in Sault Ste. Marie, the Great Lakes Forestry Centre, which focuses on forest pests, climate change and forest fire studies, and forest ecosystem research
  • With the cutting-edge research facilities found in Sault Ste. Marie, the community has one of the highest PhDs per capita in the country.

Other Training Opportunities

  • In 2013, Sault Ste. Marie will be home to a $6.2-million forest fire pilot training facility, which will be operated by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)
  • The community is also home to a campus of the Transport Training Centres of Canada, the country's largest commercial truck driver and heavy equipment operator training school
  • For other employment training opportunities available in Sault Ste. Marie, visit this website's Employment Resources page