Since 1979 The King’s University, best known for its applied and natural sciences and business programs, has provided Christian post-secondary education in Edmonton through over 20 full-time degree programs. While the goal of any post-secondary education is to build towards a rich and rewarding career, for King’s students these careers start on campus.
“Many programs have internship components built right into them,” says Nikolas Vander Kooy, Marketing Manager. “Internship placement opportunities are available within our education, business, environmental studies, politics-history-economics, and computer science programs and the university is planning to launch internship opportunities in other programs in the next few years.”
Students can also engage their professors’ networks and research alongside them thanks the Community Engaged Research (CER) centre. CER increases the research capacity of community partners (which are mostly non-profit organizations). By leveraging King’s research capabilities, both community partners and students benefit. The partners use data collected to develop or enhance programing and initiatives that create larger community impacts while faculty-supervised student researchers gain valuable experience and build their professional network.
Just a few of the CER partnerships with non-profits include: Eating Disorder Support Network of Alberta, Spinal Deformities Clinic, Stollery Children’s Hospital, Edmonton Down Syndrome Society, The Mustard Seed, and the Alberta Father Involvement Initiative.
“Our students have the opportunity to research with their professors on all sorts of projects,” Vander Kooy adds, “some of which have included large animal wildlife biology, protein interactions with a view to treating cancer, understanding the ecological and economic impact of the Alberta oil sands, and much more.”
Community partnerships and research are not the only ways students get a leg up on their future careers. This September King’s is excited to open a career and vocation office that will offer employment enhancement skills training, self-discovery assessments, job placement assistance, and career counselling.
“This new office will help students connect what they’re learning in their programs with future job and vocation outcomes,” says Vander Kooy.
Currently, 94 per cent of King’s graduates find employment within two years – and that number is 100 per cent for some programs of study.
Careers shape your life, enable personal independence, and help individuals give back to the community in meaningful ways. Those interested in a long-term career they love should visit The King’s University to see what Edmonton’s Christian university has to offer. Learn more at www.kingsu.ca.