California State University, Sacramento
Study Abroad Program

Study in Canada at the University of Western Ontario

Founded in 1878, the University of Western Ontario is one of Canada's oldest and best universities. Today UWO is a vibrant center of learning with about 1200 faculty members and about 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Western gives the student the benefits of a large university's facilities while still providing small classes and consistently ranks among the top of Canadian universities in terms of class sizes. Through its 12 faculties and schools and 3 affiliated colleges, UWO offers more than 60 different degree and diploma programs. Research is an integral part of the university's mission, and external support for research projects totals approximately $190 million per year, placing it in the top 10 research universities in Canada. Western has 6 major libraries with more than 7 million items. Together they constitute one of the largest research library systems in Canada. There are many special collections, such as those in the areas of Canadiana, Art History, Sport History, Music, and Law. Computer labs are available in many buildings.Athletic facilities are extensive and include a multi-purpose auditorium for basketball, volleyball, and other indoor events; an ice rink; an indoor track; curling sheets; tennis facilities; a stadium; playing fields for soccer, rugby, football, field hockey, and baseball; a gymnasium; a pool; The Tennis Centre; and a varsity weight room. There are also a number of shops and eating places on the campus.

The city of London, known as The Forest City, is the geographic center of Southwestern Ontario and is located on the Thames River. London has many attractions, including museums, theaters, art and music festivals and societies, the Covent Garden Marketplace, Storybook Gardens, and Fanshawe Pioneer Village, among others.

COURSE OFFERINGS

The University of Western Ontario offers many undergraduate courses within its 12 faculties and schools. Those disciplines relevant to our students are listed below. Courses offered within the Faculties of Education and Law and those offered at the Richard Ivey School of Business are not available to our students through this study abroad program. Also, graduate level courses in any field are not available to our students.

Faculty of Arts and Humanities: Arabic, Art History, Classical Studies, Comparative Literature and Culture, English, Film Studies, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Linguistics, Philosophy, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Studio Art (including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and print media), Women’s Studies, Writing

Faculty of Engineering: Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Integrated Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering

Faculty of Health Sciences: Health Sciences (including rural health, health promotion, health information management, health sciences with biology, rehabilitation sciences). Included within this faculty is the School of Kinesiology, offering courses which focus on the sociocultural orientation of kinesiology (psychology, sociology, philosophy, history, sport management, sport law) and on the bioscientific orientation of exercise physiology, biomechanics, sports injuries and anatomy. The new program of rehabilitation sciences may be of particular interest to students in physical therapy, occupational therapy, or other rehabilitation sciences.

Faculty of Information and Media Studies: Media, Information, and Technoculture; Media and the Public Interest

Faculty of Music: Music Education, Music History, Music Performance Studies, Music Theory & Composition

Faculty of Science: Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Ecology and Evolution, Environmental Science, Geology and Geophysics, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, Microbiology and Immunology, Pathology and Toxicology, Physics and Astronomy, Physiology, Statistical and Actuarial Sciences

Faculty of Social Science: Anthropology, Economics, First Nations Studies, Geography, History, International Relations, Management and Organizational Studies (wide range of undergraduate business courses), Political Science, Psychology, Sociology

Business students should be aware that acceptance into specific business courses (offered within Management and Organizational Studies) is competitive and will be approved by the UWO faculty on a case by case basis. Students should be as flexible as possible and prepared to take alternative courses, including those outside of Management and Organizational Studies.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

Applicants should have upper division standing with a declared major at this university by the time of departure, good academic records, and a 2.75 cumulative grade point average or better at the time of the application deadline. The applicant also should be prepared to accept the challenge of study in a country with an educational system different from our own. The Writing Proficiency Examination must have been passed at this university prior to departure, and, in most cases, the lower division courses of the appropriate field of study must have been completed prior to participation in this program. Applications will be accepted for one semester or one academic year. Students are required to be full-time while studying in Canada and, thus, take the equivalent of 15 units during each semester.

CALENDAR

The fall/winter term begins around the beginning of September and ends around the third week in December. The spring term begins during the first week of January and ends around the end of April.

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Students accepted to the program will pay the usual California State University, Sacramento fees, remain eligible for financial aid (except work/study), if otherwise qualified, and receive resident credit just as if they were attending classes at this university. (Please note that equivalency of courses falls under the jurisdiction of the academic department.) The University of Western Ontario has agreed to waive non-resident tuition, approximately 13,550 Canadian Dollars (17,350 Canadian dollars for engineering students) per year, making this a particularly attractive opportunity for participants. Students will pay for their travel to and from Canada, room and board, books and incidentals. In addition, each student must have the required insurance during his or her stay in Canada. Expenses for a semester in Canada are estimated at the following: undergraduate fees - $1,779, room and board - $3,700, round-trip airfare - $600, insurance - $300, incidentals - $1,300. Total: $7,679. The estimated expenses for an academic year are about $14,758. This estimate is given for planning purposes only and is subject to changes from currency fluctuation, inflation, and fee changes. Keep in mind that the costs to obtain a passport and a student visa are not included in this estimate.

HOUSING AND MEALS

Our students may apply for on-campus housing. UWO offers two styles of residences. In the traditional-style residences, students live in double rooms and share common washrooms with their floor community. In the suite-style residences, which are slightly more expensive, students have their own bedrooms and share cooking facilities, a bathroom and a common area with three other students.

One and two-bedroom unfurnished apartments are available on campus to graduate students or upper year undergraduate students. Acceptance into these is usually based on a lottery system and those accepted are required to sign a one-year lease.

There also are one and two-bedroom apartments and two and three-bedroom townhouses available on campus for married couples and students with families. Applications for these are accepted throughout the year, but interested students should apply early since there usually is a waiting list.

The Off-Campus Housing Service (http://www.has.uwo.ca/housing/offcampus/index.htm) provides off-campus housing listings for those students who prefer to live off-campus.

A number of eating places are located on the UWO campus.

YOU SHOULD CONSULT THESE RESOURSES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

For information on scholarships for study abroad, you should register for and attend a scholarship workshop in the Office of Global Education.

You should consult these resources for further information:

The Office of Global Education home page: http://www.csus.edu/oge/

The UWO home page: http://www.uwo.ca/

The UWO Academic Programs website: http://www.uwo.ca/academic for information on faculties and schools

The UWO Undergraduate Academic Calendar for course descriptions : http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca
(access “academic calendar” and “undergraduate course information”)

International Student Services: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/int

UWO Housing Information: http://www.uwo.ca/hfs/housing

The London city website: http://www.city.london.on.ca/

The London tourism website: http://www.londontourism.ca/

More information on Canada: http://www.lonelyplanet.com

To obtain an application or to speak with a study abroad advisor, please call the Office of Global Education at 278-6686 or go to Lassen Hall, Room 2304. Applications, references, and transcripts should be sent to the address below. The deadline for materials to be received is February 29 for the fall semester and October 1 for the spring semester. Please note that there is an interview process for this application, also.

last update 8/07