Quest University (officially Quest University Canada) is a private, not-for-profit, secular liberal arts and sciences university. The university opened in September 2007 with an inaugural class of 73. According to Quest’s website, enrollment hovers around 600. As of summer 2018 there were over 700 alumni.
Quest’s curriculum is considered unconventional. It uses the Block Plan, adapted and modified from the Block Plan at Colorado College. Students must complete 32 blocks to graduate. Classes are seminar-style and are capped at 20 students. There are five divisions (Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Arts & Humanities, Mathematics, and Social Sciences) instead of traditional departments. In lieu of declaring a major, students write a personalized Question. Studies culminate in a major work called a Keystone project. Upon graduation—usually after four years study—students are awarded a degree of Bachelor of Arts and Sciences.
The campus is located on a 60-acre (24.3 ha) hilltop on the edge of Garibaldi Provincial Park. It is approximately 75 km (47 miles) from Vancouver and 60 km (37 miles) from Whistler, British Columbia. Quest University Canada is fully accredited and approved by the Degree Quality Assessment Board (DQAB) under the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education. Quest is also registered as a British Columbia Education Quality Assurance (EQA) approved post-secondary institution.
Academics
Quest’s curriculum and educational philosophy are different than most universities.[30] Its approach is multidisciplinary and the school does not have traditional departments. It offers one degree for all students, the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences. There are no lecture halls. Every class has a maximum of 20 students. The faculty hold terminal degrees in their field, but are known as Tutors rather than Professors. There is no tenure system at Quest.
Other distinguishing features include the Foundation and Concentration Programs, Block Plan scheduling, a Question instead of a conventional major, and a final Keystone project.
Foundation program
In their first two years of study, students enroll in 16 Foundation courses. After completing the mandatory Cornerstone and Rhetoric classes, they go on to take 14 courses chosen from five major divisions: Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Arts & Humanities. They must also fulfil a language requirement.
Toward the end of the Foundation Program, students take a course called Question. Working with an instructor and a faculty mentor, they develop a statement of Question: a proposal for how they will study a topic of particular interest to them. The Question is in lieu of a conventional major, serves as the basis for the remaining two years of study, and inspires the student’s Keystone project.
Concentration program
The remaining two years are known as the Concentration Program. With the help of a faculty advisor, students design a personalized program, which consists of four principal elements:
- a statement of the Question
- a course plan
- a list of related readings
- a Keystone project
Along with their Concentration (or Focus) Courses, students take between one and four Experiential Learning Blocks, hands-on work that can take place in the private sector, not-for-profit, government or many other settings. Quest states that the purpose of Experiential Learning is to show students how their interests manifest in the world and help them gain direct experience.[31] Students also take three or more Electives.
Block plan
Quest operates on the Block Plan, where students take one course at a time, meeting every weekday for 3.5 weeks. The academic year is divided into two terms. Fall Term usually runs from September to mid-December, and Spring Term typically runs from January to the end of April. There are four Blocks per term, and full-time students take eight Blocks per year.
Quest claims that the Block Plan allows scheduling flexibility: students can decide which Blocks are spent on courses and which are spent traveling, working, or exploring other pursuits. The school also notes that Block scheduling permits faculty to run Field Studies, off-campus learning experiences that can run for several weeks. Many Field Studies involve fees, which range from nominal to significant. Quest also offers Study Abroad. Students can spend one or two academic terms at a selection of partner universities around the world.
Keystone
To graduate, students must complete a Keystone project, the culmination of their studies. A Keystone can take various forms: a scientific paper, video documentary, art installation, photography exhibit, work of fiction, or research paper. Students present their Keystones to their peers, faculty and community. A few outstanding Keystones are granted Distinction, and some are chosen as Showcases that the students present to a wide audience in a formal setting. The university provides ample services to prepare students to justify, to Graduate school admissions officers, their Keystone as the equivalent to a major.
Rankings and reputation
Quest University Canada has historically posted at or near the top of Canada’s foremost poll of student opinion, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
Quest is not included in Macleans University Rankings because its enrollment is below 1000 students, the magazine’s cut-off. However, Macleans conducted an interview with then-President David Helfand in 2013 and has published several articles about the school over the years. Quest has also been noted in The Globe and Mail’s University Report.