The University of King’s College, established in 1789, is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the oldest chartered university in Canada, and the first English-speaking university in the Commonwealth outside the United Kingdom. The university is regarded for its Foundation Year Program, a comprehensive and interdisciplinary examination of Western culture through great books, designed for first-year undergraduates. It is also known for its upper-year interdisciplinary programs – particularly its contemporary studies program, early modern studies program, and its history of science and technology program. In addition, the university has a journalism school that attracts students from across the world for its intensive Master of Journalism programs and its Master of Fine Arts in creative nonfiction, the first of its kind in Canada. Its undergraduate journalism programs are known for leading content in digital formats.
Although the university was first established as the King’s Collegiate School in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1788, a fire destroyed the original university in 1920, and the institution relocated to Halifax. The relocation was made possible with the help of Dalhousie University, which has since maintained a joint faculty of Arts and Social Sciences with King’s. This partnership provides students at King’s with full access to Dalhousie’s facilities and services. Despite this partnership, King’s remains independent under its own charter.
The university is located on the northwest corner of the Dalhousie University campus.
Academics
King’s best known program is its Foundation Year Program (FYP) for first year students, an intensive survey course of history, philosophy, and literature in the western tradition. The Contemporary Studies Program (CSP), the Early Modern Studies Program (EMSP), and the History of Science and Technology Program (HOST) are offered jointly with Dalhousie University as combined honours degrees requiring a second honours discipline. If the students decide to do a King’s subject as their primary honours subject, they are required to write an honours thesis, varying in length from program to program. A Bachelor of Journalism program is offered as either a four-year honours degree or an intensive one-year program to students already holding a bachelor’s degree. King’s College and Dalhousie University also jointly offer a 10-month Master of Journalism program and a two-year limited residency Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Nonfiction program.
King’s students generally take FYP in their first year and choose a specific degree program to pursue in their final three years. Most students at King’s take at least some classes through programs at Dalhousie University. With the exception of the journalism program, King’s students graduate with joint degrees from King’s and Dalhousie. King’s students are eligible to complete these degrees in any subject from Dalhousie’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences or Faculty of Science.