University Canada West is a contemporary independent university located in the heart of vibrant Vancouver.
Established in 2004, UCW offers a range of career-focused programs including the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Arts in Business Communication, Associate of Arts, and Master of Business Administration. Courses are offered at our downtown Vancouver campus and online too. Offering courses online brings flexibility to education, allowing those who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to gain respected qualifications.
History
University Canada West was founded as a for-profit university by David Strong, the former president of the University of Victoria, and a group of investors. It was intended to cater to British Columbian students who had been turned away from the province's public universities as well as the Asian Pacific market and had projected an eventual enrollment of 3000 students.The establishment of the university marked the first time in British Columbia that a for-profit institution had been authorized to use the designation "university," the result of the province's recently enacted, controversial Degree Authorization Act. UCW was approved in 2004 and opened its doors in 2005 in the former Blanshard Elementary School in Victoria, British Columbia. It initially offered undergraduate degrees in commerce, communications, geography, tourism, and economics and a master's degree in business. However, the geography, tourism, and economics programs were later dropped
Mission
University Canada West is a business-oriented, teaching-intensive university. We deliver programs that provide students with an applied and theoretical basis for success in the workplace and future academic endeavors.
Goals
- To exemplify a contemporary Canadian university.
- To be relevant, accessible, and innovative.
- To offer career-focused courses to transform students into leadership-ready graduates.
- To provide exceptional service and support to students whether they study with us online or on campus.
- To offer flexibility to make education more accessible to those eager to progress both academically and professionally.
- To foster a diverse and challenging learning environment focused on the practical application of knowledge and building competencies for scholarship, leadership, and responsible citizenship in a global context.
Faculty
Each faculty member at University Canada West joined the university because of their passion for teaching and a desire to make a difference in our students’ lives. Our students remain at the forefront of everything we do, with their best interests at the heart of every decision we make.
By sharing their professional experiences and personal advice, faculty members show their dedication and commitment to higher learning and continuing education, benefitting students, and the university as a whole.
