GREAT TEACHING
Wonderful things are possible when students and instructors get to know each other as individuals. At Canisius, where the average class size is 17 and the student to faculty ratio is 12 to one, close relationships are common. As a Canisius student, you will benefit from exceptional professors who are leaders in their fields, whose priority is teaching and whose focus is on you. Our dedicated teacher-scholars will guide your progress as mentors and friends. In fact, you’ll have your own advisor right from the start…
Life-changing courses Canisius professors are remarkably visionary, inventing exceptionally innovative courses that the college supports with special funding. Here are some examples typical of our extraordinary Peter Canisius Distinguished Professorships. Participation may truly change your life.
The Holocaust in History, Literature and Film. Combines course work with tours of Munich, Nuremberg, Berlin, Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow and Auschwitz where, the professors say, students are “profoundly moved” because “we study the failure of humanity.”
The Native American Experience: In Their Own Words and in Their Own Ways. Students immerse themselves in Lakota culture as guests on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Also includes lectures, activities and events presented by Native American guests.
Christianity on the Road Less Traveled. “Experiential education at its most intense,” according to its professor. Students get a first-hand look at Christianity – and poverty – in such countries a Mexico, El Salvador, India and the Philippines.
Canisius College Video Institute. Students produce documentary videos to aid non-profit or service agencies ranging from the Buffalo Zoo and the Frank Lloyd Wright Boathouse to The Kosciuszko Foundation’s Teaching English in Poland Program.
Contemporary Writers Series. Intimate, informal conversations with high-profile authors enable students to “hear first-hand how literature is made.” Emerging, established and award-winning artists visit classes and give public readings.
Faculty expertise
More than 93% of Canisius faculty members hold a doctorate or other terminal degree, a professional certification, or both. Our professors actively advance their fields as scientists, artists, writers, economists, historians, social and political scientists, attorneys, musicians, researchers and more. They regularly publish books and journal articles and present at seminars and conferences worldwide. They are highly respected as consultants and sought after as authorities in a variety of disciplines. There are way too many examples to list, but here are a few:
The range of research exploration and expertise in the sciences is vast. To name a few: physiology, neurobiology, aquatic toxicology, animal behavior, immunology, genetics, vertebrate ecology, plant biochemistry, artificial intelligence, robotics, astronomy, morphometrics, and many, many topics in psychology.
Our economics professors do more legal consulting than those of any other school in the region. They also publish a newsletter of research and analysis, Western New York Economic News.
In addition to conducting and publishing academic research, our accounting faculty members actively consult with local, regional, national and international companies.
Funded by the Canadian government, Canisius international business professors conducted a study of the impact of border security on international trade.
Two professors, one education and one psychology, were recently awarded special college funding to advance their research into autism and related clinical disorders.
Canisius students learn from working professional writers, artists and composers in residence at the college. In one major alone – communication studies – faculty members include a PhD with 30 years of advertising agency experience, an attorney who specializes in jury selection and an expert in daytime TV.
Our athletic training faculty members serve on prestigious regional and national task forces and committees, including the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Unlimited possibilities
At Canisius, you can choose from more than 70 majors, minors and special programs, and our flexible curriculum can be tailored to fit you. Dual and even triple majors are encouraged, and combinations range from mainstream to ingenious. So if you dream of mixing digital media arts with psychology, music with political science, biology with studio art, or English with European studies and international business, go ahead – you won’t be the first.
Undergraduate majors
Accounting, Accounting Information Systems, Adolescence Education (Gr. 7-12), Anthropology, Art History, Athletic Training/Sports Medicine, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biology, Business Economics, Chemistry, Childhood Education (Gr. 1-6), Clinical Laboratory Science, Communication Studies, Computer Science (BA and BS), Criminal Justice, Digital Media Arts, Early Childhood Education (Birth - Gr. 2), Economics, English, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Science, European Studies, Finance, History, Information Systems, International Business, International Relations, Management, Marketing, Mathematics/Statistics, Modern Languages, Music, Philosophy, Physical Education / Health Education, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies & Theology, Sociology, Special Education/Early Childhood Education (Birth -Gr. 2), Special Education/Childhood Education (Gr. 1-6), Urban Studies.
Pre-Professional Programs
Pre-law, Pre-medicine, Pre-engineering, Pre-pharmacy, Pre-veterinary, Pre-dental, Joint Degree Programs in dental, optometric, osteopathic, and podiatric medicine, 5-year BA or BS/MBA, BA or BS/MBAPA, Fashion Merchandising with Fashion Institute of Technology.
Special minors available
Animal Behavior, Zoo Biology, Neuroscience, Environmental Biology, Forensic Psychology, Computer Forensics, Catholic Studies, Classics, Theatre Arts, Studio Art, European Studies, Exercise Science, Law and Public Policy, Sports Psychology, Women’s Studies.
VIBRANT COMMUNITIES
At Canisius you’ll find an inviting environment and a close-knit community that encourages you to plunge in. There are more than 100 student organizations, 16 NCAA Division