Marianopolis College


Marianopolis College is a private English-language college in the province of Quebec. Located in Westmount, Quebec, Canada, it is an anglophone college with a student body over 2,000. The General and Vocational Education College, known as a CEGEP, is affiliated with the :fr:Association des collèges privés du Québec|Association des collèges privés du Québec, Association of Canadian Community Colleges and Canadian Colleges Athletic Association.

Campus

The college's current site is at 4873 Westmount Ave in Westmount, between Vendôme and Villa-Maria metro stations. The current campus contains 12 wings and includes two gyms, one fitness center, one dance studio, over four computer labs, and multiple science laboratories. Furthermore, the library was renovated in the summer of 2013 and once again in the winter of 2018, now offering a more open workspace for students with improved ventilation. A cafeteria is present on campus, as well as the general convenience store "Wayne's World". The campus also includes a large auditorium suited for conferences, concerts and presentations.
Prior to April 2007, it was situated at 3880 Côte-des-Neiges, which has been converted into a luxury apartment project known as "M sur la Montagne".

Programs

The college offers pre-university programs, which take two years to complete and cover the subject matters which roughly correspond to the additional year of high school given elsewhere in Canada and introductory first-year university curriculum in preparation for a chosen field in university. Accordingly, graduates may, in certain circumstances, receive advance credit of up to one full year in some disciplines when enrolling in universities outside the province of Quebec. However, Marianopolis does not offer technical programs, nor adult education, unlike many other colleges.
While the college primarily offers two-year pre-university programs leading to a Diploma of Collegial Studies, several three-year double-DEC programs are also available. These programs allow students to combine music with Science, Social Science or Arts.

History

The school was founded in 1908 by the Notre-Dame Congregation as the bilingual Notre Dame Ladies College, the first institution of higher learning for English-speaking Catholic women in Quebec. Initially, it offered degrees through Université Laval, the first being offered three years after the college's founding. The degree-granting agreement was later transferred to Université de Montréal. In 1926, the school was renamed Marguerite Bourgeoys College.
During the World War II era, the English sector of the college was reorganized to be in line with anglophone universities, including programs in general science and honours chemistry. It changed its name to Marianopolis College.
In 1967, several institutions were merged and became public ones, when the Quebec system of colleges was created. Changes to the education system in Quebec caused Marianopolis to adopt a college-level program in 1969. The college also began accepting male students during this time. The degree-granting program was eventually phased out in 1972. In 1975 the college relocated from 3647 Rue Peel to a larger campus, and site of the former Séminaire de Philosophie, at 3880 Côte des Neiges.
Although the college remains under the authority of the Congregation of Notre-Dame, students of all faiths are admitted and the curriculum and school experience are entirely secular.

Campus life and environment

Congress and clubs

The student life at Marianopolis is supported by MSU Congress, the student government. Congress consists of a President and a Vice-President of Administrative Affairs, as well as a Vice-President of Finance and ten other coordinators, each one focusing on a specific domain. The President, Vice-President and six other members of Congress are elected by the student body at Marianopolis College; the remaining five positions are appointed. Many major events and activities regarding the ensemble of the students are organized by Congress, such events include Halloween celebrations, health week, Valentine's Day activities, and so forth.
Students may freely create their own club to practice hobbies with other fellow students or to simply attract people of similar interests together. Currently, there are approximately 100 clubs within the college ranging from dance clubs to Computer science club to Tea club. These clubs coordinate activities and meetings between members and some also benefit from Congress' monetary financing.

Athletics

The Marianopolis College athletes go by the name of the Demons. They are involved in multiple competitive sports such as volleyball, basketball, and rugby. These teams play within the sports league.
Some student clubs also practice various other sports such as rowing, dragon boat, skiing, and tennis.
Furthermore, the fitness center and gymnasium are open to students during certain hours during the week for them to work out.

Academic programs

Each Marianopolis student is required to complete a set of general courses in addition to those required by the program into which they have been admitted.

Academic programs

Additionally, there are various certificate programs, which interested students need to apply for once admitted to Marianopolis. These are considered honours programs and require additional co-curricular work such as a thesis or research project, and/or that certain classes be taken. The current certificate programs include:
Notable Marianopolis alumni include: