Do these top courses in Canadian universities match job demands?

Business makes the world go round. This is what Statistics Canada has proven with a research of Canada’s top courses, which showed that business, management, and public administration studies are the top choice for university students.

This field emerged first in all three categories surveyed: Canadian citizens (18 percent), permanent residents (20 percent), and international students (27 percent). They studied in a variety of institutions throughout the country, including top business schools like University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, and University of Alberta.

Certain universities even offer business, management and public administration courses in French, Spanish, or a combination of the two with English. This broadens their opportunity to enter more employment markets throughout the world, but also within multilingual Canada.

The above were determined via data from Statistics Canada, which keeps a close record of tertiary education enrolments and outcomes in the 2015 Postsecondary Student Information System.

There is a growing demand for healthcare professionals within Canada, including nurses and occupational therapists. Source: Matthias Zomer/Pexels

Top courses in Canada answer the call for future skills

Given the growing demand for healthcare professionals within the country, it’s no surprise that the broad subject field “physical and life sciences and technologies” are among the choices in Canada, alongside other health-related fields. Registered nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and dispensing opticians are among the vacancies opening up in view of the nation’s ageing workforce.

Besides that, “social and behavioural sciences, law, and humanities” also received great interest from students. Could this be linked to greater civil and social awareness, in a time where justice is increasingly valued in society?

Other popular fields in Canadian universities include mathematics, computer and information sciences, which feeds into the country’s need for software experts. In addition, students are also pursuing architecture, engineering, and related technologies.

Source: Centennial College

International students prove valuable to Canada

The quality of higher education and tolerance for immigration in Canada has made it a top study abroad destination in the past decade. Between the years of 2009 and 2015, the number of international students within Canadian tertiary education nearly doubled, from 6.6 percent to 11.3 percent.

Half of this hike can be attributed to more international students enroling in Bachelor degree programmes. According to Statistics Canada, international students were more likely to be enrolled in university graduate programs and in higher-paying fields than Canadian students.

Research from the same source has also shown that Canada is in immense need of immigrants due to its ageing population and low birth rate. It’s a good thing, then, that half of all international students in Canada reportedly look forward to settling down in the country after graduation.

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