Wilfrid Laurier University is a leading Canadian university that excels at educating with purpose. Its holistic approach to learning integrates innovative programming with hands-on experience outside the classroom. Laurier has been ranked #1 in student satisfaction for the past four years thanks in no small part to its unique, community-centered culture. Through its community of researchers, leaders and educators, Laurier has built a reputation as a world-class institution known for its academic excellence and global impact. In acknowledgement of its exemplary workplace policies and programs, and its commitment to sustainability and lifelong learning, Laurier was named one of the Waterloo Area’s Top Employers in 2019 and 2020. Laurier specializes in arts and social sciences, business and economics, music, science, social work, education and theology.
The University has 20,000 students, campuses in Waterloo and Brantford, locations in Kitchener and Toronto, and a research office in Yellowknife. Kitchener, Waterloo and Brantford are on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnawbe and Haudenosaunee peoples. Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo and Brantford campuses and Kitchener location are located on the Haldimand Tract.
Laurier’s renowned Faculty of Music is dedicated to fostering artistic and scholarly development of the highest calibre and to providing a creative environment for student success. Laurier’s Faculty of Music is a national and international leader in higher music education and is a leader in the field of Community Music. The Faculty of Music offers innovative, sector-leading programs, which include Canada’s only Master of Arts and Bachelor of Music in Community Music and Ontario’s only Master and Bachelor of Music Therapy. The Faculty is recognized for its level of excellence in research and performance, its high standards in the teaching of musical skills, theory, and musicology, and its cutting edge course content that blends music from a variety of traditions and critically evaluates music's role in establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion. The high standards and commitment to quality contribute to the richness of the undergraduate experience in the Faculty. The Faculty’s alumni are successful in virtually every area of the performing world, where they appear in opera houses and concert halls, orchestras, choirs, bands, chamber music ensembles, and musical theatre. They are to be found as church organists and music directors, composers, conductors, educators, musicologists, music librarians, music therapists, and music theorists. Alumni who have careers in other fields such as law, medicine, or business continue performing or teaching music in their communities and attribute their professional success to their music education at Laurier.