Put your ideas and skills to the test in a real-world setting.
Experiential learning (or hands-on learning) is a core element of the liberal arts and sciences education you'll receive at Mount Allison.
With experiential learning opportunities in every degree, our Experiential Learning and Career Development Office will help you create experiences that match your interests and style of learning.
You'll develop skills that you can apply to the workforce, make important networking connections, and figure out just what the future may hold for you.
Undergraduate research
At Mount Allison you'll get the chance to take part in innovative research projects as early as second year, a rarity at the undergraduate level. You'll have ample opportunities to work with world-class professors on research, including employment as summer research assistants.
Research is not just for Science students! There are research opportunities in most of our 50+ programs. Check out our programs for more details.
Independent student research grants also provide students with funding to conduct their own, independent research or creative activity project during the summer before entering their last year of study.
Internships
Mount Allison offers exceptional opportunities to join businesses and organizations locally and internationally for paid internships that will allow you to gain hands-on experiences.
Internships are available full-time during the summer and part-time during the academic year.
Entrepreneurship
Mount Allison allows students to grow through entrepreneurial ventures in both the classroom and through funding opportunities to help you take your ideas and make them a reality.
Our new VentureSpace, an entrepreneurship thinking incubator, will help you build the foundation for a viable venture.
Other hands-on learning opportunities
Our experiential learning opportunities don't stop there! Connect your academic learning with realistic situations through experiential learning activities in every program.
Academic and case competitions
You can put your knowledge to work on real-world issues in case competitions.
Our Commerce teams have performed extraordinarily well in competitions such as a stock market simulation competition or on-campus competitions hosted by Maple Leaf Foods and J.D. Irving Ltd
Our Computer Science students also have a strong record of participation in local and international programming competitions.
Examples:
Community partnerships and volunteering
Mount Allison's close-knit and engaging community extends across campus and beyond. For a small town, there are big opportunities to immerse yourself.
Our Community Engaged Learning program also offers community partnerships with academic instruction, integrating academic learning with community service.
Examples:
Field work
You and your classmates can take trips to businesses, labs, aid organizations, and even mountaintops around the world and come face-to-face with today's realities. You'll gain a wide perspective and even create valuable professional networks for the future.
Independent study
In your upper years, it is possible, in consultation with your department and with a faculty supervisor, to create your own independent study course on a topic that complements your degree and matches your specific goals.
Examples:
- Psychology student Clare Maguire studies empathy and executive function in preschoolers
- History student Grace Wilson researches food and power histories of the Dorchester Penitentiary
- Undergraduate Student Research Award from NSERC funds honours research project in inorganic chemistry
Peer tutoring and teaching assistantships
Many students take advantage of opportunities to work during the academic year as teaching or research assistants, acquiring valuable skills.
Examples:
Recitals, performances, and art exhibits
Between the Music department (hosting more than 80 student, faculty, and guest concerts each year) and the Drama program (performing in our new state-of-the-art Motyer-Fancy Theatre), students are given ample opportunity to perform on a regular basis.
The Purdy Crawford Centre for the Arts and other student-run exhibition spaces also give students the opportunity to exhibit a wide range of artwork.
Examples:
Student conferences
Learn from others and share your own work at student conferences, and even win an award or two.
Examples:
- Mount Allison physics student takes top prize for presentation at Atlantic Universities Physics & Astronomy Conference
- Mount Allison student attends prestigious Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
- Mount Allison students present summer research at international conference, Canadian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
International experiences
Study abroad and exchange programs are about so much more than just travel. They offer a chance for you to take new and interesting courses, learn a different language, experience another culture, make friends from around the globe, and learn a lot about yourself ― all while working towards your Mount Allison degree.
International experiences at Mount Allison also include summer field schools, independent study and undergraduate research, international internships, conferences, and volunteering.