University of Alberta
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
About University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university founded in 1908—just three years after the Province of Alberta officially entered the Dominion of Canada.
In the lead-up to the university’s founding, there was a heated debate over its location, with one faction favoring Calgary (Alberta’s largest city) and another faction in favor of Edmonton (the provincial capital). Although the final decision favored Edmonton, the lack of a university in the province’s largest city continued to be felt. In 1944, the University of Alberta opened a branch campus in Calgary.
In 1966, the Calgary campus became administratively independent from the University of Alberta and was renamed the University of Calgary.
Today, the University of Alberta comprises 18 faculties, as well as two affiliated colleges—one for undergraduates (St. Joseph’s College) and one for graduate students (St. Stephen’s College).
Among many prominent University of Alberta–associated individuals, we may mention the following:
- Mathematicians, Robert Moody, Andrew Liu, Mark A. Lewis, Vaclav Zizler & Mathukumalli Subbarao
- Computer scientists, James Gosling, Jonathan Schaeffer, Richard Sutton, Osmar Zaiane & David Silver
- Philosophers, Bas van Fraassen & Adam Morton
- Poet, Jonathan Hart
- Novelist, Greg Hollingshead
- Playwright, Vern Thiessen
- Actors, Kenneth Welsh, Nathan Fillion, Frank C. Turner, Paul Gross, Sara Canning, Pascale Hutton & Eric Allan Kramer
- Theater historian, John Orrell
- Folklorist, Natalie Kononenko
- Symphony orchestra conductor, Leonard Ratzlaff
- Physicists, Richard E. Taylor (Nobel laureate) & Don Page
- Chemists, Raymond Lemieux & Walter E. Harris
- Geologist, Robert Folinsbee
- Petroleum engineer, Jacob Masliyah
- Paleontologist, Philip J. Currie
- Biochemist, James Collip
- Virologist, Michael Houghton
- Geneticist, Tak Wah Mak
- Surgeon and bioethicist, John Dossetor
- Historian, George Stanley
- Social psychologist, Peter L. Hurd
- Psychologist, blogger, and social commentator, Jordan Peterson
- Sociologist, Stephen A. Kent
- Political commentator, Ezra Levant
- Former Canadian Prime Ministers, Joe Clark and Stephen Harper
According to Wikipedia, The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, the university's first president. It was enabled through the Post-secondary Learning Act. The university is considered a "comprehensive academic and research university" , which means that it offers a range of academic and professional programs that generally lead to undergraduate and graduate level credentials.
What Is University of Alberta Known For?
University of Alberta is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Biology
- Business
- Education
- Literature
- Medical
- Political Science
- Computer Science
- Communications
- Mathematics
- History
- Engineering
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Law
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Religious Studies
- Anthropology
- Earth Sciences
- Economics
- Sociology
- Criminal Justice
- Nursing
- Social Work
University of Alberta's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much University of Alberta's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
University of Alberta ranks #173 worldwide for influence in Biology.
University of Alberta ranks #186 worldwide for influence in Business.
University of Alberta ranks #171 worldwide for influence in Education.
University of Alberta ranks #260 worldwide for influence in Literature.
University of Alberta ranks #154 worldwide for influence in Medical.
University of Alberta ranks #222 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
University of Alberta ranks #183 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
University of Alberta ranks #267 worldwide for influence in Communications.
University of Alberta ranks #248 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
University of Alberta ranks #238 worldwide for influence in History.
University of Alberta ranks #378 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
University of Alberta ranks #291 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
University of Alberta ranks #137 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
University of Alberta ranks #300 worldwide for influence in Law.
University of Alberta ranks #275 worldwide for influence in Physics.
University of Alberta ranks #235 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
University of Alberta ranks #375 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
University of Alberta ranks #165 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
University of Alberta ranks #204 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
University of Alberta ranks #523 worldwide for influence in Economics.
University of Alberta ranks #216 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
University of Alberta ranks #291 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
University of Alberta ranks #222 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesUniversity of Alberta ranks #289 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
Who Are University of Alberta's Most Influential Alumni?
University of Alberta's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Psychology, Medical, and History. Here are some of University of Alberta's most famous alumni:
- Jordan Peterson
- A Canadian clinical psychologist .
- Beverley McLachlin
- A 17th Chief Justice of Canada.
- Bas van Fraassen
- An American philosopher.
- Rachel Notley
- A 17th Premier of Alberta.
- Richard E. Taylor
- A Canadian physicist .
- Maria Klawe
- A Canadian-American computer scientist.
- Joe Clark
- A 16th Prime Minister of Canada.
- Ed Stelmach
- A Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006.
- George Elliott Clarke
- A Canadian writer.
- George Stanley
- A Canadian historian.
- Edwin G. Pulleyblank
- A Canadian sinologist and academic .
- Michael Lapidge
- A Canadian anthropologist, linguist and historian.
Who Are University of Alberta's Most Influential Faculty?
University of Alberta's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Psychology, Medical, and History. Here are some of University of Alberta's most famous faculty:
- Stephen A. Kent
- A Canadian sociologist.
- James Shapiro
- A Physician.
- Joseph Richard Pawlik
- An American marine biologist.
- Rahul Potluri
- An Indo-British scientist.
- Mary Lewis
- A British archaeologist.
- Yujin Nagasawa
- A British philosopher.
- Robert Dunn
- A U.S. ecologist and biologist.
- Menachem Elimelech
- An American engineer.
- Arthur Zimek
- A Professor for data mining, data science and machine learning.
- Victoria Arbour
- A Researcher.
- Astrid Ensslin
- A Digital humanities scholar and games researcher.
- Frans Pretorius
- A Physicist.
