Academic

When the Elizabeth Ave. campus opened in 1961, Memorial was a small liberal arts institution with miniscule graduate programs, limited research facilities and almost no professional schools. Today, Memorial had grown to become a significant research establishment with several professional schools, each providing high-level training and professional development.


School of Nursing

In 1953, the newly incorporated Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland documented the need for a school of nursing within the province. After a presentation to the Senate, the Department of Nursing was established within the Faculty of Arts and Science, and the first class was admitted in the fall of 1966. After several successful years training nurses for service, the department was elevated to the status of a school in 1974. 


School of Medicine

Many years of work and dedication went into the formation of Canada’s sixteenth medical school. The Royal Commission on Canada Health Service recommended its establishment, as did the Lord Brain Royal Commission and the university’s own McFarlane feasibility commission report. With financial commitments from the federal and provincial governments, a medical program was developed and the first undergraduates were admitted in the fall of 1969.


Faculty of Engineering

Memorial University started offering three-year diplomas in Engineering in 1930, however full degree requirements had to be completed outside Newfoundland. During the mid 20th century the province experienced a demand for civil and electrical engineers. As a result a Senate committee gathered in 1966 to recommend that memorial establish a degree program in engineering.

Within a year an engineering co-operative program was approved. It was decided that students would alternate academic terms with work terms in industry in order to gain a healthy mixture of theoretical and practical skills by prior to graduating. In 1968 Angus Bruneau was appointed dean, and engineering degrees were offers in four disciplines – civil, electrical, mechanical and mining.