Who we are

Study highlights Concordia's economic impact

Concordia is a major contributor to the economic, cultural and social development of Montreal and Quebec. A study shows that the university is a wealth generator, creating jobs and adding to Quebec’s productivity, competitiveness, capacity for innovation and pool of human capital.

• Read the executive summary or the full study in English: Concordia: an Economic Force Connected to its Community
• Read the full study in French: Concordia : une université en osmose avec son milieu

Concordia is an open and engaged university that encourages more than 46,000 students to become active, critical and global citizens. We are advancing with a big thinking approach to teaching and research that examines societal issues from a broad perspective.

Welcoming students and faculty with an enriching academic and social environment, Concordia offers 433 undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees, diplomas and certificates in four Faculties, a School of Graduate Studies, and a School of Extended Learning.

Where We Are

Located in the vibrant and culturally dynamic city of Montreal, Concordia is one of three English-language universities in the French-speaking province of Quebec. The university has two campuses: the Sir George Williams Campus, located in downtown Montreal; and the Loyola Campus, located in the west end of the city.

Through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP), both campuses have recently been extended by new facilities and research centres, including the PERFORM Centre and the Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, located on the Loyola Campus.

The downtown campus is quickly expanding beyond the university’s buildings with the ongoing development of Quartier Concordia. This $400-million investment broadens the university’s grounds by squaring off four kilometres of nearby restaurants, cafés, merchants, and parks. Quartier Concordia connects students and the community by fusing the daily university life with the vibrant buzz of the city.

What We’re Doing

By intertwining education with social responsibility, Concordia fosters an academic environment that allows students and faculty to thrive on an interdisciplinary approach to research, creative activity and community engagement.

Our research projects are driven by the aim to align industry and discipline advancements with the betterment of our communities. Concordia scholars are collaborating and sharing ideas with field experts around the world, and are increasingly becoming recognized as being leaders of innovative progress.

Concordia also plays a fundamental role in enhancing Quebec’s productivity, competitiveness, capacity for innovation and pool of human capital. According to a study by consulting firm SECOR, Concordia generates some $1.3 billion a year in economic impact, for example:

• Almost 90,000 Concordia graduates work in Quebec — boosting productivity by $623 million in 2010.
• $177 million is added to the economy annually through research produced and disseminated at Concordia.
• $464 million in economic revenue is generated, which in turn creates and maintains more than 7,000 direct jobs.

How We’re Doing More

As outlined in our Strategic Framework, Reaching Up, Reaching Out, we are devoting our energies to three major strategic directions: academic work of the highest quality; outstanding student experience and student engagement; and community engagement and social responsibility. These directions will be supported by adopting best practices in administration and by communicating our successes to internal and external communities.

Our Strategic Framework is supported by our Academic Plan 2012-2016, a detailed roadmap that will lead us to implement the necessary objectives in order to fulfill our vision.