About Us
Student centred
Ours is a mission that goes beyond the classroom. Our faculty, staff and students are motivated to produce lasting change in the world and to empower students as the next generation of leaders. At the heart of the Faculty are our students, whose energy, drive and success are the force behind all we do.
Research focused
We are a centre of research excellence, using our scholarship to challenge convention, support communities and realize a better future. We have a history of scholarly excellence, and with a growing Faculty, we are constantly expanding our reach and scope, bringing exciting new projects to life.
Community engaged
For over 30 years, the Faculty of Native Studies has thrived on the real relationships we've built with our faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners. From this solid foundation we have emerged as a leader in Indigenous studies, and it is from these relationships that we look to our future.
Our approach
Native Studies is an exciting, emerging area of study that seeks to understand the experiences and lives of Indigenous people and communities — past, present and future. It also studies how Indigenous communities and the countries in which they live influence and define each other.
We pursue ways of understanding Indigenous communities — local, national and global — and combine the insights of many traditional university disciplines, such as anthropology, history, law, science, and sociology, with the wisdom of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives.
This approach challenges mainstream ideas about Indigenous people, suggests fundamentally new ways of understanding them and their relations with non-Indigenous societies and governments, and aims to build bridges that will help create a better Canada.
Our learning environment
Our small classes provide a common ground for all students — regardless of ethnic background — to learn, research, explore and critically examine the historical and contemporary experiences of Indigenous peoples and communities, and their relationships with Canada and other countries.
As part of the larger University of Alberta community, students can benefit from the wide range of services, academic support, social and recreational opportunities, and community life that the university offers. As well, First Nations, Inuit and Métis students can access many groups and services on campus specifically directed towards Indigenous students.
Elders sit on our Faculty Council and participate in most activities organized throughout the academic year, including guest lectures, conferences and special events and gatherings such as our semi-annual Tea & Bannock.
Our alumni
The most recent employment survey of U of A graduates indicates that Native Studies students are in demand across the workforce, with 100 per cent of those surveyed reporting having found employment within three years of graduating.
Alumni found employment as federal, provincial, municipal and Indigenous government employees or representatives or as Indigenous community liaison officers in the oil and gas, forestry and mining industries.
Others have pursued a bachelor of laws and entered the legal profession or found positions in health and wellness, environmental management, educational policy, research and planning, teaching or the rapidly expanding number of Indigenous businesses.
Canadians' lives are deeply intertwined with Indigenous interests such as oil and gas, natural resources extraction, land, water, health, history, treaties, identity and community well-being to name a few. Being aware of the ways in which we are all connected means you will be better equipped to understand the complexity of Canada and function as an enlightened citizen. You will also be more likely to succeed in whatever career you choose if you understand perspectives, values and needs of your Indigenous clients, customers, suppliers, patients or partners.