Best Agriculture Colleges in Canada

Programs in agriculture are abundant in Canada, and some are world renowned. According to Quacquarelli Symonds' World University Rankings by Subject, seven Canadian schools were listed in the top 100 universities for agriculture and forestry for 2013. Of these seven schools, five offer programs in agriculture, four of which are also ranked in the top 200 according to Academic Ranking of World Universities in Life and Agriculture Sciences.

The Ontario Agricultural College at The University of Guelph is Canada's largest agriculture college and ranks 31st in the world for agriculture, according to Quacquarelli Symonds' list. Guelph also ranks in the 101 to 150 category according to Academic Ranking of World Universities. The college offers degree programs in general areas, such as agriculture and animal science, to more specific subjects such as equine studies and turfgrass. It even offers a program in veterinary technology. Guelph conducts agricultural research in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs, which aims to improve the province's agricultural sustainability.

The Macdonald Campus is home to McGill University's Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, which is ranked 23rd in the world, according to Academic Ranking of World Universities, and 46th according to Quacquarelli Symonds. This school offers degree programs in agricultural and environmental sciences, including a program in bioresource engineering. In addition to academic excellence, McGill prides itself on small class size, providing hands-on experience and maintaining a diverse student body. Students of the university have the chance to travel to far-away places to study abroad.

The faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences at The University of Alberta is dedicated to helping students prepare for careers in which they can help overcome our world's agricultural challenges. This school offers Bachelor of Science programs in agricultural disciplines, environmental sciences, food sciences and ecology, as well as one Bachelor of Arts program in environmental studies. Many of their programs can also be utilized as preprofessional programs if you are planning to pursue an education in medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry or law. The University of Alberta is ranked in the 76 to 100 category according to Academic Ranking of World Universities, and in the 50 to 100 range according to Quacquarelli Symonds.

Based in Saskatoon, The University of Saskatchewan's College of Agriculture and Bioresources also ranks in the 50 to 100 range on Quacquarelli Symonds' list. This school also ranks in the 151 to 200 range according to Academic Ranking of World Universities. The college offers 13 different degree programs -- spanning from agribusiness to soil science, along with two diploma programs and two certificate programs. The College of Agriculture and Bioresources boasts a 97 percent employment rate of students who graduated from 2001 to 2005, according to a survey conducted in 2006. Furthermore, the school claims that half of its alumni land their first jobs before graduating.