1. Strategic Planning
  2. Queen’s Bicentennial Vision and Consultation
  3. People

People

A discussion of the future of the institution necessarily requires considering how many students, staff, and faculty will be part of the university and how those people will be distributed across different areas. Indeed, defining the future shape and size of the university is mentioned explicitly in Queen’s Bicentennial Vision: A Discussion Paper and is a central factor in areas ranging from academic and research impact to financial stability.

The following sections provide information related to the number of students, staff, and faculty at Queen’s, and the demand for enrolment in different programs at Queen’s, within Ontario, and across Canada.

The Office of Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) collects and stores institutional data for Queen's.

Distribution of faculty across academic fields

The "shape" of the university, i.e., how its people are distributed across fields, is dictated primarily by the distribution of faculty members across those areas because areas with more faculty can generally support higher numbers of students and require higher numbers of staff. The information in this section examines the current distribution of faculty at Queen’s and the other U15 institutions.

Figure 2.1 compares the percentage distribution of faculty at Queen’s across various academic fields against the median values for this measure at the other U15 institutions. 

Figure 2.2 provides the analogous comparison between Queen’s and the other five smallest U15 institutions to assess whether the distribution is affected by institutional size. The data illustrate that the trends are generally unaffected by institutional size. Using the data for the whole U15 reveals that Queen’s exceeds the U15 median by 9.0 and 4.5 percentage points in the humanities and business, respectively, and is lower than the U15 median by 10.6 percentage points in health. Queen’s and the U15 median are similar (less than 2 percentage point differences) in all other areas.

Figure 2.1 graph
Figure 2.1. Percent of faculty members in different academic areas at Queen’s and the median values for the remainder of the U15 institutions. Based on institutional data at U15 institutions. Health values exclude clinical faculty.
Data for Figure 2.1
Academic Area Queen's U15 Median excl. Queen's
Business 10.8 6.3
Creative Arts 4.9 3.0
Education 3.0 4.9
Engineering 13.4 14.5
Health 11.0 21.6
Humanities 18.6 9.6
Law 3.8 2.8
Science 20.9 22.1
Social Science 13.7 15.2

figure 2.2 graph
Figure 2.2. Percent of faculty members in different academic areas at Queen’s and the median values for the five smallest U15 institutions excluding Queen’s. Based on institutional data at U15 institutions. Health values exclude clinical faculty.
Data for Figure 2.2
Academic Area Queen's U15 Median 5 smallest schools excl. Queen's
Business 10.8 5.8
Creative Arts 4.9 2.7
Education 3.0 3.6
Engineering 13.4 17.0
Health 11.0 24.0
Humanities 18.6 8.3
Law 3.8 2.6
Science 20.9 24.1
Social Science 13.7 15.1

Figures 2.3 and 2.4 compare the percent of faculty by tri-council at Queen’s with the median values for the full U15 and smallest 5 U15 institutions, respectively. 

The data indicate that these distributions are qualitatively unaffected by the size of the institutions used to calculate the median, with the percentage of faculty being ³ÉÈË´óƬ for SSHRC, lowest for CIHR, and that of NSERC faculty residing in between.

Queen’s exhibits the same trends, but the difference between the percentage of faculty members in CIHR and SSHRC fields is more extreme than at the typical U15 institution. For instance, comparing against the median for the whole U15 indicates that Queen’s exceeds the U15 median by 10.9 percentage points in SSHRC areas, is lower than the U15 median by 10.6 percentage points in CIHR areas, and is close to the U15 median in NSERC areas.

 

Figure 2.3 graph
Figure 2.3. Percent of faculty members in each tri-council at Queen’s and the median values for the remainder of the U15 institutions. Based on institutional data at U15 institutions. Health values exclude clinical faculty.
Data for Figure 2.3
Council Queen's U15 Median excl. Queen's
CIHR 11.0 21.6
NSERC 34.3 35.6
SSHRC 54.7 43.8

Figure 2.4 graph
Figure 2.4. Percent of faculty members in different research fields at Queen’s and the median values for the five smallest U15 institutions excluding Queen’s. Based on institutional data at U15 institutions. Health values exclude clinical faculty.
Data for Figure 2.4
Figure 2.4 Queen's  U15 Median 5 smallest schools excl. Queen's
CIHR 11.0 24.0
NSERC 34.3 37.1
SSHRC 54.7 34.2

Distribution of applications and enrolments across academic fields

The ways applications and enrolments are distributed across academic fields provide insights into student demands for entry into different programs and institutional capacities to accept students in different areas. Figure 2.5 illustrates the distribution of university enrolments across Canada from 2013 through 2022 in areas consistent with the broad academic fields present at Queen’s. These data demonstrate that enrolments are increasing business, engineering, health, the sciences, and the social sciences. Enrolments are stable in creative arts and education, and are decreasing in the humanities.

Figure 2.5 graph
Figure 2.5. Canadian university enrolments in different academic fields from 2013 through 2023. Data obtained from Statistic Canada ().
Data for Figure 2.5
Academic Area 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Business 156216 163251 166407 168960 172851 175260 178446 179160 185355 187140 186714
Creative Arts 38502 37968 37377 36786 36912 37134 38301 38979 39072 38748 38721
Education 53958 53046 52581 48831 50886 50697 51531 53400 55635 56865 57003
Engineering 97314 104406 110301 114939 117957 122091 124923 127659 127620 130965 134073
Health 121584 126951 130944 133941 134865 136674 139242 140631 144618 144627 146124
Humanities 135609 130416 121968 117519 114798 114528 113100 110559 104892 99381 98820
Science 140637 147285 151617 157620 165264 172074 179787 189132 195084 201987 208206
Social Sciences and Law 182670 187299 186681 187578 187767 188499 191223 195333 201984 202632 198339

Of course, enrolments reflect institutional capacities to accept students in different areas but may not reflect demand. To assess demand, trends in OUAC and Queen’s undergraduate admissions data are considered in Figures 2.6 through 2.8. 

 

 

Figure 2.6
Figure 2.6. Ontario university undergraduate applications in different academic fields from 2017 through 2024. Data obtained from the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre ().

Figure 2.6 provides the OUAC application numbers in different fields from 2017 through 2024. These data demonstrate that applications have been increasing in all areas except the humanities and creative arts, where applications numbers are generally flat.

Data for Figure 2.6
Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Business 87198 87676 90023 89345 89659 94481 97993 104737
Creative Arts 20718 21639 22107 21386 19466 21223 21556 22457
Engineering 42595 44311 43641 42877 43490 47445 50576 61715
Health 54331 54881 58791 58221 65145 72269 69943 76292
Humanities 47548 45796 48799 50262 47038 48675 48906 51387
Science 104520 117137 119958 119155 128043 143268 149722 155087
Social Sciences 76232 80813 89508 86073 84632 91280 94233 95542

Figure 2.7 provides the same values as Figure 2.6, but the humanities and social sciences values have been combined into a single number to better compare with Queen’s application data, which collectively captures both areas via applications into the BA. Note that the OUAC data do not include applications to education, law, medicine, and some other health programs. The data demonstrate that applications have been increasing in all areas except the creative arts, where applications numbers are generally flat.

Figure 2.7 graph
Figure 2.7. Ontario university undergraduate applications in different academic fields from 2017 through 2024 with humanities and social science values combined. Data obtained from the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre ().
Data for Figure 2.7
Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Business 87198 87676 90023 89345 89659 94481 97993 104737
Creative Arts 20718 21639 22107 21386 19466 21223 21556 22457
Engineering 42595 44311 43641 42877 43490 47445 50576 61715
Health 54331 54881 58791 58221 65145 72269 69943 76292
Hum. + Soc. Sci. 123780 126609 138307 136335 131670 139955 143139 146929
Science 104520 117137 119958 119155 128043 143268 149722 155087

Figure 2.8 shows the total number of Queen’s applications into different academic areas from 2015 through 2024. For clarity, creative arts applications include those into fine arts and music, humanities and social science applications include those for any BA program (including continuing education), those for science include any BSc application, including continuing education) plus applications to computing, and health applications include those into the BHSc and nursing programs.

In general applications into all areas are increasing, except for creative arts, which has been flat before dropping significantly in 2024 due to the suspension of admissions into the Bachelor of Fine Arts program. The sharp increase in health applications in 2018 coincides with the introduction of the Bachelor of Health Sciences program and saw a coincident decrease in science applications for a few years; however, science applications have been increasing since 2020.

Figure 2.8 graph
Figure 2.8. Total Queen’s undergraduate applications in different academic fields from 2015 through 2024 with humanities and social science values combined. Data obtained from the Queen’s University Admission and Recruitment database.
Data for Figure 2.8
Year 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Business 6341 6833 7396 7931 7785 7812 8991 9012 8773 9366
Creative Arts 297 309 347 445 479 416 415 488 502 118
Engineering 5199 5660 5924 6391 6537 6113 6678 7749 7872 9954
Health 1123 1149 1203 1347 5400 5985 7360 7891 7233 7960
Humanities and Social Sciences 8933 9383 10214 11708 12933 12685 13218 13940 13789 14343
Science 8940 10466 11778 14663 13325 12322 14543 15884 15983 16486

Figures 2.9 and 2.10 show the total number of Queen’s applications into different academic areas at the master’s and doctoral levels from 2017 through 2024. The data show declines in nearly all areas for both degrees since 2021.

Figure 2.9. Total Queen’s master’s applications in different academic fields from 2015 through 2024. Data obtained from Queen’s School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs
Figure 2.9. Total Queen’s master’s applications in different academic fields from 2015 through 2024. Data obtained from Queen’s School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.

 

Figure 2.10. Total Queen’s doctoral applications in different academic fields from 2015 through 2024. Data obtained from Queen’s School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
Figure 2.10. Total Queen’s doctoral applications in different academic fields from 2015 through 2024. Data obtained from Queen’s School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.

 

Data for Figure 2.9
Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Business 153 190 181 198 160 131 124 121
Creative Arts 26 35 44 38 70 51 47 88
Education 382 400 401 520 539 436 514 531
Engineering 730 1002 1008 920 873 724 738 788
Health 921 917 974 977 1127 1019 935 961
Humanities and Social Sciences 1232 1351 1280 1385 1457 1172 986 967
Law 54 59 81 97 103 116 90 88
Science 695 871 1102 1139 1431 1407 1256 956
Data for Figure 2.10
Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Business 88 139 145 155 147 134 122 115
Creative Arts 0 0 5 13 19 17 15 18
Education 42 38 64 66 62 56 57 62
Engineering 165 206 212 212 158 144 165 162
Health 127 168 213 213 244 180 145 179
Humanities and Social Sciences 330 380 359 405 471 333 340 273
Law 31 40 35 27 43 32 33 27
Science 201 254 238 293 335 283 280 228

Information / data for members of the Queen’s community as they consider their input on the development of the Bicentennial Vision.