University of Ottawa

University of Ottawa, public, coeducational institution in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is the oldest and largest bilingual university in Canada, offering programs in both English and French. The school was founded in 1848 as an all-male institution called the College of Bytown by the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate in Bytown, Ontario. It operated as a high school as well as a college. In 1855 the town of Bytown changed its name to Ottawa, and the school became the College of Ottawa that same year. In 1866 the institution was designated the University of Ottawa by the Canadian Parliament. In 1911 the high school division of the University of Ottawa first admitted girls. The college became coeducational in 1919. In 1929 the university incorporated Ottawa General Hospital’s school of nursing. It added programs in medicine, science, and engineering during the 1940s. In 1969 the university discontinued its high school program.

The University of Ottawa confers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. It offers programs in the arts and sciences, humanities, business, education, engineering, religious studies, and the health professions. Most courses are offered in both English and French, and students have the option of completing assignments in either language. Alex Trebek, host of the television game show “Jeopardy!,” graduated from the University of Ottawa.