The start of the fall semester is always a lively event as the university welcomes more than 25,000 new and returning students to Simon Fraser University's three campuses.
This fall is no different as SFU celebrates 60 years of education, innovation and excellence by continuing to expand and refresh offerings for tomorrow's leaders.
Here are some of the highlights of what's new for fall 2025.
Services for students
There are many resources designed to help make the start of the semester smooth and set new and current students up for success.
The best place to start is the Student Services homepage, where people can tap into a variety of supports, including course planning, documentation, financial readiness, academic advising, and career and volunteer opportunities.
Student Services also serves as a hub for students looking to learn more about or access health and counselling, accessible learning, multifaith and Indigenous supports and information on Residence and Housing.
The SFU Library, especially the Student Learning Commons, also provides expert and friendly help with academic writing, learning and study strategies.
Expanded student housing options
The on-campus experience at SFU's Burnaby campus is ever-evolving and growing and fall 2025 continues that trajectory with the re-opening of the newly renovated McTaggart-Cowan Hall.
The newly renovated units feature traditional-style, private single room residences for first- and second-year undergraduate students.
At the same time, construction is now well underway on Phase 3 of SFU's housing master plan, which was announced earlier this year.
Once complete, the new eight-storey residence will provide an additional 445 beds for students at the Burnaby campus. It will include a mix of studio and four-bedroom apartments, as well as two- and four-bedroom townhouses.
Construction will also begin this fall on a stand-alone child care centre, which will add 160 new child care spaces to more than 410 existing spaces in the Burnaby campus and at SFU's Sapperton location. With these new spaces, more than 570 child care spaces will provide support to the SFU community.
New offerings across SFU
Faculty of Applied Sciences
The School of Sustainable Energy Engineering continues to grow this fall with the launch of its Master of Engineering program, which welcomes its first cohort of students. The course-based, interdisciplinary program couples fundamental engineering knowledge with critical policy, business and environmental considerations relating to sustainable provision, conversion and use of energy.
Also at Faculty of Applied Sciences, the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering has a new course, Modelling of Mechatronic Systems (MSE 281), which introduces second-year Mechanical Engineering students to the theory, solution techniques and applications of ordinary differential equations.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has a number of exciting new programs and courses, all either beginning this fall or starting to accept applications.
First is the newly announced SFU-Exeter Accelerated Law Dual Degree Program which puts FASS students on the fast-track to becoming a lawyer while immersing themselves in social sciences and learning abroad to complete a Bachelor of Law degree at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom through a unique international partnership. The program starts fall 2026 but is accepting applications this fall.
The Minor in Medical Humanities and Social Sciences is an interdisciplinary minor drawing from expertise across FASS, equipping students with the holistic perspective required to thrive in healthcare and related professions. Responding ethically, compassionately, and thoughtfully to patients, and being able to navigate the ethical, cultural, legal, and social dimensions of health and wellbeing is essential to students pursuing professions in medicine, nursing, counselling, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, optometry, and psychology, among others.
New courses within FASS include Global View of Francophone Literatures in North Africa, Introduction to Francophone Caribbean Literature, Practical French for a Practical World, Health in Global Humanities, Public Policy in Canada and the World, and Housing Studies.
Faculty of Education
The Faculty of Education starts the fall by starting two new themes within its offerings, the Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction: Science Education and Communication, and a Master of Education in Education Practice: Practitioner Inquiry.
The Science Education and Communications theme is offered fully online and appeals to K-12 educators, museum educators, science communicators, journalists and more to dive deeper into the ways people learn science and interact with knowledge, especially in an era of fake news and post-truth.
The Practitioner Inquiry theme is an evolution of the faculty's former two-year graduate diploma in education, offering a two-year Masters program for K-12 educators looking to deepen their inquiry and practice in the classroom.
Beedie School of Business
This fall, Beedie School of Business is launching new flexible options for its MBA program, offering working professionals the opportunity to pursue advanced business education without interrupting their careers. Starting in fall 2025, these new delivery methods allow students to tailor their MBA experience to fit their schedules and personal commitments, whether through in-person, online, or hybrid learning formats.
Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology
Fall 2025 brings some innovative new programing at the Facutly of Communication, Art and Technology with two new concentrations starting up in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT): Critical Making and Evidence-Based Interactive Systems.
A new thought-provoking course within SIAT, Artificial Intelligence Today and Tomorrow (IAT 111), has been attracting a lot of public interest for featuring the first live, fully expressive 3D AI collaborator on stage alongside professor Steve DiPaola as they explore the principles, potential and ethics of AI technologies.
The School of Communication also has a new course, Professional & Strategic Communication, that teaches communication students how to understand each other, influence decisions and drive meaningful change through strategic communication skills.
And coinciding with Simon Fraser University's 60th anniversary, a new book from Harbour Publishing and the SFU Retirees Association launched this summer charts the early days of the arts at SFU. A Magical Time: The Eary Days of the Arts at Simon Fraser University is out now and features the radical 60s and the rise of arts programming at the university.
Faculty of Environment
The new Master of Science in Environmental Science starts this fall in the Faculty of Environment for graduate students looking to take their education to the next level. The six-term, mentor-based research program gives students the chance to dive in and focus on research in physical or ecological sciences.
Also on the horizon for the coming school year is a new Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science, which starts spring 2026.
Faculty of Science
The new interdisciplinary Data Science in Physics Certificate combines physics principles, a physics-centred approach to critical thinking and data science techniques to help physics, chemistry, biology and engineering students excel in emerging and expanding fields such as quantum, AI, health and medicine and banking and finance.
In a world flooded with misinformation and unreliable sources, how do we know what to believe? A new breadth course, Busting Science Myths: Critical Thinking in the Misinformation Age (SCI 130), will see students explore some of the most debated topics in science and public discourse. The course helps students develop the critical thinking skills needed to distinguish fact from fiction essential for making informed decisions, from voting to everyday choices.
International Studies
A unique four-week field school in Tanzania, offered by the School for International Studies, takes students to Dar es Salaam and Arusha, giving them firsthand insight into development, climate change, and social movements in East Africa. This immersive experience combines classroom learning with hands-on engagement to deepen students' understanding of just and sustainable development in Africa.
Continuing Studies
Starting this fall, SFU Continuing Studies is offering a new Equity in Healthcare Certificate in partnership with the Provincial Health Services Authority to help healthcare professionals deliver culturally informed care that leads to better patient outcomes.
Continuing Studies is also offering a new course within it Dialogue and Civic Engagement Certificate. Protocols and Practices for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Engagement is intended for anyone involved in consultation, collaboration or engagement with Indigenous peoples who wants to cultivate stronger community partnerships.
Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship
The Charles Chang Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship continues to grow, now incorporating more courses from across SFU faculties through updates to the program, including its Innovation & Entrepreneurship concentration. The certificate helps learners build entrepreneurial mindsets and apply innovative problem-solving to real-world challenges. With opportunities to collaborate across disciplines, students gain the skills and confidence to create impact in any career path.
That's not all
Even with all the new facilities, programs and courses outlined, there's so much more going on at SFU for fall 2025. Stay tuned to SFU News for more updates, such as all the new faculty members that have joined the university, and for ongoing updates on major initiatives underway, such the upcoming openings of the First People's Gathering House, Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum and progress toward the launch of the School of Medicine.
