Paige Rutledge graduated from the University of Guelph’s Music programme in 2020 and stepped confidently into the career she had always dreamed of. The programme’s hands-on learning and performance opportunities gave her the foundation to pursue music professionally. Today, she travels across Canada as a full-time country singer. Looking back, Rutledge says, “Going to the University of Guelph was one of the best decisions I ever made.”
Nearly a decade earlier, Gabriella Sundar Singh was also shaping her own future on campus. She earned her Theatre Studies degree in 2011 and has since become a rising figure in Canadian theatre, television, and film. Singh credits her success to the programme’s practical training and the guidance of her professors. “Pursuing my Bachelor of Arts, Honours (BAH) in Theatre Studies at the University of Guelph was the best thing I could have done for my career,” she says.
These are just a few examples of graduates who have transformed their passions for the arts into meaningful careers, supported by the education and mentorship they received at the University of Guelph, which is ranked among the world’s top 500 universities.
The QS World University survey ranks the University of Guelph in the top 20 universities in Canada and the top 600 globally. Source: University of Guelph
The College of Arts, one of the University of Guelph’s academic departments, houses creative arts and humanities students and plays a central role in career preparation for students. Its philosophy is straightforward: one of the best ways to learn is by doing. Courses and co-op along with opportunities for collaboration and networking with industry professionals, faculty mentors, and peers drive forward this philosophy.
Rutledge remembers being active on campus and in the community. “This translated to developing real-life skills of collaborating and working with different people, all of which are very important in the music industry,” she says. “The music programme and the university also gave me numerous performance opportunities, which is what I get to do every day now.”
That emphasis on practical learning continues to grow. This fall, the College of Arts hosted the Arts and Science Connections Conference. The event explored the links between Artificial Intelligence and career exploration. Keynote speaker JP Michel presented his “challenge mindset,” which encourages students to identify challenges they are passionate about solving in order to identify and pursue careers that contribute to solving them.
The growing influence of Artificial Intelligence makes this conversation timely. The College of Arts is at the forefront of AI exploration, particularly when it comes to ethics. It is home to the Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (CARE-AI), which brings together experts from across disciplines to study AI practices, applications, and responsibilities. This Centre is unique in its ability to combine technical expertise with an emphasis on ethics, governance, and social responsibility.
Recognised as a leading research-intensive Canadian university, the University of Guelph blends major research resources with a close-knit community of 1,700 international students from 130+ countries. Source: University of Guelph
Building on this expertise, the College of Arts launched a new course this fall, Digital Wisdom: How to Use AI Critically and Responsibly. Open to students across all disciplines, the course explores how AI shapes decision-making, privacy, education, healthcare, and public policy. By equipping students with both literacy in AI and the ability to make ethical decisions, it prepares them for careers in education, digital communications, government, and other areas where this expertise is increasingly vital.
Another initiative that launched this fall is the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence specialisation within the one-year MA in Philosophy programme. As AI transforms industries from healthcare to law, new ethical and philosophical challenges are emerging. The programme trains students to become leaders who can navigate these issues and guide the responsible use of AI in a rapidly evolving world. Graduates will be well-prepared for both research-focused academic careers and applied roles in industry.
Philosophy graduate Matthew Hernandez understands the value of this approach. “The course options are solid,” he says. “I really enjoyed the variety in philosophy, from the Ethics of AI to Chinese Philosophy.” His studies not only allowed him to follow his academic passions but also provided the foundation for his career as a lawyer.
For those looking to advance their academic journeys, the university offers PhD programmes in areas such as Critical Studies in Improvisation, History, Literary Studies/Theatre Studies in English, and Philosophy.
The longer-term payoff of an arts and humanities degree is clear. Beyond subject expertise, graduates develop transferable skills – communication, creativity, ethical reasoning, collaboration, and critical thinking – that support them across careers and industries. Whether they pursue the arts directly or branch into law, education, policy, technology, or healthcare, to name only a few examples, the capabilities they develop at the College of Arts provide a foundation for resilience and adaptability in a rapidly changing world.
This is something Tulip Eng, a second-year Bachelor of Creative Arts, Health and Wellness (BCAHW) student in the programme’s Music stream, is already aware of. “Through studying music, psychology, and therapeutic practices, the BCAHW programme reinforces for me the neurological impact the arts have on human transformation and highlights just how necessary the arts are in changing the way the world lives,” she says.
Hear from current students about the Creative Arts and Humanities in the College of Arts at the University of Guelph.
Learn more about the University of Guelph’s College of Arts’ programmes.
Follow the University of Guelph’s College of Arts on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
