University of Calgary has made the grade as one of Canada's leading research universities. More than 27,000 students are enrolled in the public school which receives more than $250 million in funding for research, primarily in the field of medicine. The university has more than 60 academic departments and programs, as well as more than 30 research institutes; its teaching and research faculty numbers more than 2,700. The university's fields of study include business, education, engineering, law and medicine. It established a school of veterinary medicine in 2008. Founded as a branch of the University of Alberta in 1945, it became independent in 1966.