College (Canada)
Encyclopedia
In Canadian English
, the term college
usually refers to a technical, applied arts, or applied science school. These are post-secondary
institutions granting certificate
s, diploma
s, associate's degree
, and bachelor's degrees.
, the term "college" is usually used to refer to technical schools that offer specialized professional or vocational education in specific employment fields. They include colleges of applied arts and technology, colleges of applied sciences, etc.
In Ontario
, British Columbia
and Alberta
, there are also institutions which are designated university college
s, as they only grant under-graduate degrees. This is to differentiate between universities, which have both under-graduate and graduate programs and those that do not. There is a distinction between "college" and "university" in Canada. In conversation, one specifically would say either "They are going to university" (i.e., studying for a three- or four-year degree at a university) or "They are going to college" (suggesting a technical or career college).
, mostly with speakers of Quebec English
, the term "college" is seldom used for post secondary education, instead the word "Cegep
" has become part of the lexicon . Cegep is a loanword from the French acronym cégep (Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel), meaning "College of General and Vocational Education". A Cegep is a public college
in the Quebec education system
, a college diploma is required in order to continue onto university (unless one applies as a 'mature' student, meaning 21 years of age or over, and out of the educational system for at least 2 years), or to learn a trade.
is especially used for what Canadians would call the undergraduate level of a university, but in popular use it refers to all post secondary studies. Canadians, on the other hand, use the word university
for both undergraduate and graduate post-secondary studies.
, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD). The Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD)
currently grants undergraduate degrees only, and thus does not have the status of university.
, a full-fledged degree-granting university, does not follow the naming convention used by the rest of the country, nor does its sister school Royal Military College Saint-Jean or the now closed Royal Roads Military College
.
" or "affiliated colleges"),to the residential colleges in the United Kingdom. These colleges act independently, but in affiliation or federation with the university that actually grants the degrees. For example, Trinity College
was once an independent institution, but later became federated with the University of Toronto
, and is now one of its residential colleges. In the case of Memorial University of Newfoundland
, located in St. John's
, the Corner Brook campus is called Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. Occasionally, "college" refers to a subject specific faculty within a university that, while distinct, are neither federated nor affiliated—College of Education, College of Medicine, College of Dentistry, College of Biological Science, among others.
Do to their early history when education streams were few or non existence, some early schools (which were mostly private at the time) were composed of levels reaching and including university at times. In Ontario and Quebec these now private secondary schools, such as Upper Canada College
) choose to still use the word "college" in their names. Some secondary schools elsewhere in the country, particularly ones within the separate school
system, may also use the word "college" or "collegiate" in their names.
.
The registration and accreditation of private career colleges are regulated by Private Career College Acts for each province.
British Columbia, For example the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA) is responsible for the registration and accreditation of private career college in British Columbia under the Private Career Training Institutions Act (SBC 2003, Chapter 79), Regulations (BC Reg.466/2004), an bylaws.
Canadian English
Canadian English is the variety of English spoken in Canada. English is the first language, or "mother tongue", of approximately 24 million Canadians , and more than 28 million are fluent in the language...
, the term college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
usually refers to a technical, applied arts, or applied science school. These are post-secondary
Tertiary education
Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...
institutions granting certificate
Academic certificate
An academic certificate is a document that certifies that a person has received specific education or has passed a test or series of tests.In many countries, certificate is a qualification attained in secondary education. For instance, students in the Republic of Ireland sit the Junior Certificate...
s, diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
s, associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
, and bachelor's degrees.
Terminology
In English CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the term "college" is usually used to refer to technical schools that offer specialized professional or vocational education in specific employment fields. They include colleges of applied arts and technology, colleges of applied sciences, etc.
In Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, there are also institutions which are designated university college
University college
The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
s, as they only grant under-graduate degrees. This is to differentiate between universities, which have both under-graduate and graduate programs and those that do not. There is a distinction between "college" and "university" in Canada. In conversation, one specifically would say either "They are going to university" (i.e., studying for a three- or four-year degree at a university) or "They are going to college" (suggesting a technical or career college).
- List of colleges in Canada
- Nova Scotia Community College systemNova Scotia Community CollegeThe Nova Scotia Community College, commonly referred to as the NSCC, is a community college serving the province of Nova Scotia.The college delivers a diverse program of trades, technology, health, human services, applied arts, new media, business administration and adult education through a system...
- Ontario Colleges
- New Brunswick Community CollegeNew Brunswick Community CollegeThe New Brunswick Community College is a community college. The enabling legislation is the New Brunswick Community Colleges Act ..-Campus:There are campuses in:#Miramichi,#Moncton,#Saint John,#St...
Quebec
In QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, mostly with speakers of Quebec English
Quebec English
Quebec English is the common term for the set of various linguistic and social phenomena affecting the use of English in the predominantly French-speaking Canadian Province of Quebec....
, the term "college" is seldom used for post secondary education, instead the word "Cegep
Cégep
CEGEP is an acronym for , which is literally translated as "College of General and Vocational Education" but commonly called "General and Vocational College" in circles not influenced by Quebec English. It refers to the public post-secondary education collegiate institutions exclusive to the...
" has become part of the lexicon . Cegep is a loanword from the French acronym cégep (Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel), meaning "College of General and Vocational Education". A Cegep is a public college
College education in Quebec
College education, College, in the Canadian province of Quebec is the post-secondary level immediately after high-school but required for university admissions...
in the Quebec education system
Education in Québec
The Quebec education system is governed by the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport . It is administered at the local level by publicly elected French and English school boards...
, a college diploma is required in order to continue onto university (unless one applies as a 'mature' student, meaning 21 years of age or over, and out of the educational system for at least 2 years), or to learn a trade.
Differences from American usage
In American English, the word collegeCollege
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
is especially used for what Canadians would call the undergraduate level of a university, but in popular use it refers to all post secondary studies. Canadians, on the other hand, use the word university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
for both undergraduate and graduate post-secondary studies.
Art college
These are schools specializing in fine arts and design which have four-year undergraduate programs. Many are universities, meaning they also have the ability to grant postgraduate degrees; in Canada these include the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University (NSCAD)Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University
NSCAD University also known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, is a post-secondary art school located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada....
, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD). The Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD)
Alberta College of Art and Design
-History:The Alberta College of Art & Design is a Canadian degree-granting, publicly-funded art and design college located in Calgary . It was known as the Provincial Institute of Technology and Arts, which was part of SAIT until 1985...
currently grants undergraduate degrees only, and thus does not have the status of university.
Military college
The Royal Military College of CanadaRoyal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
, a full-fledged degree-granting university, does not follow the naming convention used by the rest of the country, nor does its sister school Royal Military College Saint-Jean or the now closed Royal Roads Military College
Royal Roads Military College
Royal Roads Military College was a Canadian military college located in Hatley Park, Colwood, British Columbia near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The facility is currently being used as the campus for Royal Roads University, a public university that offers applied and professional academic...
.
Institution within a university
The term "college" also applies to distinct entities within a university (usually referred to as "federated collegesFederated school
An affiliated school is an educational institution that operates independently, but also has a formal collaborative agreement with another, usually larger institution that may have some level of control or influence over its academic policies, standards or programs.While a university may have one...
" or "affiliated colleges"),to the residential colleges in the United Kingdom. These colleges act independently, but in affiliation or federation with the university that actually grants the degrees. For example, Trinity College
University of Trinity College
The University of Trinity College, informally referred to as Trin, is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Trinity was intended by Strachan as a college of strong Anglican alignment, after the University of Toronto severed its ties with the Church of...
was once an independent institution, but later became federated with the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, and is now one of its residential colleges. In the case of Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...
, located in St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, the Corner Brook campus is called Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. Occasionally, "college" refers to a subject specific faculty within a university that, while distinct, are neither federated nor affiliated—College of Education, College of Medicine, College of Dentistry, College of Biological Science, among others.
Collegiate Institutes (high school)
In a number of Canadian cities, high schools are called "collegiate institutes" (C.I.), a complicated form of the word "college" which avoids the usual "post-secondary" connotation. The term "collegiate institute" first appeared in Ontario after the 1900's in the name of high schools because at the higher grades it was one of very few forms of education besides a "formal" university. Another reason is that going back in history secondary schools have traditionally focused on academic, rather than vocational subjects and ability levels, for example, collegiates offered Latin while vocational schools offered technical courses. In Ontario at one time schools that focused on vocational educational were "officially" called High school/ secondary school and went up to grade 12, while schools that went up to grade 13, and prepared students for University were called "Collegiate Institute"Do to their early history when education streams were few or non existence, some early schools (which were mostly private at the time) were composed of levels reaching and including university at times. In Ontario and Quebec these now private secondary schools, such as Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College , located in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is an independent elementary and secondary school for boys between Senior Kindergarten and Grade Twelve, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The secondary school segment is divided into ten houses; eight are...
) choose to still use the word "college" in their names. Some secondary schools elsewhere in the country, particularly ones within the separate school
Separate school
In Canada, separate school refers to a particular type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces and statutory status in three territories...
system, may also use the word "college" or "collegiate" in their names.
Association
A small number of the oldest professional associations use "college" in the name in the British sense, such as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of CanadaRoyal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada ' , French: Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada, is a national, private, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to oversee the medical education of specialists in Canada...
.
The registration and accreditation of private career colleges are regulated by Private Career College Acts for each province.
British Columbia, For example the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA) is responsible for the registration and accreditation of private career college in British Columbia under the Private Career Training Institutions Act (SBC 2003, Chapter 79), Regulations (BC Reg.466/2004), an bylaws.