Overview
Structures
General Student Demographics
Programs

Overview

Canada's Constitution Act, 1867, gives the provinces exclusive jurisdiction in education. The provincial and territorial legislatures have developed their own educational structures and institutions, creating 13 education systems with many similarities and some differences. Responsibility for education is usually exercised, in each jurisdiction, through one or more departments or ministries of education. In addition, a variety of public and private agencies provide decision makers with advice, research, and information.

All "recognized" postsecondary institutions in Canada have been given the authority to grant academic credentials by their provincial or territorial governments through charters or legislation that ensures institutional and program quality. "Registered" or "licensed" institutions are monitored by government primarily for consumer protection rather than for institutional or program quality.

Each province and territory has one or two ministers in charge of education. At the pan-Canadian level, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, (CMEC) provides a forum for education ministers to discuss matters of common concern, explore ways to cooperate, share information, and coordinate education activities internationally.

Federal departments play an indirect role. Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC) promotes international academic exchanges. International Trade Canada (ITCan) and HRSDC promote Canada as a study destination for foreign students. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) control access to Canadian borders by awarding study permits to students meeting the necessary criteria. FAC and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) provide scholarships for a limited number of foreign students registered at Canadian educational institutions.

CMEC monitors international development in higher education through an agreement with the Federal government to ensure Canadian representation at international discussions on postsecondary education. Statistics Canada, through the Canadian Education Statistics Council, works with CMEC and the provinces and territories to ensure the collection, coordination, and publication of pan-Canadian education statistics.

Public postsecondary education institutions in Canada derive most of their direct funding from provincial/territorial and federal government sources, with the largest share coming directly from the provinces and territories. The balance is obtained from tuition fees; research grants; contracts with business and industry; government research contracts; donations; and investment income.

Structures

The basic structures of provincial and territorial education systems across Canada are similar. Each has three tiers — elementary, secondary, and postsecondary — although the grades at which each level begins and ends vary. All jurisdictions provide universal, free elementary and secondary schooling for 12 years, with the exception of Quebec where it is for 11 years. Education is compulsory to the age of 15 or 16 in most jurisdictions. In Manitoba, it is compulsory until the age of 17 and in New Brunswick, until the age of 18 or graduation from high school.

Postsecondary education is provided by public and private institutions. They may be "recognized," "registered," or "licensed" by government, or they may not be regulated in any way.

Postsecondary institutions issue degrees, diplomas, certificates, and attestations depending on the nature of those institutions and the length of the programs. At universities and university colleges, there is an emphasis on degree programs. A certain number of colleges offer applied degrees. At all other institutions, the emphasis is on diploma, certificate, and attestation programs.

General Student Demographics

More than 1.2 million Canadians are enrolled in full-time or part-time postsecondary programs at universities and colleges. In the fall of 2002, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada reported an estimated 684,000 full-time and 271,000 part-time students enrolled in Canadian universities. According to the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, almost 2.5 million students were enrolled in postsecondary programs in Canadian colleges and related institutions in 2001–02 — 900,000 full-time and 1.5 million part-time.

Enrolments among students over the age of 24 years have declined in recent years and made up about 29% of university enrolments in undergraduate programs in 2000–01, down from almost 32% three years before. Reductions in enrolments of part-time students have been particularly marked. Women continue to be the majority on both university and college campuses at 59% of undergraduates in 2000–01. They account for 51% of students in master's programs and about 46% of those at the doctoral level.

Programs

University degrees are offered at three consecutive levels — bachelor's, master's, and doctoral — with the possession of a degree from the lower level generally a prerequisite for admission to the next.

Many universities also offer diploma and certificate programs. Generally speaking, university diplomas and certificates require one or two years of study in a specific field or discipline. However, these programs vary widely from institution to institution, and from province to province. University calendars are the best sources of information about the nature and requirements of university diplomas and certificates.

Students at the baccalaureate or bachelor's level are known as undergraduates. Successful completion of the secondary school program, or the two-year Cégep program in the case of Quebec, is the normal prerequisite for admission to undergraduate study. Bachelor's degrees normally require three or four years of full-time study, depending on the province or whether the program is general or specialized. An honours baccalaureate degree usually signals a higher degree of concentration in the honours subject, as well as a higher level of academic achievement. At some universities, an honours degree may require an additional year of study.

A master's degree typically requires two years of study after successful completion of an honours baccalaureate. Although the normal prerequisite for a doctoral program is a master's degree, students have been allowed, in special circumstances, to go directly from an honours baccalaureate program into a doctoral program. A minimum of three years and up to four or five years of study and research, as well as a dissertation are the normal requirements for a doctorate. The degree is generally known as a PhD; however, doctoral degrees may also be granted in particular fields of study such as music (DMus) or law (LLD).

In regulated professions such as medicine, law, education, and social work, an internship is generally required in order to obtain a licence to practice.

University colleges undertake degree programs as their primary activity and provide three-year and four-year bachelor's degrees. They generally offer smooth university transfer opportunities.

Colleges and institutes undertake diploma and certificate programs as their primary activity, and some offer degrees in areas of particular specialization. Where they are offered, degree programs may be two-year associate degrees or four-year applied degrees.

Source:
Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials