Choosing the right program in post-secondary is important in one’s career. You may want to know what types of programs are available in Canada for post-secondary education.
Undergraduate programs in Canada
Students who completed their senior secondary or high school are eligible for undergraduate programs. The duration of a standard undergraduate program is four years in Canada. Other undergraduate programs are certificate programs and diploma programs which have a duration of one or two years based on the colleges or universities that you are enrolled into. However, these programs do not qualify students to enroll into a Master’s degree in Canada but might be useful for employment opportunities or immigration purposes.
Undergrad Certificate Programs
The certificate programs are suitable for students who want to specialize in their area of interest in the industry that they want or make a career change without going back to school. A certificate will be awarded to students upon completion of their program by the college or university. With this academic document, students can apply for jobs related to the specialized skills that they learned.
Undergrad Diploma Programs
This is another short study program at the undergrad level with a duration of two years. Diplomas provide the students with theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience (mention about coop) in a short time. This is a specialized program for students who are clear about their interests and choices after their 10th and 12th standards. With the technical knowledge from the diploma program, a student can either work in his/her specialized area of interest or can go for a bachelor degree.
Undergrad Degree Programs
Students who have completed their 12th standard are eligible for undergrad degree programs. Besides, students who have certificate degrees or diploma degrees are also eligible for these programs. Again, there are two types of degrees in undergrad, i.e., Associate degrees and Bachelor’s degree.
Associate degree:
The length of an associate degree is two years and enrolled students can always transfer into a 4-year degree program which is a bachelor’s degree. Why do students choose Associate degree when they are eligible for a Bachelor degree? The advantage of an associate degree is that upon completion of this degree, students can work in their relevant field for three years. Also, they can later transfer some of the relevant course credits to a bachelor’s degree. This way, they can shorten their bachelor degree at a later point of time when they want to do a bachelor degree.
Bachelor’s degree:
Bachelor’s degree is the standard degree which requires four years of full-time study. The minimum requirement to enroll into a bachelor’s degree is the successful completion of senior secondary. Students can choose their major while enrolling into this degree or wait until one or two years to decide on their major while they are on their bachelor’s degree. Also, students upon completion of their Bachelor’s degree are eligible for further post-graduation programs such as Master’s degree etc.
