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In Canadian English, the term college usually refers to a career college, technical, trades, community college, college of applied arts or applied technology, or an applied science school. These are post-secondary institutions granting apprenticeships, citations, certificates, diplomas, and associate's degrees.
In the English-speaking parts of Canada, the term "college" is generally used to refer to vocational schools that provide trade and technical education in various specialized vocational disciplines across specific employment fields. Among the institutions that fall into the "college" category include vocational colleges, career colleges, community colleges, institutes of technology or science, technical schools, colleges of applied arts or applied technology, and in Quebec through collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel.
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 four-year bachelor's degree at a university) or "They are going to college" (which may imply enrolling in a vocational school in some parts of the country). In American English, (and in formal British English as well) the word college is especially used for what Canadians would call the undergraduate level of a university, but in popular use it to refers to the entire gestalt of the realm of post-secondary studies, regardless of level of prestige. Canadians, on the other hand, use the term university to exclusively mean the pursuit of undergraduate and graduate post-secondary studies.
In Ontario and Alberta, and formerly in British Columbia, there are also institutions which are designated university colleges, as they only grant undergraduate degrees. This is to differentiate between universities, which have both undergraduate and graduate programs and those that do not. Prior to use of the term University College in Canada, some colleges in British Columbia offered university-level courses equivalent to a full freshmen and sophomore year where college transfer credits can be earned and applied towards a 4 year degree in selected programs if a student expresses a desire to transfer to a Canadian university.
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In Quebec, mostly with speakers of Quebec English, the term "college" is seldom used for post secondary education. Instead the word CEGEP has become the more common term, although collégial remains the preferred adjectival form. A CEGEP is a public college in the Quebec education system, offering either a two-year diploma, which allows one to continue on to university (unless one applies as a 'mature' student, meaning 21 years of age or over, and out of the educational system for at least two years), or a three-year diploma in a variety of trades and technologies (e.g. nursing, mechanical engineering or computer science).
The term college also applies to distinct entities that formally act as an affiliated institution of the university, formally referred to as federated college, or affiliated colleges. A university may also formally include several constituent colleges, forming a collegiate university. Examples of collegiate universities in Canada include Trent University, and the University of Toronto. 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.
Occasionally, "college" may also refer to a subject specific faculty within a university that, and while academically distinct, do not operate in an autonomous manner as federated or affiliated. Examples of the word college used in this instance includes College of Education, College of Medicine, College of Dentistry, College of Biological Science, [1] among others.
The registration and accreditation of private career colleges are regulated by Private Career College Acts for each province. In 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. [2]
Regulatory colleges also use the word college in reference to itself. Examples of such include the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
The Royal Military College of Canada is a military college that aims to train officers for the Canadian Armed Forces. However, the institution is a full-fledged degree-granting university, despite the use of the word college in its name. The institution's sister schools, Royal Military College Saint-Jean also uses the term college in its name, although it academic offering is akin to the standard definition of college in Canada.
A number of post-secondary art schools in Canada formerly used the word college in their names, despite formally being universities, and having the authority to issue postgraduate degrees. However, most of these institutions were renamed or re-branded in the early 21st century, dropping the word college in favour of university. In 2003, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design was renamed NSCAD University. In 2010, the Ontario College of Art and Design was re-branded as OCAD University, although formally its name was changed to the Ontario College of Art and Design University.
The Alberta College of Art + Design was another post-secondary arts school that had the word college in its name. However, unlike NSCAD, or OCAD, it did not have the authority to grant postgraduate degrees, making its academic offerings akin to the standard definition of college in Canada. The Alberta College of Art + Design was formally granted university-status in 2019, and was subsequently renamed the Alberta University of the Arts to reflect its new status.
A number of secondary schools continue to use the word college in their names. Public separate school boards in Ontario use the word college in the names of their secondary schools. [3] A number of independent secondary schools also use the word college in their names, including Columbia International College, Crestwood Preparatory College, Havergal College, Lakefield College School, Lower Canada College, Ridley College, St. Andrew's College, Trinity College School, and Upper Canada College. [4]
Public secular school boards in Ontario also refer to their secondary schools as collegiate institutes. The term originated from a historical parallel secondary school system operated in Ontario, where two streams of secondary education were offered. Collegiate institutes offered academic education for prospective university students, whereas High Schools/Secondary Schools, offered vocational training for students planning to immediately enter the workforce. The education system was reorganized in the early 20th century, with the two secondary streams merged. After the merger, the terms Collegiate Institute, High School, and Secondary School were all used in conjunction to refer to secondary institutions in Ontario. Saskatchewan also modelled their secondary system after Ontario's two-stream model in the early 20th century. As a result, a number of secondary schools in Regina, and Saskatoon are referred to as Collegiate.
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary school.
A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school. The term usually refers to a higher educational institution that provides workforce education and college transfer academic programs. Some institutions maintain athletic teams and dormitories similar to their university counterparts.
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution.
A CEGEP is a publicly funded college providing technical, academic, vocational or a mix of programs; they are exclusive to the province of Quebec's education system. A loanword from French, it originates from the French acronym for collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, sometimes known in English as a "General and Vocational College"—it is now considered a word in itself.
Education in Canada is for the most part provided publicly, and is funded and overseen by provincial, territorial and local governments. Education is within provincial jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen by the province. Education in Canada is generally divided into primary education, followed by secondary education and post-secondary. Within the provinces under the ministry of education, there are district school boards administering the educational programs.
A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or official document of diplomacy.
A vocational school, trade school, or technical school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks of a particular and specific job. In the case of secondary education, these schools differ from academic high schools which usually prepare students who aim to pursue tertiary education, rather than enter directly into the workforce. With regard to post-secondary education, vocational schools are traditionally distinguished from four-year colleges by their focus on job-specific training to students who are typically bound for one of the skilled trades, rather than providing academic training for students pursuing careers in a professional discipline. While many schools have largely adhered to this convention, the purely vocational focus of other trade schools began to shift in the 1990s "toward a broader preparation that develops the academic" as well as the technical skills of their students.
An institute of technology is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science, and natural sciences.
Academic institution is an educational institution dedicated to education and research, which grants academic degrees. See also academy and university.
A collegiate institute is an institution that provides either secondary or post-secondary education, dependent on where the term is used. In Canada, the term is used to describe an institutions that provide secondary education, while the word is used to describe a post-secondary institutions in the United States.
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.
Education in Toronto is primarily provided publicly and is overseen by Ontario's Ministry of Education. The city is home to a number of elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions. In addition to those institutions, the city is also home to several specialty and supplementary schools, which provide schooling for specific crafts or are intended to provide additional educational support.
Higher education in Ontario includes postsecondary education and skills training regulated by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and provided by universities, colleges of applied arts and technology, and private career colleges. The current minister is Jill Dunlop who was appointed in June 2021. The ministry administers laws covering 22 public universities, 24 public colleges, 17 privately funded religious universities, and over 500 private career colleges. 18 of the top 50 research universities in Canada are in Ontario.
Higher education in Canada includes provincial, territorial, indigenous and military higher education systems. The goal of Canadian higher education is to give every Canadian the chance to gain the skills and knowledge they need to reach their fullest potential. It builds a world-class workforce, increases the number of Canadians working, and secures Canada's long-term prosperity. Higher education programs are crafted from the employee's viewpoint in mind, aiming to minimize risks and providing guaranteed outcomes.
Higher education in Alberta refers to the post secondary education system for the province of Alberta. The Ministry of Advanced Education in Alberta oversees educational delivery through universities, publicly funded colleges, technical institutions, and private colleges. These institutions offer a variety of academic and vocational pursuits. Students have access to post-secondary options through most regions of Alberta, and a developed articulation system allows for increased student mobility.
Higher education in British Columbia is delivered by 25 publicly funded institutions that are composed of eleven universities, eleven colleges, and three institutes. This is in addition to three private universities, five private colleges, and six theological colleges. There are also an extensive number of private career institutes and colleges. Over 297,000 students were enrolled in post-secondary institutions in British Columbia in the 2019-2020 academic year.