Higher education
18 Nov 2010
On this page
- Short description of the higher education system
- Types of degrees
- Quality assurance and accreditation
- Recent reforms
Short description of the higher education system
Canada has 93 universities and higher education institutions that are a members of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). Canada has three types of universities, categorized as:
- primarily undergraduate: universities that focus more on undergraduate and less on graduate programmes;
- comprehensive: universities that have both undergraduate and graduate programmes;
- medical doctoral: universities that offer undergraduate and graduate programmes, specialize in research and have a medical faculty.
The education system in Canada is varied, with differences in level, content and quality. However, these differences are less pronounced than in the neighbouring United States. In contrast with the United States, most universities are public. Canada has almost no private universities, although the number has increased slowly over recent years. In that time, Canada has also become a popular country in which to study. The two main reasons for this are that tuition fees in Canada are generally lower and the immigration procedures less rigorous than in the United States. Increasing popularity also has a drawback, in that institutions are placing higher and higher demands on prospective students.
In Canada, professional and higher professional education are provided by community colleges, which is the collective name for various college types. These institutions are not allowed to issue degrees and are therefore also called “non-degree granting institutions”. Community colleges award diplomas, certificates and associate degrees. Associate degrees have a more academic character and are often intended as preparatory programmes for academic or scientific university education.
Canada is a bilingual country, with the official languages being English (67% of the population) and French (13%, mostly in Quebec). Twenty per cent of the population has a native language that is neither English nor French. The language of education is either English or French (French mostly in Quebec). Some higher education institutions are bilingual, such as the University of Ottawa and the Laurentian University. During the 18th and 19th centuries, education in Canada was influenced by French and British rule, but in the 20th century influence came increasingly from its neighbour, the United States. It is for this reason that many elements of the Canadian education system resemble the American system.
The academic year runs from September until May/June.
Types of degrees
In Ontario and English-speaking provinces of Canada:
An associate degree allows students to enter a bachelor’s programme in the second (or even third) year. A diploma obtained at a college is comparable to two years, and a certificate is comparable to one year of higher professional education in the Netherlands. An associate degree obtained at a college is comparable to one year of university education in the Netherlands.
Bachelor’s degrees are awarded by colleges and universities after a nominal undergraduate programme of three years in length (four years for an honours degree), expressed in the number of credits required (90 or 120). Some institutions offer what are called “Co-op” (cooperative education programme) bachelor’s programmes, which aim to provide students with a significant amount of work experience by means of a work placement, during which they also take classes.
The nominal length of Co-op programmes is four and a half years. A bachelor’s degree (honours) obtained at a university following a nominal four-year programme is comparable to a university bachelor’s degree in the Netherlands. A bachelor’s degree (honours) obtained at a college following a nominal four-year programme is comparable to a higher professional education bachelor’s degree in the Netherlands. A bachelor’s degree following a nominal three-year programme is comparable to two years of university education or to a higher professional education bachelor's degree in the Netherlands.
Master’s programmes focus on a single subject or specialization. Students can choose between master's programmes with either an academic or a professional focus. Professional master’s programmes usually take longer (two to three years) and the type of programme is designated in its name: Master of Business Administration, Master of Social Work, Master of Public Health etc. A master’s degree is comparable to a Dutch higher professional education or university master’s degree, depending on the type of programme.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes are provided by university graduate schools. The requirements for entry into a PhD programme include a master’s degree, although in some disciplines it is common for promising students to be admitted with only a bachelor’s degree. In such cases, the programme takes longer to complete. The average length following a master’s degree is three to five years. Admission is very selective.
In the French-speaking parts of Canada:
Universities have the same structure (bachelor’s/master’s/PhD) as the English-speaking universities. There are some differences, however, such as in the terms used to describe the three-cycle system in French, with the 1er (Bachelier), 2ème (Maîtrise) and 3ème cycle (Doctor of Philosophy). Another difference is the nominal length of Baccalauréat (Bachelier) programmes in Quebec, which is three years. A Baccalauréat (Bachelier) following a nominal three-year programme is comparable to a university bachelor’s degree in the Netherlands.
A Diplôme d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées (2ème cycle) is a specialized graduate programme that takes approximately one year to complete following a Bachelier programme. It is roughly comparable to a university master’s degree in the Netherlands. There are two types of master’s programmes: the Maîtrise de recherche (research master’s) with a mémoire (final paper), which is comparable to a university master’s degree in the Netherlands, and a Maîtrise professionnelle (professional master’s) without a mémoire, which normally takes one and half to two years and is comparable to a higher professional education master’s degree in the Netherlands.
Quality assurance and accreditation
In Canada, each province is responsible for the quality and accreditation of its own institutions. There is no national umbrella accreditation body. Although the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) does play a guiding role in activities related to quality assurance and accreditation, it does not itself accredit. In Canada, private institutions are not recognized nationally but rather are registered or recognized by the individual provinces. Canada has no official rankings, although the Maclean’s Guide to Canadian Universities, published annually since 1992, provides a great deal of information, including on positive and negative aspects of each institution and rankings of recognized Canadian universities.
In the Canadian context, the term “quality assurance” refers to education standards prescribed by institutions, professional organizations, government authorities etc., whereas the term “accreditation” refers to the evaluation of study programmes by professional organizations. Professional accreditation is carried out by Canadian professional organizations for certain (regulated) programmes.
Recent reforms
In 2007, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) established the Canadian Degree Qualifications Framework, which sets out the standards and learning outcomes for bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programmes in Canada.
