According to the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), we have brought you the overview of the Canadian postsecondary education as following:
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Postsecondary Education
Range of Institutions
Postsecondary education is available in both government-supported and private institutions, which offer degrees, diplomas, certificates, and attestations depending on the nature of the institution and the length of the program. The postsecondary environment has evolved during the past few years, as universities are no longer the only degree-granting institutions in some jurisdictions. A recognized postsecondary institution is a private or public institution that has been given full authority to grant degrees, diplomas, and other credentials by a public or private act of the provincial or territorial legislature or through a government-mandated quality assurance mechanism.
Number of Institutions
Canada has 163 recognized public and private universities (including theological schools) and 183 recognized public colleges and institutes, including those granting applied and bachelor’s degrees. In addition to the recognized institutions, there are 68 university-level institutions and 51 college-level ones operating as authorized institutions, at which only selected programs are approved under provincially established quality assurance programs.
Funding
Statistics Canada has reported that public expenditure on postsecondary education in 2005–06 was $30.6 billion (in 2001 constant dollars). In 2004–05:
- Federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal government funding, including funding for research, accounted for 54.2 per cent of the revenue, although this ranged from 38.4 per cent in Nova Scotia to 68.1 per cent in Quebec
- Student fees accounted for over 20 per cent of the total
- Bequests, donations, nongovernmental grants, sales of products and services, and investments brought in another 25 per cent
Tuition Fees
Tuition costs at universities averaged $4,524 in 2007–08, with international student fees for an undergraduate program averaging about $14,000 annually. At colleges and institutes (in the nine provinces outside Quebec), the average tuition was about $2,400 (Quebec residents do not pay college tuition). Education is also funded through the money that governments transfer to individual students through loans, grants, and education tax credits.
Attendance and Graduation Trends
Participation in postsecondary education has grown significantly in the past few years, whether measured by numbers of enrolments or by the proportion of the population in any given age group who are attending college or university. While women continue to make up the majority of students on both university and college campuses, they are still in the minority in the skilled trades.
University Attendance and Graduation According to the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, in 2005, there were 806,000 full-time university students (an increase of nearly 150,000 in the previous four years), as well as 273,000 part-time students. In 2005, Canadian universities awarded an estimated 175,700 bachelor’s degrees, 33,000 master’s degrees, and 4,200 doctoral degrees.
University Governance
Publicly funded universities are largely autonomous; they set their own admissions standards and degree requirements and have considerable flexibility in the management of their financial affairs and program offerings. Government intervention is generally limited to funding, fee structures, and the introduction of new programs. Most Canadian universities have a two-tiered system of governance that includes a board of governors and a senate. Boards are generally charged with overall financial and policy concerns. Academic senates are responsible for programs, courses, admission requirements, qualifications for degrees, and academic planning. Their decisions are subject to board approval. Students are often represented on both bodies, as are alumni and representatives from the community at large.
University Activities
Degree-granting institutions in Canada focus on teaching and research. In 2004–05, Canadian universities performed $8.9 billion worth of research and development, close to 35 per cent of the national total. Teaching is the other key function, whether at the small liberal arts universities that grant only undergraduate degrees or at the large, comprehensive institutions. Registration varies from about 2,000 students at some institutions to a full-time enrolment of over 62,000 at the University of Toronto, Canada’s largest English-language university.
University Programs
There are more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered in Canadian universities, as well as professional degree programs and certificates. Most institutions provide instruction in either English or French; others offer instruction in both official languages. In 2005, Canadian universities employed close to 40,000 full-time faculty members.
University Degrees
Universities and university olleges focus on degree programs but may also offer some diplomas and certificates, often in professional designations. University degrees are offered at three consecutive levels:
- Students enter at the bachelor’s level after having successfully completed secondary school or the two-year cégep program in Quebec. Most universities also have special entrance requirements and paths for mature students. Bachelor’s degrees normally require three or four years of full-time study, depending on the province and whether the program is general or specialized.
- A master’s degree typically requires two years of study after the bachelor’s degree.
- For a doctoral degree, three to five years of additional study and research plus a dissertation are the normal requirements.
The Canadian Degree Qualifications Framework outlines the degree levels in more detail. In regulated professions, such as medicine, law, education, and social work, an internship is generally required in order to obtain a licence to practise.
Attendance and Graduation at Colleges and Institutes
The Association of Canadian Community Colleges has reported that, in 2004–05, full-time public college and institute enrolment was almost 515,000 students in credit programs. Including both full- and part-time students, there were about one million students in credit programs and about 500,000 in non-credit programs. Just over 173,000 students graduated from public colleges and institutes in 2004–05.
Governance in Colleges and Institutes
In publicly-funded colleges and institutes, government involvement can extend to admissions policies, program approval, curricula, institutional planning, and working conditions. Most colleges have boards of governors appointed by the provincial or territorial government, with representation from the public, students, and instructors. Program planning incorporates input from business, industry, and labour representatives on college advisory committees.
College Activities
There are thousands of public and private colleges and institutes in Canada. Of these, over 150 are recognized public colleges and institutes. These educational institutions may be called public colleges, specialized institutes, community colleges, institutes of technology, colleges of applied arts and technology, or cégeps. The private colleges are most often called career colleges.
College Programs
Colleges and institutes offer a range of vocation-oriented programs in a wide variety of professional and technical fields, including business, health, applied arts, technology, and social services. Some of the institutions are specialized and provide training in a single field such as fisheries, arts, paramedical technology, and agriculture. Colleges also provide literacy and academic upgrading programs, pre-employment and pre-apprenticeship programs, and the in-class portions of registered apprenticeship programs. As well, many different workshops, short programs, and upgrades for skilled workers and professionals are made available.
College Credentials
Diplomas are generally awarded for successful completion of two- and three-year college and institute programs, while certificate programs usually take up to one year. University degrees and applied degrees are offered in some colleges and institutes, and others provide university transfer programs. Les collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel (cégeps) in Quebec offer a choice of two-year academic programs that are prerequisite for university study or three-year technical programs that prepare students for the labour market or for further postsecondary study.
Colleges in their Communities
Colleges work very closely with business, industry, labour, and the public service sectors in the provision of professional development services and specialized programs and, on a wider basis, with their communities to design programs reflecting local needs.
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
About 80 per cent of colleges also recognize prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) in at least some of their programs. Some universities also recognize it, and a growing number of provinces offer PLAR to adults at the secondary school level. PLAR is a process that helps adults demonstrate and gain recognition for learning they have acquired outside of formal education settings.”
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