General information

Postsecondary institutions defined

Universities
Universities offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral (usually a PhD) degree programs in subject areas as diverse as business, astronomy, genetics and fine arts. These degrees prepare students for a variety of professions and careers and offer unmatched opportunities for academic study.

University Colleges
In British Columbia and Nova Scotia, these institutions combine university and college traditions to offer students both degree programs and college diplomas and certificates with the latter often "laddering" into the former. In Alberta, university colleges operate at the level of university studies and are accredited by the Private Colleges Accreditation Board. In Ontario, some university-level colleges have recently chosen to adopt the university-college nomenclature to differentiate themselves from community colleges that, also recently, have received applied-degree granting powers from the provincial government.

Cégeps
College of General and Vocational Education, or Cégep, is a two or three year general or technical education that Quebec offers between high school and university.

Community Colleges
There are 175 community colleges in Canada that help meet the training needs of various industries by providing diplomas for vocationally-oriented educational programs for secondary school graduates.