Certification

In Ontario, preparation for a career in teaching generally involves the successful completion of a three- or four-year bachelor’s degree in Arts, Fine Arts, Science or Commerce, followed by a Bachelor of Education, leading to a teaching certificate known as the Certificate of Qualification. It is also possible to obtain certification through a concurrent program, whereby the academic and professional studies are undertaken at the same time.

Teachers of technological subjects follow a somewhat different path. They must have a secondary school diploma, a minimum of five years’ trade experience or equivalent academic training in their field of expertise. Those with trade experience then pursue their teacher education in the form of a Diploma in Technological Education, while those holding an undergraduate degree receive a B.Ed.

In all cases, there is a supervised practice teaching block required as part of the teacher training program. The Certificate of Qualification is issued by the Ontario College of Teachers upon the successful completion of one of the above programs of study.

Teacher education programs are offered in English at 13 publicly funded universities in Ontario. Links to these programs are provided below. At present, the level of competition for admittance to teacher education programs is relatively high and, in general, preference is given to individuals exhibiting high grades within a four-year undergraduate degree program. Nevertheless, considerable weight is also placed on experience with children.

Brock University
Lakehead University
Laurentian University
Nipissing University
OISE/University of Toronto
University of Ottawa
Queen’s University
Trent University
Ontario Tech University
Western University
Wilfrid Laurier University
University of Windsor
York University