How many students will be admitted?

There are 200 qualified applicants admitted per academic year.

Are transfer students accepted into the program?

Students who have completed the first year (no more than 30 credits completed) of a four-year B.A., B.Sc. or B.P.H.E. with an overall average of 75% may also be considered for transfer into the Bachelor of Education program.

If a student already has a degree, is there a consecutive B. Ed. option?

No. Currently Laurentian University will only be offering a concurrent B. Ed. program.

What is the difference between the four-year B. Ed. and five-year degree B. Ed. program?

The four year program involves a general arts or sciences program or a 3 year general degree, plus a final education year.

The five year program involves an Honours 4 year arts or sciences degree, a 4 year honours B.P.H.E. plus a final education year.

Are there career opportunities in Education that require a teacher to possess a 4 year Honours degree?

Under current regulations governing teacher qualifications, teachers cannot be assigned to positions of additional responsibility, such as department heads, consultants or coordinators, principals or vice-principals, unless they hold an Honours Specialist qualification (or the specialist part of a three-part additional qualification). In order to be admitted to the qualifying course(s) to become a specialist teacher, the applicant must have a concentration of university courses in one or more academic subject areas. Teachers with an honours degree will find it easier (and quicker) to become qualified for positions of added responsibility.

Is a teacher's salary impacted by having a 4 year Honours degree versus a 3 year general degree?

Yes.  There is a provincial body known as the Qualifications Evaluation Council of Ontario (QECO) which is administered by the Teacher Federations. Each teacher is given a statement of evaluation that will be accepted by school boards for salary category placement purposes. The grading system depends on a set of complex factors, but in most cases a beginning teacher with a four year Honours degree, with at least a "B" average, will be placed in a higher salary category than a beginning teacher with a three year undergraduate degree. Further information can be found at http://www.qeco.on.ca or by calling 1-800-385-1030.

What is a teachable, why do I need one, and which courses will I need to take?

B. Ed. students enrolling in a Primary/Junior program are deemed to be generalists, who must be prepared to teach every subject area in Kindergarten to Grade 6. The last year of the concurrent B. Ed. program is designed to prepare Primary/Junior teachers to handle all subject areas.

B. Ed. students enrolling in the Junior/Intermediate program (grades 4-10) are also generalists, who will be taught to teach in all areas in those grades. However, in grades 7 to 10, there is often a "rotary system" where teachers are expected to teach one subject area to a number of different classes at the same, or different grade levels. For example, in a large elementary school, the principal might want to hire one Science teacher for 3 grade 7 classes and 2 grade 8 classes.

For this reason, all Junior/Intermediate teachers need to be qualified as an expert in one subject area of their choice (e.g. English, History, Geography, Science, Native Studies, Mathematics, Religious Education, Music, Health, Physical Education and FSL). Therefore, students will major in one or two subjects in their undergraduate years (e.g. major - English Literature, minor - History) and then take one additional course (the "teachable" or "elective") during the final education year which will provide them with in-depth knowledge as to how to teach their subject specialty to intermediate-aged pupils. In order to qualify for an "elective", teacher candidates must have taken 18 credits (3 full courses) in the subject specialty during their undergraduate career.

How does a P/J or J/I teacher become qualified to teach in the S/I division?

A Concurrent Education graduate, with credentials in P/J or J/I, who hopes to teach in the Senior division (grades 11-12) must take the Senior Additional Basic Qualification (Sr ABQ) after she/he has received a teaching certificate from the Ontario College of Teachers. To be eligible for the Sr ABQ a teacher must have requisite expertise in at least one subject area which must be a "teachable" subject in the high school curriculum (with a minimum of 30 undergraduate credits--5 full courses-- in this first teachable). Once the Sr ABQ has been successfully completed, a second Senior teachable can be added as long as a teacher has 18 credits (3 full courses) in this teachable subject. Student teachers should keep these facts in mind during their undergraduate years when choosing specializations / concentrations and note the teachable subjects currently offered in the Laurentian J/I Concurrent Education Program. Please see the School of Education Director for special situations like French as Second Language (FSL).

How do I enroll?

Students interested in the program must apply through the Ontario Universities Application Centre on the following website: www.ouac.on.ca

Integration Courses

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