Canada usually offers university degrees in four or five year programs, while university degrees are shorter, about two or three years. University degrees in Canada typically comprise a minimum of two full-time academic years of specialized post-secondary studies. Like certificate programs, diploma programs are developed primarily to meet specific demands for trades and technical or vocational careers and, depending on the work required, can last more than three or four years. Diploma programs are also likely to include a component of cooperative internships or other learning options, and diplomas can be upgraded or transferred to a bachelor's degree.
Admission to a university diploma program requires having completed an upper secondary program in Canada (or its equivalent). The degrees obtained in each country are also different. In the US. In the U.S., most bachelor's degree programs are designed to last four years.
Canadian bachelor's degrees are sometimes three-year programs. In Canada, a four-year program could be referred to as a “bachelor's degree with honors”. The honors degree is similar to the American bachelor's degree; however, you should be aware that a student with a three-year bachelor's degree from a Canadian university may not meet graduate requirements in the United States. In the United States, most universities use a semester system with two semesters, each lasting between 16 and 18 weeks.
Like American liberal arts universities, these universities place special emphasis on undergraduate courses in liberal arts, which are often interdisciplinary, meaning that they encompass more than one discipline, namely, the humanities, but also the social, natural, and formal sciences. For example, the bachelor's degree with honors in technology management at George Brown University was created at the request of a construction company that had a shortage of directors in the construction industry. For example, Saskatchewan Polytechnic offers a postgraduate certificate in cloud computing and blockchain, while Holland College in PEI offers one in advanced care paramedicine. For example, students enrolled in a joint program at Red River College and the University of Winnipeg earn a degree in business administration (from the University of Winnipeg) and a diploma in business administration (from the RRC).
In the United States, most universities allow students to wait until the end of their second year before declaring themselves graduates. If rankings are important to you, U.S. colleges and universities are worth considering. In the past, polytechnic schools and institutes focused more on applied technical education, while universities focused more broadly on serving their communities, providing students with vocational training or a bridge to university.
Great Plains College in Swift Current (Saskatchewan), for example, has a master's degree in business administration specializing in community economic development for students who already have a bachelor's degree. In addition, some universities and private institutes in the United States are affiliated with churches or other religious groups. Volunteer work, clubs, sports, awards, and other non-academic factors help American universities decide if you'll adapt to their campus culture. As in the United States, in Canada you can choose to study at a technical or community college if you have a particular career in mind; or you can transfer to a university to continue your undergraduate studies.
For example, researchers from the College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland and Labrador created the Wave Energy Research Center to study how wave energy could be used to pump seawater inland for use in aquaculture. In the U.S., some universities and institutes offer a common application, but only about 17% of all U.S. institutions accept it.
