Course Planning Basics (Part 2)

In this entry, I want to talk about the differences between graduation requirement, post-secondary admission requirement, and post-secondary program requirements.

What is the difference? In a nutshell, graduation requirements mean the courses you would need to complete to obtain a graduation certificate for high school. Post-secondary admission requirements are the school-specific requirements they have to review a student's application. Finally, post-secondary program requirements are faculty or department-specific requirements for students who are interested in entering a specific faculty or program. Basically, just because you have completed the graduation requirements does not mean you will qualify to be admitted into a post-secondary school; and just because you have the basic admission requirement does not necessarily mean you will be admitted into a program of your choice.

Here are two examples to illustrate the differences:

• Student A wants to study to become an engineer, and wishes to enter UBC's Faulty of Applied Science. For high school graduation, he would need to complete the 80 credits of grades 10 to 12 courses (see my previous entry for details). When he applies for UBC, he must ensure that he has English 12, and three other UBC-approved grade 12 courses. That is the general admission requirement. However, to enter the Faculty of Applied Science, his approved grade 12 courses must include Pre-Calculus 12, Chemistry 12, and Physics 12. These three courses would be used to calculate whether he would be admitted or not.
  
• Student B wants to go to SFU to study business. For high school graduation, she would need to complete the 80 credits of grades 10 to 12 courses. For general admission purposes at SFU, she must complete English 11/12, a Language 11, a science 11, Pre-calculus 11 or Foundations of Math 11. For admission into the Bachelor of Business Administration program, she must have completed English 12, Pre-calculus 12, and two additional SFU-approved grade 12 courses.
  

As you can see, every school, and every program, probably has its own specific requirements. The best way to find out what program-specific requirements are for the program(s) you are interested in is to check the school's website - all BC post-secondary schools have very up-to-date websites that provide such information.

As a general advice to you, it is best to think about what area(s) of studies you are planning to go into. It is always a good idea to keep several options available too. Don't hesitate to come in to see me if you have any concerns/questions.