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 or in French at three publicly funded universities. Links to these programs are provided below.
At present, the level of competition for admission 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
L’Université d’Ottawa
L’Université de l’Ontario français
L’Université Laurentienne
Lakehead University
Laurentian University
Nipissing University
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)
Ontario Tech University
Queen’s University
Trent University
University of Ottawa
University of Windsor
Western University
Wilfrid Laurier University
York University