Classification of programs and credentials

1 - Basic education and skills program (postsecondary institutions)

This category includes non-postsecondary programs that are offered in postsecondary institutions.

2 - Apprenticeship-related program

This category includes in-class or technical components of apprenticeship training when offered in postsecondary institutions.

3 - Career, technical or pre-university qualifying program

This category includes postsecondary programs that prepare students for entry into career, technical or pre-university programs.

4 - Career, technical or professional training program

This category includes postsecondary skills programs that usually lead to a specific career path and into the labour market but are not apprenticeship, pre-university, undergraduate or graduate programs. Educational requirements for admission to this program are usually not greater than a secondary school diploma. This includes typical college-level programs and Quebec CEGEP technical-stream programs, but they can also be offered at universities.

5 - Post career, technical or professional training program

This category includes postsecondary skills programs that usually lead to a specific career path and into the labour market and require a certificate or a diploma from a career, technical or professional training program or another postsecondary credential for admission. This also includes college post-certificate programs, college post-diploma programs, and Ontario college graduate certificate programs.

6 - Pre-university program

This category includes postsecondary programs that prepare students for undergraduate studies but are not undergraduate programs. This also includes university-stream programs at colleges and CEGEPs in Quebec.

7 - Undergraduate qualifying program

This category includes programs that prepare students for entry into a bachelor's degree program. These programs provide an access or bridging option for students who do not fully meet the requirements for entry into a bachelor's degree program.

8 - Undergraduate program

This category includes academically-based programs which normally require a secondary school diploma for admission or a college diploma in Quebec. Educational activities in these programs can generally be counted towards a bachelor's degree (applied, general or honours) or in some cases, a professional degree. Undergraduate degrees normally allow entry into a master's-level program. Professional degree programs are undergraduate degree programs that lead to entry-to-practice professions such as Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD), Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL), Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Optometry (OD), Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm), and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). When the admission does not require a previous degree, but the outcome of the program can be seen as beyond a first undergraduate degree, there is some flexibility and provinces and territories can choose to report these professional degree programs in the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) as post-baccalaureate non-graduate degree programs. Note that Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degrees are reported in PSIS either as undergraduate degrees or post-baccalaureate non-graduate degrees, depending on whether they are considered "post-degree" in outcome.

9 - Post-baccalaureate non-graduate program

This category includes postsecondary programs that are not graduate programs and require a bachelor's degree for admission either explicitly or implicitly (such is the case for concurrent bachelor's degree programs, where the outcome of these programs is equivalent to a program requiring a bachelor's degree, but the degree is not a requirement because of the concurrent nature of the program). In some provinces and institutions, this category also captures postsecondary programs at the undergraduate level for which degree completion requires a scope beyond a bachelor's degree due to its breadth and depth of learning. For example, professional degree programs are undergraduate degree programs that lead to entry-to-practice professions such as Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD), Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL), Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Optometry (OD), Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm), and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM). When the admission does not require a previous degree, but the outcome of the program can be seen as beyond a first undergraduate degree, there is some flexibility and provinces and territories can choose to report these professional degree programs in the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) as post-baccalaureate non-graduate degree programs. Note that Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degrees are reported in PSIS either as undergraduate degrees or post-baccalaureate non-graduate degrees, depending on whether they are considered "post-degree" in outcome.

10 - Master's-level qualifying program

This category includes postsecondary programs that prepare students for entry into a master's degree program. A bachelor's degree is normally required for entry into this program. 'Master's-level qualifying program' is also referred to as 'Graduate qualifying program (second cycle)'.

11 - Doctoral-level qualifying program

This category includes postsecondary programs that prepare students for entry into a doctoral degree program, without the student being admitted to the doctoral program. 'Doctoral-level qualifying program' is also referred to as 'Graduate qualifying program (third cycle)'.

12 - Health-related residency program

This category includes health-related residency programs.

13 - Master's-level program

This category includes graduate programs that normally require a bachelor's degree for admission. Educational activities in these programs may be counted towards a master's degree. Degrees from these programs normally allow entry into doctoral-level programs. 'Master's-level program' is also referred to as 'Graduate program (second cycle)'.

14 - Doctoral-level program

This category includes graduate programs that normally require a master's degree for admission. Educational activities in these programs may be counted towards a doctoral degree. This category also includes post-master's-level programs. 'Doctoral-level program' is also referred to as 'Graduate program (third cycle)'.

15 - Post-doctoral program

This category includes graduate programs that normally require a doctoral degree for admission. Post-doctoral activities that do not meet the definition of a ''program,'' such as those in the labour market, are excluded from this category. 'Post-doctoral program' is also referred to as 'Graduate program (above the third cycle)'.

16 - Other postsecondary programs

This category includes any postsecondary program leading to a recognized credential that is not classified in any other category.