Canada consists of all of the North American continent north of the United States except Alaska and the small French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon.
Agriculture, Energy, Technology, Services and Manufacturing.
Canada has a large selection of universities located in both urban and rural settings in every region of the country. Canadian universities are internationally known for their high quality of teaching and research. Canadian universities are largely publicly funded.
University colleges combine Canadian university and college traditions, with a strong base of applied and academic programs offered in campus environments. As the name suggests, a university college offers academically oriented university degrees, as well as more practically oriented college diploma and certificate programs.
Student can expect to find a wide range of program choices at university colleges, including English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. They may also offer combined degree/diploma programs and university transfer programs. As part of the Canadian college system, university colleges are distinguished by their strong student support services, small classes and strong campus environments.
The more than 175 post-secondary institutions that are members of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) are officially known by a range of titles, including community college, technical institute, University College and CEGEP.
Community colleges have the primary function of responding to the training needs of business, industry and public service sectors. Eighteen of these institutions now grant degrees and applied degrees. Two-to-three-year (or shorter) college programs typically offer specific, vocationally oriented curricula, as well as general academic concentrations. Some Canadian colleges offer university transfer programs.
Career colleges specialize in specific areas such as business, computers and secretarial skills. A technical/career college is privately owned and operated school with the main objective of preparing students for the job market after a short period of instruction. The emphasis at technical/career colleges is on practical skills development over a broad range of programs. Career colleges have highly competitive fee structures.
As Canada has two official languages international students can come to Canada to study either English as a Second Language (ESL) or French as a Second Language (FSL). Over the years, Canada has developed considerable expertise in the teaching of ESL.