Indigenous Studies
Weave the rich cultures and principles of Indigenous Worldviews into an array of career possibilities.
- Enjoy a more personalized learning environment with our small classes
- Benefit from supportive and experienced faculty who are active in their industry
- Gain the latest and best industry-specific knowledge and skills to be career-ready upon graduation
Program Availability and Schedule
Availability
Open
Closed
Waitlisted
Start Term
Availability
International
Availability
Competitive?
Fall 2025
No
Schedule
Data is currently unavailable for this program. Please take a moment to report this via our Website Feedback Form. Thank you!
Program Summary
Credential
Program Delivery
Program Code
Area of Interest
School
Campus
Eligible for Post-Graduation
Work Permit?
This two-year Ontario College Diploma cultivates knowledge of Inuit, Métis and First Nations communities, cultures, practices, and perspectives, and introduces global Indigenous perspectives and realities to Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners.
Expand your circle of awareness and relationship through ethical and culturally informed approaches to Indigenous community and knowledges while developing a skillset and mindset to help advance reconciliation and Indigenous cultural resurgence. Explore Indigenous community development, activism, leadership, and governance, using strengths-based approaches to challenge systemic oppression. Build skills to promote sustainable and positive relationships with Indigenous lands and peoples....(read more)
Overview
Weave the rich cultures and principles of Indigenous Worldviews into an array of career possibilities.
This two-year Ontario College Diploma cultivates knowledge of Inuit, Métis and First Nations communities, cultures, practices, and perspectives, and introduces global Indigenous perspectives and realities to Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners.
Expand your circle of awareness and relationship through ethical and culturally informed approaches to Indigenous community and knowledges while developing a skillset and mindset to help advance reconciliation and Indigenous cultural resurgence. Explore Indigenous community development, activism, leadership, and governance, using strengths-based approaches to challenge systemic oppression. Build skills to promote sustainable and positive relationships with Indigenous lands and peoples.
Through land and place-based learning experiences you develop a deeper understanding of local community models, cultural protocols, ethical engagement, and best practices. Exploring diverse Indigenous perspectives and topics, build your knowledge base on a range of subjects including:
- climate action and science
- activism and resurgence
- global Indigenous perspectives and relations
- business and entrepreneurship
- research and ethical engagement with community
- governance and legal traditions
- personal and community well-being
- language revitalization
- communication and cultural expression through creative arts
This program prepares the ground for your academic and career journey, offering pathways into other academic programs at Algonquin College, bridging opportunities to degree programs at Ontario universities, and building transferable skills that support an array of businesses and organizations implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission`s Calls to Action.
Graduates of this program will be positioned to enter a range of employment fields such as:
- business
- language
- arts
- science
- health
- education
- environmental sustainability
- social work
- community services and development
SUCCESS FACTORS
This program is well-suited for students who:
- Are interested in knowing more about Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being.
- Are passionate about promoting inclusivity and relationship-building with individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds.
- Are open to looking at issues from multiple perspectives.
- Value personal qualities such as responsibility, initiative, organization and self-regulation.
- Seek to build relationships through allyship and advocacy.
- Learn in an environment that nurtures creative expression and innovative thinking.
Courses
Programs at Algonquin College are delivered using a variety of instruction modes. Courses may be offered in the classroom or lab, entirely online, or in a hybrid mode which combines classroom sessions with virtual learning activities. Upon registration, each full-time student is provided an Algonquin email account which is used to communicate important information about program or course events.
Code:
ENL1813M
Course Name:
Communications 1
Course Description:
Communication remains an essential skill sought by employers, regardless of discipline or field of study. Using a practical, vocation-orient... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0001
Course Name:
PIIjashig, Tunngasugit, Miyoonakishkatoohk (Welcome)- Skills for Success
Course Description:
There are many strategies, tools, and supports that can help students to thrive throughout their academic and professional pathway. Students... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0002
Course Name:
Sustainable Community Development
Course Description:
Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island had strong, thriving communities for thousands of years before the arrival of the settlers. Students ref... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0003
Course Name:
Introduction to Indigenous Cultures, Heritage, and Worldviews
Course Description:
The Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island include three distinct groups: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, each with their unique history, lan... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0004
Course Name:
Indigenous Languages 1
Course Description:
Indigenous languages carry the culture, spirit, and identity of the peoples. There are approximately 60 Indigenous languages in Canada and o... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0005
Course Name:
Land-Based Learning: Health and Wellness
Course Description:
Relationships with the land and all things in the natural world have contributed to positive physical, spiritual and mental health for the I... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0006
Course Name:
Indigenous Governance and Self-Determination
Course Description:
Indigenous communities have always had governing systems that guided people to live in tandem with each other and the land. European policie... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0007
Course Name:
Pathways to Career Success
Course Description:
Developing a career pathway depends on deep self-reflection about one's interests, strengths, values and life goals. Students examine a vari... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0008
Course Name:
Indigenous Life in Contemporary Contexts
Course Description:
Lived experiences of the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island have resulted in intergenerational traumas and lasting social impacts. Students... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0009
Course Name:
Indigenous Languages 2
Course Description:
Indigenous languages can be linked to unique knowledge systems, human rights, social inclusiveness, poverty reduction, sustainable developme... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0010
Course Name:
Indigenous Legal Traditions
Course Description:
Indigenous legal systems have existed for thousands of years; colonization brought decades of government effort to suppress, eliminate and e... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0011
Course Name:
Indigenous Arts: Aesthetics, Culture, and Reclamation
Course Description:
Music, dance, stories, and visual arts are central to the way that Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island record and communicate their realitie... + Read More
Hours:
56.0
Code:
GED1413
Course Name:
General Education Elective
Course Description:
For this course, you will have the opportunity to choose one from a group of general education electives. Your options will include courses... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0012
Course Name:
Indigenous Health Sciences
Course Description:
Since the times of colonization, perspectives and approaches to health, wellness, and medicine have been influenced by Euro-Western practice... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0013
Course Name:
Land-Based Learning: Environmental Stewardship
Course Description:
Indigenous peoples have been caretakers of the land, water, flora and fauna since time immemorial. First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples h... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0014
Course Name:
Indigenous Children and Family: Structures and Traditions
Course Description:
Oppressive policies have been imposed on Indigenous children and families for decades with the goal of assimilation, resulting in the breakd... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0015
Course Name:
Indigenous Visual Arts and Culture
Course Description:
Through the visual arts, the political, cultural, social and individual narratives of Indigenous peoples are captured and shared. Students e... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0016
Course Name:
Indigenous Languages: Promoting, Preserving, and Protecting in a Global Context
Course Description:
Indigenous languages emerge from a relationship to place and community. They are linked to unique knowledge systems and shaped by many force... + Read More
Hours:
28.0
Code:
MGT2232
Course Name:
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Course Description:
In a world undergoing rapid and significant change, it is important to recognize the role, skills and characteristics associated with entrep... + Read More
Hours:
56.0
Code:
GED1413
Course Name:
General Education Elective
Course Description:
For this course, you will have the opportunity to choose one from a group of general education electives. Your options will include courses... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0017
Course Name:
The Stories We Live By: Indigenous Storytelling Traditions and Multimedia
Course Description:
Storytelling traditions of Indigenous Peoples bring forward histories, values, and knowledges of the ancestors for new generations to apply ... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0018
Course Name:
Indigenous Performing Arts: Music, Dance, and Theatre
Course Description:
Music, dance, and theatre serve as windows into culture. By carrying forward stories over many generations, or by creating narratives that r... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0019
Course Name:
Indigenous Experiences and Global Perspectives
Course Description:
Indigenous peoples live in 90 countries globally, make up over 5000 distinct groups, and speak the majority of the world's diverse languages... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0020
Course Name:
Indigenous Voices: the Art of Persuasive Communication
Course Description:
The ability to construct and defend compelling arguments is an essential skill in many settings. Strong communication skills are key to supp... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Code:
IND0021
Course Name:
Research Seminar and Culminating Showcase
Course Description:
Students draw from a wide range of Indigenous topics and content to undertake guided research into an area of their choice. Students focus o... + Read More
Hours:
56.0
Code:
GED1413
Course Name:
General Education Elective
Course Description:
For this course, you will have the opportunity to choose one from a group of general education electives. Your options will include courses... + Read More
Hours:
42.0
Careers & Pathways
Careers
Graduates may find employment in Social Services/Advocacy, Policy and Governance, Education, Outreach, Community Development, International Development, Cultural Liaison, Administration/Management, and Creative Industries/Business.
Pathways
Please use our Pathways tool to search for pathway options.
Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
- Use Indigenous Knowledge-informed strategies to build and maintain equitable relationships in a personal and professional capacity.
- Adopt Two-Eyed Seeing and other approaches, leveraging opportunities to weave Indigenous Knowledges with other knowledge systems to enable transcultural, transdisciplinary, and collaborative work.
- Convey respect for Indigenous languages and ways of communicating to engage with community in personal and professional contexts.
- Develop and apply strategies to support personal wellness and work-life balance, addressing wholistic needs, towards mino-bimaadiziwin (a good life).
- Analyze how Indigenous values, knowledge systems, and worldviews promote ethical responsibility for land stewardship, community wellness, and self-determination, in personal and professional contexts.
- Employ principles of Indigenous knowledge to support personal, academic, and career paths.
- Promote ethical ways of interacting with Indigenous Peoples, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers to facilitate engagement with community.
- Assess organizational, professional, political, and societal strategies to identify opportunities to advance reconciliation.
- Interpret the intellectual property (IP) system to protect Indigenous traditional knowledge (TK) and traditional cultural expressions (TCE).
- Develop fundamental strategies for the creation, operation, and management of personal and community entrepreneurial ventures.
- Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.
Tuition & Fees
Get an idea of how much each semester will cost with our Tuition and Fee Estimator.
2024/2025 Academic Year
Tuition and related ancillary fees for this program can be viewed by using the Tuition and Fees Estimator tool at www.algonquincollege.com/fee-estimator
Further information on fees can be found by visiting the Registrar`s Office website at www.algonquincollege.com/ro
Fees are subject to change.
Additional program related expenses include:
Textbook costs may range from $300 to $500 for the first year and an additional $200 for books and consumable supplies in the second year.
Admissions Requirements
All applicants must satisfy both College Eligibility and Program Eligibility requirements.
College Eligibility
- Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent
- Applicants with an OSSD showing senior English and/or Mathematics courses at the Basic Level, or with Workplace or Open courses, will be tested to determine their eligibility for admission; OR
- Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) certificate; OR
- General Educational Development (GED) certificate; OR
- Mature Student status (19 years of age or older and without a high school diploma at the start of the program). Eligibility may be determined by academic achievement testing for which a fee will be charged.
Program Eligibility
- English, Grade 12 (ENG4C or equivalent)
- Applicants with international transcripts must provide proof of the subject specific requirements noted above and may be required to provide proof of language proficiency. Domestic applicants with international transcripts must be evaluated through the International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS) or World Education Services (WES).
- IELTS-International English Language Testing Service (Academic) Overall band of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band OR TOEFL-Internet-based (iBT) Overall 80, with a minimum of 20 in each component: Reading 20; Listening 20; Speaking 20; Writing 20 OR Duolingo English Test (DET) Overall 110, minimum of 110 in Literacy and no score below 95.
Not sure if you meet all of the requirements? Academic Upgrading may be able to help with that: https://www.algonquincollege.com/access/
Should the number of qualified applicants exceed the number of available places, applicants will be selected on the basis of their proficiency in English.
Application Information
INDIGENOUS STUDIES
Program Code 1413X01FWO
Applications to full-time day programs must be submitted with official transcripts showing completion of the academic admission requirements through:
ontariocolleges.ca
60 Corporate Court
Guelph, Ontario
N1G 5J3
1-888-892-2228
Students currently enrolled in an Ontario secondary school should notify their Guidance Office prior to their online application at www.ontariocolleges.ca Applications for Fall Term and Winter Term admission received by February 1 will be given equal consideration. Applications received after February 1 will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as places are available.
International applicants please visit this link for application process information: https://algonquincollege.force.com/myACint/
For further information on the admissions process, contact:
Registrar`s Office
Algonquin College
1385 Woodroffe Ave
Ottawa, ON K2G 1V8
Telephone: 613-727-0002
Toll-free: 1-800-565-4723
TTY: 613-727-7766
Fax: 613-727-7632
Contact: https://www.algonquincollege.com/ro