Program of Study

The program of study is a particular sequence of courses identified to build towards specific program outcomes. The design of the program of study accounts for a number of requirements on college programs.

Credential Length and Duration

Based on the typical credential lengths and durations identified in the Ontario Qualification Framework (OQF), Algonquin College has identified expected hour ranges by credential, suited to a 14-week semester. Please note that these hours do not include the Co-operative Education preparation course or work term(s).

Length and Duration by Credential

General Education and Breadth Requirements

Ontario College Certificates, Diplomas and Advanced diplomas require General Education courses in their programs of study and must be unrelated to the vocational focus on their program. Similarly, degrees will offer breadth courses, which allow the student to learn new concepts outside of their program of study.

General Education Requirements

The purpose of General Education courses is to develop educated citizens who are aware of the diversity, complexity, and richness of the human experience and who are able to contribute thoughtfully, creatively, and positively to the society in which they live and work (Minister’s Binding Policy: Framework for Programs of Instruction). General Education courses support the student development across one or more of the following themes:

• Arts in Society
• Civic Life
• Social and Cultural Understanding
• Personal Understanding
• Science and Technology

The number of General Education courses varies depending on the credential (See table below). Please note that College issued certificates and Ontario College Graduate Certificates do not require General Education courses.

In alignment with the Minister’s Binding Policy: Framework for Programs of Instruction, Academic Policy AA27 General Education and Degree Breadth outlines the requirement for General Education courses by credential.

General Education Requirement by Credential

Degree Breadth Requirements

For degree programs, the Post-secondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB) benchmark requires 20% of program hours to be in non-core courses. Breadth courses provide knowledge in at least two areas outside of the core, including more than introductory knowledge in one of the disciplines:

• Humanities 
• Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Global Cultures (including Indigenous cultures)
• Mathematics

Typically, students are provided with at least one elective.

Academic Policy AA27 General Education and Degree Breadth shows how the degree breadth courses are typically embedded within the degree program of study in the Degree Breadth Course Curriculum Map.

Experiential and Work-Integrated Learning

Experiential learning (EL) is a purposeful hands-on, for-credit learning opportunity designed to help students transition to employment by applying program knowledge in a workplace or a simulated workplace. Work-integrated learning (WIL) is the sub-set of EL where students integrate academic learning with experience in a workplace. 

Algonquin College identifies WIL according to the following categories:

• co-op
• field placement
• clinical placements
• applied research projects
• field projects
• community service learning
• learning enterprises

The AC Experiential Learning website provides a framework and additional resources to support the development of EL and WIL. In particular, when writing curriculum for WIL courses, the Designing Work-Integrated Learning Courses at Algonquin resource supports the integration of WIL into a program and provides examples of course learning requirements in WIL courses.

Program Sequence

The program sequence, or the order of the courses across the program, is designed to support progression towards the program outcomes through scaffolding the learning from courses in one level to courses in the next. Progression towards the program learning outcomes across a program is validated through program outcome mapping where opportunities to teach, assess and culminate each program outcome are indicated for each course.

Progression from course to course can be supported where necessary through pre-requisites and co-requisites.

• Pre-requisite courses are those that students must be successful in prior to attempting a particular course.
• Co-requisite courses are those that students must be enrolled in concurrently with a particular course.

In addition, progression from level to level of a program can be supported through progression requirements which establish minimum grades for specific courses required for a student to progress in a program. These can be used when there is an identified need for students to maintain a specific average for graduation into a regulated industry, for entrance into other programs or associations, or to succeed in future program levels.

The program sequence is also designed to create a reasonable balance across levels to support student workload in terms of number of courses as well as total hours.

Delivery Modes

At Algonquin College, there are five main types of course delivery modes:

• On-campus: face-to-face in a physical classroom
• Virtual: online synchronous; formerly referred to as “remote”
• Online: asynchronous
• Hybrid: a course includes both virtual or online AND on-campus delivery modes; also referred to as blended
• Multi-modal: students are provided choice between virtual, on-campus and online delivery modes

Algonquin College has a target for all programs to offer 20% of total hours for each program online. This target can be met through a combination of online, virtual and hybrid courses.

In addition, for eligible programs, in order to support international student eligibility for the Post Graduate Work Permit guided by IRCC regulations, each level of a program must not exceed 40% of hours delivered either virtual or online.