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CEGEP

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A CEGEP (IPA: [ˈseʒɛp] or [ˈsiʤɛp]; French: Cégep) is a post-secondary education institution exclusive to the province of Quebec in Canada. CEGEP is a French acronym for Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, meaning "College of General and Professional Education".

The purpose of CEGEPs is to make post-secondary education more accessible in Quebec, as well as to provide proper academic preparation for university.[1] There are both public and private subsidized CEGEPs with the public CEGEPs having little or no tuition fee. The CEGEP system was started in 1967 by the Quebec provincial government and originally comprised of 12 CEGEPs. Today there are 48 CEGEPs in Quebec, of which 6 are English language CEGEPs.[2]

Education path

Students in Quebec who want to continue a post-secondary education must attend a CEGEP prior to a Quebec university. Students who follow a general studies program in Quebec complete six years of primary school (grades 1 through 6) followed by five years of secondary school (grades 7 through 11, or Secondaire I to V in French). Quebec students complete one fewer grade than all other Canadian provinces in total before attending CEGEP, by ending high school in grade 11 instead of grade 12. CEGEPs then prepare students for university or to enter a technical profession. It is also possible to attend a university with a 3 year technical CEGEP diploma.

Programs

Most but not all CEGEPs offer two types of programs: pre-university and technical. The pre-university programs take two years to complete, while the technical programs take three years. While CEGEP refers technically to only public colleges, in common usage the term is sometimes applied also to private colleges offering some of the same programs.

Pre-university program

A pre-university program covers the subject matters which roughly correspond to the additional year of high school given elsewhere in Canada and to a first year university program in the chosen field (Sciences, Humanities, or Arts). At the completion of studies, the provincial government issues the Diploma of Collegial Studies (DCS), also known as the "DÉC" (although the "DEC" usage is more prevalent), from the French Diplôme d'études collégiales. Students may then complete certain undergraduate programs at a Quebec university in only 3 years, as opposed to 4 years outside Quebec. Students with a DEC who choose to attend university in another province in Canada or outside the country are then eligible to either skip the first year and enter university as a second year student, or gain advanced standing or extra credit for their first year. The amount of accepted extra credit is at the discretion of each university.

Three year technical program

CEGEPs also offer three year technical programs which applies to students who wish to pursue a skill trade.[1] Unlike the pre-university programs they are not preparation for university, although this does not prevent a student from attending a university afterwards. These programs share a core curriculum of French, humanities, English and physical education classes with the pre-university programs. The technical programs also lead to a DEC. Examples of programs are: Instrumentation Automation Robotics, Architectural Technology, Nursing, Building Engineering Technology, and Computer Science. Though those programs can also lead to the university, they are geared towards immediate employment.

Adult continuing education programs are also offered at CEGEPs. Many of those programs lead to an Attestation of Collegial Studies, or "AÉC" (Attestation d'études collégiales), which is similar to a DEC but does not include the core curriculum.

In addition, the majority of the province's 31 "Technology Transfer Centres," have been established by CEGEPs. At these centres, applied research is carried out in a specific field in cooperation with industrial partners.

References

  1. ^ a b Youth Encyclopedia of Canada. "CEGEP". Education: Colleges & Universities. Historica Foundation of Canada. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  2. ^ M. Claude Lessard. "Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP)". Education. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2007-09-05.

See also

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