Canadians! And those who know things anyway.

[slemslempike]

Could someone please explain to me the difference between colleges and universities in Canada? I am under the impression that colleges are more vocational and universities are more academic in focus. Can you get degrees from colleges, or is it different qualifications altogether? This is just for a footnote, so I do not need too much detail, but I am befuddled by what I find on google.

Comments

[listersgirl]

Colleges are generally vocational/applied (diploma or certificate granting) or university prep, for people who need to improve their grades/take some required courses before embarking on a degree program at a university. As far as I know, colleges cannot grant degrees (except for a few that are able to grant "applied degrees").

Universities, on the other hand, are academic focused and degree granting (either just bachelor or bachelor, masters, doctoral).

There are also University Colleges, but for a footnote you probably don't need to know about them. :)

[listersgirl]

As a side note, I interviewed for a job at Oberlin College in the States, and I kept calling it "Oberlin University" because it was a degree-granting institution. My interviewer corrected me very politely, and then we spent a bunch of time talking about the differences between Canada and the States.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's just what I needed to know, thank you!