General Admission Requirements

All students enrolling in Faculty of Education courses offered in the in-service program must be qualified for admission according to Ontario Regulation 176/10 - Teachers' Qualification Regulation under the Ontario College of Teachers Act.

They must be a member of the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) and hold a Certificate of Qualification and Registration (CQR) to be recommended for certification in the AQ course. Verification of the CQR will be done online by our office via the Public Register of the Ontario College of Teachers.

If you hold a Transitional Certificate of Qualification and Registration, you cannot enroll in an Additional Qualifications course.

Exceptions to the above are made for trained teachers from other jurisdictions who are not OCT members and do not plan to teach in Ontario.  Contact aspire@uwo.ca for more information.

Teachers trained outside of Ontario, and wishing to teach in Ontario, must be a fully registered member of the Ontario College of Teachers prior to registration in an AQ.


IMPORTANT: Admission to all Business Studies, French as a Second Language, Intermediate Division, Senior Division, and Honour Specialist courses is dependent on meeting the academic prerequisites, as listed below and under "Admission Requirements" tab for each course. 

Candidates who are not Western graduates must submit an official transcript from the university(s) they attended. Please request transcripts early since delays are common. We recommend that unofficial academic records be faxed to 519-850-2526 or scanned and emailed to aspire@uwo.ca while we await official transcripts. Academic records are available online from most universities - Visit Universities Canada for links to Canadian universities.

It is strongly advised to have your qualifications assessed prior to registration if you are unsure of your eligibility.  Check our Frequently Asked Questions for instructions on requesting a pre-assessment.


A. Additional Basic Courses

Primary Division

Certificate of Qualification and Registration indicating:

  1. Basic qualifications in areas of concentration other than the Primary Division
  2. An acceptable University degree

Junior Division

Certificate of Qualification and Registration indicating:

  1. Basic qualifications in areas of concentration other than the Junior Division
  2. An acceptable University degree

Intermediate Division

Certificate of Qualification and Registration indicating: an acceptable university degree AND two full year university undergraduate courses in the subject area for which qualification is sought. Teacher Education courses (Ed/EDUC) are not admissible toward this requirement.  (Note that course weights vary across institutions. Courses weighted as 3 credits are likely to be half courses).

Additional Admission Requirements are listed for each Intermediate Division course during the registration process.  Ensure to scroll down to check the Admission Requirements tab on the screen when you select your course.

Senior Division

Certificate of Qualification and Registration indicating: an acceptable university degree AND for applicants whose Certificate does not indicate "Senior" (general studies) as an initial area of concentration, a "B" average (70%) in a minimum of five full-year university undergraduate courses in the teaching subject for which qualification is sought OR for applicants whose Certificate does indicate "Senior" (general studies) as an area of concentration, a minimum of two full-year university undergraduate courses in the teaching subject for which qualification is sought.

Teacher Education courses (ED/EDUC) are not admissible toward this requirement.  (Note that course weights vary across institutions.  Courses weighted as 3 credits are likely to be half courses).

Notes:

  1. "General Studies" refers to the courses developed from curriculum guidelines that are issued by the Minister for the Intermediate Division and Senior Division and listed under a heading other than "Technological Education".
  2. Course weights vary across institutions. Courses weighted as 3 credits are likely to be half courses.

Additional Admission Requirements are listed for each Senior Division course during the registration process.  Ensure to scroll down to check the Admission Requirements tab on the screen when you select your course.

 

B. Three-Session Courses

PART 1

  1. Certificate of Qualification and Registration
  2. Basic Qualifications in Primary, Junior, Intermediate or Senior divisions in general studies.

     Note:

  1. For admission to Primary Education Part 1 or Junior Education Part 1, you MUST first be qualified in the respective division on your Certificate of Qualification and Registration.
  2. For admission to Kindergarten Part 1, you must be qualified in the Primary Division.
  3. Teachers holding Basic Qualifications in Technological Education are eligible to enroll only in the following specific three-part AQ courses: Visual Art, Co-operative Education, English as a Second Language, Guidance and Career Education, Music-Instrumental, Reading, Religious Education in Catholic Schools, Special Education and Teaching Students who are Blind.

PART 2

  1. Certificate of Qualification and Registration indicating successful completion of Part 1 in the subject area.
  2. Evidence of at least one year of successful classroom teaching experience, as certified by an appropriate supervisory officer on the Teaching Experience Form.  

    For a teacher employed by a district school board, the academic supervisory officer is a superintendent or assistant superintendent of the board. For a teacher employed by a private school or First Nations Education Authority, the supervisory officer is the Ministry of Education official appointed to provide supervisory services for the school authority.

    Teaching experience must be completed AFTER initial teacher certification AND prior to the first day of the AQ course.

SPECIALIST

  1. Certificate of Qualification and Registration indicating successful completion of Part 2 in the subject area.
  2. Evidence of at least two years of successful classroom teaching experience, including at least one year teaching the subject area of the AQ, verified by the appropriate supervisory officer on the Teaching Experience Form.

    For a teacher employed by a district school board, the academic supervisory officer is a superintendent or assistant superintendent of the board. For a teacher employed by a private school or First Nations Education Authority, the supervisory officer is the Ministry of Education official appointed to provide supervisory services for the school authority.

    NOTE: Where a teacher is teaching the subject in an integrated format, supervisory officers may consider experience where a teacher can demonstrate that he or she has planned and implemented instruction, and evaluated students using approved curriculum policy documents related to the subject (OCT Memorandum: August 30, 2012).

    Teaching experience must be completed AFTER initial teacher certification AND prior to the first day of the AQ course.

Additional Admission Requirements are listed for each AQ course during the registration process.  Ensure to scroll down to check the Admission Requirements tab on the screen when you select your course.

 

C. Honour Specialist Courses

  • Certificate of Qualification and Registration
  • four-year university degree or equivalent (20 full courses)
  • a 'B' (70%) average in nine full academic courses in the subject area. Courses used to meet the requirements for one Honour Specialist qualification may not be used to meet the requirements for another Honour Specialist qualification.
  • Primary, Junior, Intermediate or Senior division qualifications
  • Evidence of at least two school years of successful classroom teaching experience, including at least one year teaching the subject or subjects, verified by the appropriate supervisory officer or supervisory official (superintendent, not principal). 
    NOTE: Where a teacher is teaching the subject in an integrated format, supervisory officers may consider experience where a teacher can demonstrate that he or she has planned and implemented instruction, and evaluated students using approved curriculum policy documents related to the subject. (OCT Memorandum: August 30, 2012).
    Teaching experience must be completed AFTER initial teacher certification and PRIOR to the first day of the course.

Note: The minimum passing grade for an Honour Specialist qualification is 70%.

Combined Honour Specialist: To be eligible for a Combined Honour Specialist program, you must have the equivalent of 14 full-year undergraduate university courses across the two subject areas you wish to take, with no less than 6 full-year courses in each, and an overall 'B' (70%) average.  You must successfully complete BOTH Honour Specialist AQ before a report for the combined specialist will be sent to the Ontario College of Teachers. A combined specialist requires teaching experience in only one of the subject areas.

Additional Admission Requirements are listed for each Honour Specialist course during the registration process.  Ensure to scroll down to check the Admission Requirements tab on the screen when you select your course.

Honour Specialist Music (*not currently offered): One of the following degrees must be completed: Bachelor of Music (Mus.Ed.), Bachelor of Musical Arts (Mus.Ed.) or Bachelor of Arts (Hon.Mus.Ed.). Candidates without the above but having 20 full-year courses (9 of which are music) must have one of the following or a comparable course: Music Education Seminar, Communication in Music, or Comparative Studies in Music Education.