Basic Certificate – Admission Requirements

To be admissible to the BC Early Childhood Education Basic Certificate Program, you need the following:

  1. Be at least 19 years of age when the program starts.
  2. Have high school graduation or equivalent.
  3. Meet the English language requirement through one of:
    • Completed at least four years of secondary or post-secondary studies in taught in English, or
    • Completed a four-year undergraduate degree or a graduate degree at a recognized university where English is the medium of instruction, or
    • Completed six credits of post-secondary English subject courses at a recognized university in an English-speaking country, or
    • Taken either an IELTS Academic or TOEFL English assessment test and met the UBC required scores (see this webpage for minimum scores and other accepted language tests).

    If you have any questions about how to meet the English requirement, please contact us at eced.educ@ubc.ca.

  4. Achieved third-year standing at an accredited post-secondary institution, (i.e., you have completed your 2nd year in, or have graduated from, a four-year degree at a recognized university, or have completed 60 credits in a two-year program at a recognized university or college).
    Note: For students already attending UBC, it is not possible to be concurrently registered in courses in two programs. You would need to complete your current program before starting the ECE Basic program.
  5. Clear a Criminal Records Review Act (CRRA) Check through the Criminal Record Review Program (CRRP).
    UBC is subject to the requirements of the Criminal Records Review Act (CRRA), which means that all students who are enrolled in programs that include a practicum component involving work with children or vulnerable adults will have to undergo a criminal record check before they will be permitted to register in the practicum. The CRRA Check must be carried out by the Criminal Record Review Program (CRRP) through UBC. See Criminal Record Checks, Office of the University Counsel, for more information.

    If you are found to present a risk of physical or sexual abuse to children, or physical, sexual or financial abuse to vulnerable adults, as a result of the CRRA Check, you will not be permitted to register in the practicum. As practicum is required for this program, this means that you would not be able to complete the program and you may not graduate. Therefore, you should consider this requirement carefully before applying to, or continuing in, this program.

Please note: Effective November 1, 2022, admission through work experience has been discontinued.

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