Continuing Studies at UVic wordmark

What is Canada?

This multidisciplinary program, leading to a Diploma in Canadian Studies, is designed to offer students a way to critically examine Canada through a variety of disciplinary lenses. You complete three core courses and design the rest of your program by choosing nine electives according to your specific interests related to Canada. You can focus on Economics, Geography, History, Indigenous Studies, Politics and more - the choice is yours.

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Description

Courses and fees

Application information

Questions?

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Program at a glance

Program description

The Canadian Studies diploma program offers students a way to satisfy their academic, professional or personal interest in subjects relating to Canada. Students will complete required core courses in Canadian culture and issues, and choose electives from a range of other courses related to Canada. Courses completed as part of the diploma may be transferred towards an undergraduate degree.

Program outcomes

  • introduce students to the study of Canada from a multidisciplinary perspective
  • introduce students to concepts relating to the construction, negotiation and contesting of Canada’s national identities
  • help students develop their ability to think critically about the connections between Canada’s past, present and future

Program partners

University of Victoria-log

Faculty of Humanities

Faculty of Social Sciences

Faculty of Fine Arts

Courses and fees

The diploma requires a minimum of 12 courses, equivalent to 18 credit units. Diploma students are required to complete three core courses (CS101, CS102, and CS200) in Canadian Studies and choose the remainder of their courses in subjects related to Canada offered by the faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences and Fine Arts at UVic.

Students may take up to four years to complete the diploma. Courses completed as part of the diploma may be transferred towards an undergraduate degree.

Required courses

Elective courses

Students choose the remainder of their courses (nine in total) in subjects related to Canada offered by the faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences and Fine Arts at UVic. 

Graduation information

If you have completed the requirements of the program, please review the graduation deadlines and application.

Estimated fees

  Domestic students International students
Full-time program application fee (non-refundable) $100.00 $100.00
UVic application fee $84.25 $157.00
Three required courses $1,886.67 $9,516.33
Nine elective courses $5,660.01 $28,548.99
UVic student fees $1545.00 $1810.00
Estimated Total $9,275.93* $40,132.32*
*IMPORTANT NOTE:
Fees listed in this section are an estimate for the full program. Total program fees may vary depending on delivery format, tuition rate, course selections, student and service fees, textbooks and taxes. Tuition and fees are subject to annual increases. 

Application information

Admission requirements

This diploma is a credit program and requires admission to both the Canadian Studies program and the University of Victoria. Students applying to the Canadian Studies diploma program must meet UVic admission requirements, including the language proficiency requirement.

Individual courses

If space is available, students may register in core Canadian Studies courses for non-credit, without having to be enrolled in the diploma program. Non-diploma students who want to take a single course for credit must be admitted to UVic.

Transfer credit

With the permission of the Canadian Studies program steering committee, students may transfer up to 4.5 units of appropriate credit courses towards their diploma, as long as they have not previously used these credits towards a degree.

How to apply

To apply to the Canadian Studies diploma program, please submit an online application describing your education and/or work background and interest in studying Canada. If accepted into the diploma program, you must then apply to the University of Victoria.

Application dates

Starting in
May 2026
Availability
Accepting Applications
Apply by
March 1, 2026
Apply online Contact us for more info
Starting in
September 2026
Availability
Accepting Applications
Apply by
July 1, 2026
Apply online Contact us for more info

Questions?

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 Tel {{ data.responsibleStaffPhone || '250-472-4747' }}
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RELATED TOPICS: History, Political Science and Contemporary Issues

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