• Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or Mature Student Status
  AND
• Grade 12 English (C or U)
• Grade 11 Math (C, M, or U)

Are you missing admission requirements? We are here to help.

Durham College (DC) offers academic upgrading courses FREE of charge (to qualified students) and designed to help you meet the admissions requirements for this program. Available to individuals 18+, these courses are available both on-campus at DC through our Academic Upgrading team and also online via the Professional and Part-Time Learning (PPL) department. Course offered include:

• Communications
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Chemistry

If you have any questions about academic upgrading please don’t hesitate to contact the PPL team.

Date	Domestic Availability	International Availability
January 2025	🟢 Available	🔴 Not Available
May 2025	🟢 Available	🔴 Not Available
September 2025	🟢 Available	🔴 Not Available
January 2026	🟢 Available	🔴 Not Available
May 2026	🟢 Available	🔴 Not Available

Cost

Our program does not have a fixed tuition fee. Instead, you register and pay for each course individually. Course fees typically range from $300 to $550, with additional costs for textbooks when required. For detailed course fees, please refer to the current course offerings listed at the bottom of this page. You can then click on each individual course link to view a brief course description, start date, and applicable course fee. There will also be a link to the Campus Bookstore website when a course has a required textbook.

Apply Now

To apply for this program, please complete the application form on the Ontario Colleges website. Click here to create your Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) account and submit your application. Apply here!

Students are required to print or save a copy of the Program of Study when beginning the program. This document contains critical details about program progression and graduation requirements specific to the academic year in which your program was started.

Click to access the Program of Study for the current academic year.

Note: Before beginning this credential, please be advised that one or more courses in this program are not compatible with macOS.

Students who began this program prior to the current academic year may contact the Professional and Part-Time Learning office at ppl@durhamcollege.ca or 905-721-3052 to obtain your Program of Study and graduation requirements.

Program Length

• You will have a maximum of 15 semesters (5 years) from the start date of your first course to complete this program.
• The minimum amount of time to complete a program is unique to each student and based on multiple factors:
• Your capacity: How much time do you have to dedicate to your studies. A person with more time is able to take more courses each semester and complete the program faster then a student that has additional commitments.
• Number of courses in the program: The number of courses in each program differs and this is a key factor when calculating a completion timeline.
• Course pre-requisites: A pre-requisite is a course that must be completed prior to taking another course. The number of course pre-requisites in a program can play a factor in how quickly a program can be completed.
• Course availability: Not every course is offered every semester. In some instances, students may need to wait until the next time a specific course is offered and this may impact their completion timelines.

Program Cost

Professional and Part-Time Learning offers courses individually with no upfront program cost. You pay for each course when you register, and most courses cost between $350 and $400. To see the most up-to-date prices, visit the “Current Course Offerings” section on the program page and select the course of your choice. The cost will be displayed next to the “Add to Cart” button.

General Education Electives (GNED)

This program requires the completion of General Education Elective (GNED) courses in addition to core program courses.

Click to access General Education Elective Course Options

IMPORTANT NOTE: Some programs may have restrictions on the specific GNED courses that students are able to take to fulfill their program requirements. For Professional and Part-Time Learning students, these restrictions are identified on the link above. For those in full-time, day school programs, please consult your academic school for confirmation of any GNED restrictions for your program before registering.

This program contains a field placement requirement. For details, including paperwork submission deadlines, please visit the Field Placement Page. For specific program-related field placement questions, please read the Library Technician Field Placement FAQs.

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be equipped to:

• Develop collections and acquire book and non-book materials using manual and automated procedures for bibliographic verification, vendor selection, order production, and fund management.
• Derive, edit and/or create catalogue or metadata records using internationally accepted rules or standards including AACR2, RDA, MESH, LCSH, LCC and DDC using MARC coding in bibliographic utilities, and computer-based systems.
• Adopt best practices and professional accountability in different types of libraries and information services.
• Conduct reference interviews, analyze information requests in a variety of topic areas, provide instructional assistance, conduct searches using print sources, commercial databases and online resources, and deliver excellent client service.
• Maintain serials control, circulation systems and inter-library loans in manual, electronic, and web-based environments.
• Develop and prepare promotional materials, library programming, bibliographies, finding tools and reports using word processing and publishing programs.
• Develop databases and indexes, use integrated library systems and create web sites using current standards and technology.
• Recognize, identify and demonstrate ability to work in an archive, records management or information management setting and consider different needs of archival patrons and records or information management clients.
• Examine theories and practice of library management and supervision and budget preparation.

Potential career and industry options may include:

• public libraries and regional library services
• libraries and resource centres serving colleges, universities, elementary and secondary schools and school boards
• special libraries, such as those found in law offices, hospitals, corporations and government departments and agencies
• bibliographic utilities, online and library system vendors and electronic publishers
• the information services industry
• cultural and non-profit organizations

Have you completed all your courses and program requirements? If so, please complete an Application for Graduation form and submit the required fee to the Office of the Registrar. For more information, visit the graduation page.