Professional degrees

Professional degrees require advanced learning leading to an occupation governed by a mandatory regulatory body. Some examples can be found below. Professional degree programs most often require an undergraduate degree as well as a professional degree and designation or licensing to use the professional title and actively practice the profession.

Some examples of Canadian professional programs are included below. Contact the individual school or academic department directly for the most up-to-date admissions information.

For a full listing of Canadian universities offering programs in medicine visit, the Canadian Medical Association.

Schools in British Columbia

Schools in Alberta

For a full listing of Canadian universities offering programs in midwifery visit, the Canadian Association of Midwifes.

Schools in British Columbia

Schools in Alberta

For a full listing of Canadian universities offering programs in chiropractic medicine visit, the Canadian Chiropractic Association.

There are two schools of chiropractic located in Canada:

For a full listing of Canadian universities offering programs in optometry visit, the Canadian Association of Optometrists.

There are two schools of optometry located in Canada:

For a full listing of Canadian universities offering programs in veterinary visit, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.

Schools in British Columbia that offer pre-veterinary medicine for entrance into The Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan include:

Schools in Alberta

For a full listing of Canadian universities offering programs in dietitian visit, the Dietitians of Canada.

Schools in British Columbia

Schools in Alberta

For a full listing of Canadian universities offering programs in physical therapy visit, the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.

Schools in British Columbia

Schools in Alberta

Useful links

Related careers

A related career to physiotherapist is a physiotherapy assistant (PTA). Read about PTA careers and training programs on the Canadian Physiotherapy Association website.

For a full listing of Canadian universities offering programs in occupational therapy visit, the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists.

Schools in British Columbia

Schools in Alberta

Useful links

Related careers

A related career to occupational therapist is occupational therapist assistant (OTA). Read about OTA careers and training programs on the Canadian OTA and PTA Education Council website.

To teach in British Columbia, teacher candidates must complete a recognized teacher education program and then apply for certification from the Teacher Regulation Branch. There are currently nine universities in BC with approved teacher education programs. The full list is on the Ministry of Education website.

UBC Okanagan’s B.Ed program

  • UBC Okanagan offers a 16-month Bachelor of Education program with two pathways – Teaching Children (K-7) and Teaching Adolescents (8-10). The academic requirements for admission to both pathways can be found on the Okanagan School of Education website.

Out-of-province programs

  • It is possible to obtain teaching certification from another Canadian province and then apply to the British Columbia Teacher Regulation Branch for BC certification. However, the TRB will conduct a ‘Fitness to Teach’ evaluation. For more information, contact the Teacher Regulation Branch or speak with an academic advisor.

Useful links

Related careers

A related career to teaching K-12 in BC public schools is teaching English as an addition language (TEAL). This field offers numerous teaching opportunities both in Canada and overseas.

For a full listing of Canadian universities offering BSW/MSW/PhD programs in Social Work visit, the Canadian Association for Social Work Education.

Schools in British Columbia

Useful links

For a full listing of Canadian universities offering programs in SLP and/or audiology visit, the Speech Language & Audiology Canada.

Schools in British Columbia

Schools in Alberta

Useful links

Related careers

A related career to SLP and audiology is a communication health assistant (CHA). Read about CHA careers and training programs on the Speech-Language & Audiology Canada website.

For a full list of accredited Canadian programs visit, the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.

Schools in British Columbia

Useful links

To learn about nursing careers, visit: Careers in Nursing

For a full listing of Canadian and international universities offering pharmacy programs visit, the Canadian Pharmacists Association.

Schools in British Columbia

Useful links

An online multiple-choice covering topics including: biological processes, chemical processes, critical reading, and quantitative reasoning. Consult individual schools to determine if PCAT’s required. Visit the PCAT website for more information.

Related careers

A related career to a pharmacist is a pharmacy technician. To learn about accredited programs visit, The Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs website.

For a full listing of accredited Canadian universities offering dentistry programs, as well as schools offering dental hygiene training visit, the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (select “search for programs”).

Schools in British Columbia

A dental aptitude test (DAT) is required by UBC. The DAT is administered by dental schools to help students assess their capacity for a career in dentistry and to assist dental schools with admissions. The DAT is designed to measure manual dexterity, perceptual ability, reading comprehension, as well as science knowledge including biology and chemistry and is delivered over a half day.

Useful links

For more information about the DAT including test dates, visit the Canadian Dental Association website.

Law is the profession of interpreting laws, applying them and providing legal advice. It involves informing clients of their legal rights and responsibilities and providing representation in situations such as negotiations, courts and tribunals. Within the legal profession there is a significant amount of research and preparation, legal documentation, and contacts. There are many areas of law specialization, some of which include business, taxation, intellectual property, criminal, environmental, human rights, family, labour, and litigation law.

Law school requirements

Individuals are accepted from all concentrations of study and must have a minimum of two years of undergraduate study, although the majority of facilities prefer three plus years of undergraduate study. GPA requirements will vary by school but basic GPA requirements are a minimum of a B+/A average as well as an LSAT score of 75-85th percentile. Admissions will also consider a candidate’s work/volunteer experience as well as extracurricular.

LSAT

Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is administered through the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) to measure skills considered essential for law school. The test is a half day consisting of multiple choice, one reading comprehension, one analytical reasoning, two logical reasoning sections, and a fifth session used to pre-test new test items and pre-equate new test forms. There is also a 35 minute writing sample at the end of the test. The LSAT is offered four times a year in June, October, December, and February and will soon be launching an online option.

Official LSAT PrepTests can be purchased on the LSAC website.

Register for the LSAT

Applicants can register online by visiting the LSAC website.

Law schools in British Columbia

Find more information at the Law Society of British Columbia website.

Law school outside of Canada

Qualifying to practice in Canada with an international law degree requires a number of accreditation steps before articling/law practice placement and the bar exams. For full details consult the Federation of Law Societies of Canada website.