The education system in Quebec, Canada

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This will probably not be the most interesting blog post, but I am taking this opportunity to educate you about the educational system in Quebec (wow, am I a poet?). Why? Because it’s different than the rest of the country, and different from the system in the US. And I reaaaaaally don’t want to stop to explain it every single time I mention my education.

So there we go!

1. Elementary school: Kindergarten to 6^th grade
2. High school: 7^th to 11^th grade (the French term is “école secondaire”, which translates literally in “secondary school”, but we call it “high school” anyway in English). You graduate at 16-17 years old.

After graduating high school, you have 3 options:

• Trade school: you get a diploma in a trade job with specific skills (i. e., mechanics, locksmithing)
• College (named “Cégep” in Quebec):
  • Pre-university program: a 2 years program that leads you to university. You start college/cegep at 16-17 years old. If you want to go to university, you either have to go through this program to get to university at 18-19 years old, or wait until you are 21. The pre-U program is general, and includes Human sciences, Arts & Literature, History & Civilization, etc.
  • Technical program: Basically, it’s a career program of 3 years where you end up with a technical diploma and can find a job (i. e. nursing, multimedia, accounting, police, etc.)
• University: Same principle as colleges and universities in Canada and the US.
  • Undergraduate studies
  • Graduate studies:
    • Master
    • Doctorate
    • Post-doc

This is the very basics of the education system in Quebec. Did I forget something? Or do I need to explain it further? Let me know! And make sure to read my other blog post about my studies!