CEGEP

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A CEGEP (IPA: [ˈseʒɛp] or [ˈsiʤɛp]; French: Cégep) is a public educational institution in Quebec, Canada on the post-secondary level. CEGEP is a French acronym for Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, meaning "College of General and Professional Education."

CEGEPs are post-secondary education institutions exclusive to the province of Quebec in Canada. The purpose of CEGEPs is to make post-secondary education more accessible in Quebec, as well as to provide proper academic preparation for university.^[1] Students in Quebec who want to continue a post-secondary education must attend a CEGEP prior to a Quebec university. Students who follow a general studies program in Quebec complete six years of primary school (grades 1 through 6) followed by five years of secondary school (grades 7 through 11, or Secondaire I to V in French). Quebec students complete one less grade than all other Canadian provinces in total before attending CEGEP, by ending high school in grade 11 instead of grade 12. CEGEPs then prepare students for university or to enter a technical profession.

1 Programs
- 1.1 Pre-university program
- 1.2 Three year technical program
2 References
3 See also

[edit] Programs

CEGEPs offer two types of programs: pre-university and technical. The pre-university program takes two years to complete, while the technical programs take three years. While CEGEP refers technically to only public colleges, in common usage the term is sometimes applied also to private colleges offering some of the same programs.

[edit] Pre-university program

A pre-university program covers the subject matters which roughly correspond to the additional year of high school given elsewhere in Canada and to a first year university program in the chosen field (Sciences, Humanities, or Arts). At the completion of studies, the provincial government issues the Diploma of Collegial Studies (DCS), also known as the "DÉC" (although the "DEC" usage is more prevalent), from the French Diplôme d'études collégiales. Students may then complete an undergraduate program at a Quebec university in only 3 years, as opposed to 4 years outside Quebec. Students with a DEC who choose to attend university in another province in Canada are then allowed to either skip the first year and enter university as a second year student, or gain advanced standing or extra credit for their first year.

[edit] Three year technical program

CEGEPs also offer three year technical programs which applies to students who wish to pursue a skill trade.^[1] Unlike the pre-university programs they are not preparation for university, although this does not prevent a student from attending a university afterwards. These programs share a core curriculum of French, humanities, English and physical education classes with the pre-university programs. The technical programs also lead to a DEC. Examples of programs are: Instrumentation Automation Robotics, Architectural Technology, Nursing, Building Engineering Technology, and Computer Science. Though those programs can also lead to the university, they are geared towards immediate employment.

Adult continuing education programs are also offered at CEGEPs. Many of those programs lead to an Attestation of Collegial Studies, or "AÉC" (Attestation d'études collégiales), which is similar to a DEC but does not include the core curriculum.

In addition, the majority of the province's 31 "Technology Transfer Centres," have been established by CEGEPs. At these centres, applied research is carried out in a specific field in cooperation with industrial partners.