Loyalist College applauds Government of Ontario announcement for new three-year degrees at college

“As Loyalist College prepares to launch our new Academic Plan, the timing for this announcement is exceptional,” said Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, President and CEO, Loyalist College. “Building on the success of our recently launched Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, today’s announcement ensures we can continue broadening the diversity of higher education opportunities locally, which is extremely critical to supporting and enabling social and economic development and growth as we emerge from the pandemic. It is wonderful and exciting news for Loyalist, our students and alumni, employers and our community.  We know the quality of a Loyalist College education leads to great careers for our graduates. Providing more local access to degree credentials allows us to expand our services to the community. It is truly an historic day.”

The announcement was made today by Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop at an event at Conestoga College in Kitchener.

The Minister announced colleges can begin developing new three-year degree programs alongside their diploma programs and can expand their range of career-focused four-year degree programs.

“Expanding the degree programs at colleges ensures more students will have access to high-quality, career-focused programs,” Minister Dunlop said. “More students will acquire the expertise and credentials to succeed in today’s job market.”

“The City of Belleville is fortunate to have such a strong post-secondary partner in the region, as it empowers our industry and community partners to seize the economic development opportunities coming out of the pandemic,” said Mitch Panciuk, Mayor of Belleville. “The expansion of the colleges’ degree programs at Loyalist College is exciting news as it will offer even more pathways for career-ready graduates to meet industry needs – and allow more students to enroll in programs that lead to rewarding careers.”

“This is great news for all colleges and a game-changer for our region,” said Mayor of Quinte West Jim Harrison. “As the only post-secondary institution in the Quinte region, Loyalist College plays an important role in developing our local workforce. This will create new career opportunities in the community and is a big win for students, employers and industry.”

Currently, most programs offered at colleges are diploma programs. Prior to today’s announcement, colleges were only authorized to award degrees to graduates of their career-focused four-year programs

The announcement today recognizes the success of the colleges’ degree programs and brings true equity to Ontario’s post-secondary system. It ensures every student whose education fulfils Ontario’s degree-level requirements is awarded a degree upon graduation.

Importantly, this also benefits companies that promote themselves and their workforce internationally, as most jurisdictions outside Ontario aren’t familiar with the diploma credential.