Campus

Five-Year Concurrent Bachelor of Education

Why choose this pathway?

A Combined Degree

The Concurrent Bachelor of Education offers you the opportunity to obtain both an initial undergraduate degree – from the Faculties of Arts, Science, or Kinesiology – and a Bachelor of Education, within five years. At the end of the program, you will receive two undergraduate degrees, as well as becoming certified under Alberta Education to teach in Kindergarten through Grade 12 classrooms. Our Experiential Learning opportunities are available throughout both of your degree journeys, too! This pathway is a great option if you love the idea of holding two parchments as you cross the stage at convocation, and have a great passion for such co-degree areas as History, Drama, or Biology.

Who This Program is For

The Concurrent program is available to direct-entry applicants – applicants applying out of high school – as well as to transfer students who have completed 20 or fewer semester-long post-secondary courses (60 units).

Important dates and upcoming events

Admission

Admission Resources

Visit Undergraduate Recruitment and Admissions' site for information on submitting your application, dates and deadlines, documents required, and more!

Courses Required

Applicants must select:

Specific admitting course requirements for the Concurrent Education program are determined by the student’s cooperating faculty - Arts, Science, or Kinesiology. Applicants must therefore present:

  • The courses required for their co-degree
  • The admitting grades required for that co-degree
  • The admitting grades required for their desired Education teachable subject area

Because you are applying into two different degrees, under two different faculties, you may be looking at two different admitting averages. Admission into the Concurrent program requires that you be admissible to both degrees.

To view Admission requirements for your desired co-degree and to get an idea of what you'll be studying, visit: Explore Undergraduate Programs.

French Students

Please note that students in the French teachable subject area will be required to complete a language proficiency interview prior to entering their 400-level Education courses.

Police Information Check

A current, clear Police Information Check, with a Vulnerable Sector Check, is required of all Bachelor of Education students for the field experience component of the program. Students who are unable to present a current and clear check will not be placed in their field experience courses – a graduating requirement of the degree – and be asked to leave the program.

A Check is not required until your field course terms. As checks are time-sensitive, do not apply for one before instructed to do so by our Field Team! In the meantime, check out our Police Information Checks page.

Note that this pathway only offers a fall term intake.

If you are a current University of Calgary student interested in transferring into this pathway, you will need to submit an 'internal' application known as a 'change of program'. You can do so through your MyUofC.

Do ensure to consider the following:

1. Admission into this degree is only available for the Fall semester. You must submit your change of program application between October 1st and February 1st before a desired Fall start.

2. A change of program is still an application: you must meet the admitting requirements for your desired program. Please thoroughly review the information, above.

3. Your current major may not be included in the approved degree combinations available in the Concurrent pathway, or it may not combine with your desired teachable subject area. Check out the chart of allowable degree combinations.

4. Unfortunately, you are no longer eligible for this degree if you have completed more than 20 semester-long courses by the end of the Winter semester preceding your desired Fall start, Ie, By the end of Winter 2024 before a Fall 2024 Concurrent start.

5. If you already know that you would like to pursue a Concurrent degree, you will want to sit down with the advisors from your desired co-degree faculty to discuss what courses you should be registering in to ensure you are on track for a Concurrent program.

6. Applying into the Concurrent from a different Education pathway or teachable? You still need to meet course and competitive admitting requirements!

Students interested in pursuing a Concurrent program with Kinesiology should consult directly with that faculty, due to the difficulty of taking Kinesiology courses as a non-Kinesiology student. You can find contact information at: Faculty of Kinesiology Advisors.

We highly encourage all Change of Program applicants to meet with an advisor prior to submitting an application! Because the Bachelor of Education has so many pathways and teachable concentrations, there are a lot of individual considerations concerning admissibility and applicable coursework. Additionally, this can make navigating the Student Centre application a bit tricky! We are more than happy to work through all of this with you, and always encourage to check that your application has been submitted correctly by emailing us at upe@ucalgary.ca!

Questions about the application process? Get in touch with Admissions


I feel supported by the Werklund School as it shares my values of leadership and the importance of community engagement. As an educator, it is our responsibility to be involved in our community, to encourage youth involvement and realize their potential.

Hamnah Altaf

Werklund Community Engaged Leadership Award recipient


Suggested program sequence

Check out the overall Concurrent program structure, below:

Year 1

Fall Term*

EDUC 201 | 4 Courses in Co-Degree Major

Winter Term

5 Courses in Co-Degree Major

*Consider what Experiential Learning opportunities will fit with your studies!

Year 2

Fall Term

5 Courses in Co-Degree Major

Winter Term

5 Courses in Co-Degree Major

Year 3

Fall Term

5 Courses in Co-Degree Major

Winter Term

5 Courses in Co-Degree Major*

*Must complete all co-degree courses by end of academic year.

Years 4 and 5

Education Year 1 (See Below)

Interested in the Honours pathway? Apply this year!

Education Year 2 (See Below)*

*Must finish degree on Education years.

Education years

Year 4 - Fall*

EDUC 420 | EDUC 427 | EDUC 430 | EDUC 435 | EDUC 440 (Field I)

*Interested in the Honours pathway? Apply this year!

Year 4 - Winter

EDUC 445 | EDUC 450 | EDUC 456 | EDUC 460 | EDUC 465 (Field II)

Year 5 - Fall*

EDUC 521 | EDUC 525 | EDUC 530 | EDUC 535 | EDUC 540 (Field III)

*Opportunity to participate in Teaching Across Borders!

Year 5 - Winter

EDUC 551 | EDUC 556 | EDUC 56X Series | EDUC 560 (Field IV)


Specific program requirements

All Concurrent students will complete 150 units, comprised of 21 EDUC major courses, as well as 29 co-degree courses. Concurrent students are responsible for ensuring that they meet the degree requirements and regulations of their partner faculties. Check in with your co-degree Advisors regularly to make sure that you are on track to finish co-degree requirements.

EDUC 201*

Education Semester 1: EDUC 420 | EDUC 427 | EDUC 430 | EDUC 435 | EDUC 440**

Education Semester 2: EDUC 445 | EDUC 450 | EDUC 456 | EDUC 460 | EDUC 465

Education Semester 3: EDUC 521 | EDUC 525 | EDUC 530 | EDUC 535 | EDUC 540

Education Semester 4: EDUC 551 | EDUC 556 | EDUC 56X Series | EDUC 560***

* Non-majors interested in taking this course should read and fill out the web-form.

** Check out our Registration Guide for EDUC 400 and 500-level semester details.

*** Visit our course outlines for EDUC class details! 

Although your co-degree may not require you to take a course in literature, you will want to ensure to take one in one of your Arts or option course spaces. The reason is that Alberta Education requires ‘6 semester hour credits’ in English or French Literature for the purposes of teacher certification. 3 of those units are covered already with the mandatory Education Major course, 'EDUC 435: Literacy, Language, and Culture'. Thus, you are responsible for meeting the other 3 units with a semester-long course. Visit our list of acceptable courses to get some ideas!

Please Note: Kinesiology students should plan to take this course as one of their options in their first year.

If you're looking for more EDUC content prior to starting your 400 and 500-level years, you may want to consider taking one of our 200 or 300-level series courses.

First years and above can consider taking at least one of our 200- level series of EDUC courses, which are offered in an online delivery-format. Please note that enrolment in a 200-level course is space-dependent due to pathway restrictions, and requires that you submit a request via our web-form.

If you are heading into your second year or above, you may want to consider some of the below Education-specific options, engineered for Education students:

EDUC 305: Inside Mathematics

EDUC 307: Integrating Arts Education

EDUC 309: Early Childhood Development

EDUC 311: Language and Literacy, Learning in the Classroom

EDUC 313: Starting with Story: Teaching and Learning with Indigenous Literatures

EDUC 314: Mindfulness and Well-Being in Higher Education

SCIE 331: Scientific Explorations

Considering the Honours pathway? Your Honours classes can also meet elective requirements! Because admission and coursework doesn't occur until the final year of your program, we encourage you to connect with an Advisor to chat about how to plan your degree!


Orientation

Staying Connected

"As a concurrent student, it can be hard balancing both degrees, but, there are ways to stay involved! I joined the Early Childhood Education Council and the Education Students' Association. Maintaining that connection has helped me feel more prepared and confident about jumping into my field experiences."

 - Sabrina Rizzuti, BEd graduate

Learn more about the Education Students' Association


Student Life

Understanding your fees

The Cost Estimator is a great tool to understand your tuition, general fees, and living expenses.

Student Studying

Funding and scholarships

The University of Calgary and the Werklund School of Education offer a number of awards and resources to help fund your education.

Fall on Campus

Residence

Interested in living on campus?