A new poll says nearly 70% of Ontario residents support three-year degrees at Ontario’s colleges.
The Ontario colleges, which include Loyalist College in Belleville, offer a mix of four-year, two-year and three-year diploma programs, apprenticeship training and post-graduate certificate programs for university and college graduates.
The proposed changes would include a new three-year degree program, an increase in the number of four-year degree programs and master degree programs in specialized technical areas such as robotics, cybersecurity, and animation. The changes would create more career options for graduates, including new opportunities to advance into management positions.
The poll was conducted as an online survey of 1,056 people, 18 years or older, on June 21 this year.
President and CEO of Loyalist College Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan released a statement, “At Loyalist College, we are committed to expanding access to educational opportunities and supporting economic development in our region. Augmenting our program offering to include three-year degree programs, would unleash exciting new pathways for Bay of Quinte residents to pursue further academic credentials without needing to leave the region. That is why Loyalist College joins Colleges Ontario as it urges the Ontario Government to approve policy changes enabling colleges to broaden career-specific degree programs.”
Loyalist has joined Colleges Ontario which is urging the provincial government to approve policy changes enabling colleges to broaden career-specific degree programs.
Loyalist indicates that specific results of the survey included:
- A total of 69% of respondents supported or strongly supported the proposal to allow colleges to offer three-year degrees. Twenty-six per cent were neutral or unsure and six percent were opposed.
- Nearly 80% of respondents believe expanding degree programs at colleges is a good way to create more opportunities for students, with 79 percent supporting or strongly supporting the idea, 18 percent neutral or unsure and only three percent opposed.
- More than half of respondents supported the creation of master’s degree programs at colleges, with 52% supporting the idea, 11% opposed and 36% neutral or unsure.
You can hear more of President Vaughan’s statement to Quinte News below:
