What Are The Graduation Requirements:
The British Columbia Certificate of Graduation or "Dogwood Diploma" is awarded upon successful completion of the provincial graduation requirements.
80 Credits minimum are need to graduate
Each grade 10, 11, and 12 course is worth 4 credits. If you pass the course, you earn the credits. Each student is required to complete 80 credits which are made up of 52 credits of Required courses, and 28 credits of Elective courses.
The Required Courses (52 credits) are:
In addition, students must also complete two new graduation assessments aligned with the redesigned curriculum - one in literacy and one in numeracy: (The literacy requirement will be fully implement in January 2020)
Students must also complete 28 credits (7 courses) from Elective courses. These courses may be academic, non-academic, dual-credit, external credit, independent directed studies, etc.
Please note that these requirements are just the minimum to graduate as per the BC Ministry of Education. If you plan on continuing on into post-secondary education following graduation, you must ensure that you meet the entrance requirements for your intended program of study. Please check with your potential post-secondary institution(s) to ensure that you complete the necessary courses required for entrance.
For information about post-secondary requirements, go to Education Planner BC
Resources from the BC Ministry of Education:
BC Graduation Program Policy Guide
Adult Graduation Diploma Program
Graduation Assessments
Do I require a second language course?
If you plan to attend university following high school and wish to keep EVERY post-secondary option open, it is recommended that you achieve a second language course up to a grade 11 level (i.e. French 11 or Spanish 11). Some post-secondary institutions such as UBC-Vancouver and Simon Fraser University require a second language 11 for direct entry from high school. The vast majority of universities across Canada do not require a second language 11 for graduates of BC. Please check with the post-secondary institution you plan on attending, if outside of BC, to verify if a second language course is required.
If you plan on attending college or a smaller regional university (i.e. Vancouver Island University or Capilano University), you do not require a second language course.
If you are unsure, please check with your grade counsellor.
The British Columbia Certificate of Graduation or "Dogwood Diploma" is awarded upon successful completion of the provincial graduation requirements.
80 Credits minimum are need to graduate
Each grade 10, 11, and 12 course is worth 4 credits. If you pass the course, you earn the credits. Each student is required to complete 80 credits which are made up of 52 credits of Required courses, and 28 credits of Elective courses.
The Required Courses (52 credits) are:
- A Language Arts 10 (English 10)
- A Language Arts 11 (Composition 11, Creative Writing 11, Literary Studies 11, or New Media 11)
- English Studies 12
- A Math 10 (Foundations & Pre-Calculus Math 10 or Workplace Math 10)
- A Math 11 (Pre-Calculus 11, Foundations of Math 11 or Workplace Math 11)
- Science 10
- A Science 11 or 12 (Chemistry 11, Life Sciences 11, Physics 11, Earth Science 11)
- Social Studies 10
- Social Studies 11 or 12 (BC First Peoples 12, Comparative Civilizations 12, Human Geography 12, Physical Geography 12, World History 12, Law Studies 12, or Social Justice 12)
- Physical Education 10
- Career Life Education
- Career Life Connections + Capstone Project
- An Arts Education or an Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies 10, 11 or 12
In addition, students must also complete two new graduation assessments aligned with the redesigned curriculum - one in literacy and one in numeracy: (The literacy requirement will be fully implement in January 2020)
Students must also complete 28 credits (7 courses) from Elective courses. These courses may be academic, non-academic, dual-credit, external credit, independent directed studies, etc.
Please note that these requirements are just the minimum to graduate as per the BC Ministry of Education. If you plan on continuing on into post-secondary education following graduation, you must ensure that you meet the entrance requirements for your intended program of study. Please check with your potential post-secondary institution(s) to ensure that you complete the necessary courses required for entrance.
For information about post-secondary requirements, go to Education Planner BC
Resources from the BC Ministry of Education:
BC Graduation Program Policy Guide
Adult Graduation Diploma Program
Graduation Assessments
Do I require a second language course?
If you plan to attend university following high school and wish to keep EVERY post-secondary option open, it is recommended that you achieve a second language course up to a grade 11 level (i.e. French 11 or Spanish 11). Some post-secondary institutions such as UBC-Vancouver and Simon Fraser University require a second language 11 for direct entry from high school. The vast majority of universities across Canada do not require a second language 11 for graduates of BC. Please check with the post-secondary institution you plan on attending, if outside of BC, to verify if a second language course is required.
If you plan on attending college or a smaller regional university (i.e. Vancouver Island University or Capilano University), you do not require a second language course.
If you are unsure, please check with your grade counsellor.
