Ontario Secondary School Diploma Requirements

Secondary Program Information

Student Success

Post-Secondary Preparation

Specialized Program Information

Special Education and Continuing Education

School Profiles and Course Offerings

Course Descriptions and Prerequisites

Learn about some of the information and programs available to students as they prepare for post-secondary education.

There are usually 4 post-secondary destinations for students to consider: Apprenticeship, College, University, and Workplace and Community Living.

Community-connected experiential learning is an approach to student learning that facilitates opportunities to actively participate in experiences connected to the community outside of school, reflect on those experiences to derive meaning from them, and apply their learning to their decisions and actions in various aspects of their lives.

Cooperative (co-op) Education is a program of study that integrates academics with practical experience in the community. This experiential learning can help students make informed decisions about future careers and post-secondary pathways.

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) is a specialized Cooperative Education program for students who choose to explore a community experience or placement in the skilled trades.

Refer to the OYAP booklet or visit the OYAP website for more information and resources.

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) is an exciting specialized ministry-funded program that students enter in grades 11 and 12. SHSM programming provides students the opportunity to participate in an active learning environment with access to free workshops, certifications, field-trips and interactive industry experiences.

Upon graduating from the SHSM program, students receive a Specialized Seal of Distinction on their OSSD, along with vital experience in various industrial sectors.

Visit our SHSM page for more information, and follow us on Instagram to see our SHSM programming in action!

The Dual Credit program is a ministry-funded program that allows students, while still in high school, to take college or apprenticeship courses that count towards both the Ontario Secondary Diploma (OSSD) and a post-secondary certificate, diploma, degree, or Certificate of Apprenticeship.

School Within a College (SWAC) is a Student Success initiative in partnership between the Toronto Catholic District School Board and three Colleges (Humber, Seneca and George Brown Colleges). SWAC gives secondary students the opportunity to earn secondary school credits and dual credit courses (college credit plus high school credit) on a college campus.

The goal is for students to complete their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and transition to post-secondary destinations.