Professional Programs

Professional programs refer to a broad range of advanced educational options such as medical school, law school, teacher training programs, public policy, social work, and public health that are designed to provide a intense training for a specific profession. Length of programs vary from as long as four years (or longer for medical school) to as few as one year for some teacher training programs. These programs often have internships, and are designed so that students leave school with either a job or a very good sense of how to get one. These programs are typically expensive and expect students to pay out of pocket, with limited to no scholarships available.

Professional programs are especially good if you have a very clear idea of what you want to do and where you want to do it. If you want to be a lawyer in Vancouver, for instance, you are better off going to a law school in BC because there is a regionalism to the job market — you will do an internship and work with people locally and when you are done, it is these contacts that will help you land a job (hopefully!). Some programs expect to see a mix of academic training (a BA) and professional experience, so it is helpful to look at these programs early on and strategize how you can meet both expectations. Application deadlines tend to be later than academic programs and require fewer components.