Greetings, couple of things.

[BradM]

Well I have been considering joining for a long time. I used to post on this forum about a year ago too under a different nickname. (I forget it now)

I am going to Victoria tuesday to speak with a recruiting officer to help me decide where I would be best placed. Where I would be more suited for duty etc.
I want to further my education before I join (I am going back to get my highschool diploma as I dropped out 4 years ago) but do you know if the Army has any sort of highschool diploma program?

My biggest question I suppose is... should I go officer, or not? Also what are the requirements for going officer? Any links would be much appreciated. I'm a strong leader and have been told I would be an excellent office by friends. But what exactly do I need to do to become one, and what types are there?

Chances are the recruiter will have more information for me but I wanted to check here too. Thanks! 

 

[rdschultz]

There are many Officer trades ranging anywhere from Infantry Officer to Nursing Officer.  Check the CF Recruiting website for a list, and maybe give all the trades (Officer and NCM) a quick once-over before going to the recruiting centre. 

To become an officer, basically you need a 4-year University degree. Some occupations require specific degrees, so if you decide that becoming an officer is your cup of tea, and you decide on an occupation to shoot for, you can figure out what degree is needed. 

 

[JcPrime]

Officer Req's are listed as "Bachelor/Undergraduate" & "Graduate".

Some degree's for your undergraduate can be either 3-4(Less and more depending on the field, but for the sake of arguement I'm talking about my experience with and "Arts" degree) years. I would be guessing that the length of time required for said degree does not matter when applying, just the fact of weather you have your undergraduate or not. Universities tend to differ rather greatly on a school to school basis, so I would think they wouldn't restrict officer entry to a "4year" degree (Wasen't that specific on the recruiting site at least).

Anyway, just wanted to toss that out there. Only reason I bring it up is because I can finish my BA degree in three years technically 

~Jeff

 

[rdschultz]

You're correct, I'm sorry.  I was oversimplifying.  What I was trying to make clear was that a 1 or 2 year diploma does not meet the requirements, and in doing so I neglected to take 3 year undergraduate degree programs into account.  But yes, I should have stated it differently.

 

[ringo_mountbatten]

4 year uni degrees are honours degrees and 3 year degrees are not in canada.  if you wish to go to grad school you will need a honours degree as most postgrad programs require it.  if you are not planning on going to grad school or furthering your academic career after uni then a three year ba is fine and is more than acceptable for the forces as long as it is from an accredited school, ie no so called "international" university based in a strip mall in mississagua, also know as easy way to get student visa and into canada. 

 

[Tracker]

The CF doesn't have a highschool diploma program.  Later in your career you might find that you have the chance to get your high school diploma with some help from the CF, but you probably won't be considered for this for a long time.

To become an officer you must have a university degree or be on your way to getting one.  If you want to be an officer, I suggest that it would be easier for you to get a degree first then apply as DEO or if you are accepted into an approved Canadian university without conditions you can apply ROTP.  If you dropped out of high school, your chances of going to RMC are slim.

There are many fine leaders at the NCM level, you don't need to be an officer to lead troops.

 

[BradM]

Wow, thanks guys. Much appreciated.
I suppose then if I do get my highschool equivilancy and join up as an NCM I should pick a trade that has some sort of direct civillian relation. That way if I decide after a few years the Army isn't for me I have a trade to fall back on and not have to worry about going to College in my 30s

 

[BDTyre]

I think you're a little confused.  One does not apply for a degree based on how long they want to spend in school.  A BA, any BA at the majority of Canadian universities are designed to be completed in 4 years on the basis of 5 courses per semester with summers off.  Many schools offer summer courses, allowing students to complete their degrees sooner should they wish.  An honours degree requires extra course work and generally a thesis paper at the end.  It prepares students for grad school, it is not a requirement.  Some programs allow students with a high GPA and a basic BA to slide right into a PhD program, others will require a Master's first, but I've never heard of any grad program requiring an honours.

A three year BA generally just means the person put the effort in to get out of university before everyone else.  Others like me, are woefully part time and by the end will have taken six years to do what is supposed to take four.

4 year uni degrees are honours degrees and 3 year degrees are not in canada.   if you wish to go to grad school you will need a honours degree as most postgrad programs require it.   if you are not planning on going to grad school or furthering your academic career after uni then a three year ba is fine and is more than acceptable for the forces as long as it is from an accredited school, ie no so called "international" university based in a strip mall in mississagua, also know as easy way to get student visa and into canada.  

 

[JcPrime]

I seem to have caused a bit of confusion here, let me straighten er out.

My "3year degree", is actually now a 4year degree. However, when I entered my university (St.Mary's[SMU]), it was in fact a 3year(15credits) at the time. Anyone joining now, would indeed be in for a 4year(20credits) haul to get the degree I myself can technically do in 3years(15credits).

20credits/4years is generally the standard these days. My comment earlier was just saying I doubt they would nit-pick at those whom's degree's were achieved a bit longer ago, and thus weren't required to have 20credits to get them.

Anyway, point is: An undergraduate is an undergraduate, I imagine the length of time it took to get it won't matter when joining. (Unless maybe you failed multiple times and took MANY years to get it as a result )

~Jeff

 

[casing]

This reply really has nothing to do with the original subject of the thread.  

People need to remember that when they start talking about educational requirements, not everyone reading the message will fall under the same category.   University requirements in Alberta are different than Ontario, for example.   The system is different and therefore someone in Ontario that says "I need 15 credits to get a degree" might confuse someone in Alberta who needs 90 credits to get the equivalent degree.

4 year uni degrees are honours degrees ...snip... in canada.

This is not an accurate statement.  There are many 4-year degree programs in Canada that are not "honours".  A good example are degree programs at the University of Calgary or University of Alberta (just examples).  You will graduate with a 4-year degree whether it is honours or not.  Also, many 4-year programs are specialization degrees, as opposed to honours.  There's a difference, though not much.

A BA, any BA at the majority of Canadian universities are designed to be completed in 4 years...

Just to add clarification on the "at the majority" part of this statement.  There are many degree programs in Canada that are designed to be completed in 3 years.  These are typically known as Pass degrees.  I would not consider the majority of degrees to be 4-year programs, either.  It is just as easy to find a 3-year program.

A three year BA generally just means the person put the effort in to get out of university before everyone else.   Others like me, are woefully part time and by the end will have taken six years to do what is supposed to take four.

This statement is completely inaccurate and misleading.  A 3-year program does not mean someone put in more effort to get out of university sooner.  The 3-year program is typically designed for 3-year and that is the reason the student will finish in 3 years.  Now, if you happen to be enrolled in a 4-year program and complete it in 3 years, that is a different story.  

 

[BDTyre]

You are correct Casing.  My apologies for not clarifying my earlier statement.

 

[ringo_mountbatten]

bdtyre i am not confused i know what the degree requirements for honours degrees are at the two univerisites i  have attended in ontario and quebec, as well i know what they were when i went to uni in england too.  as for you statement that a high gpa and a three year degree will get you into a phd programme that simply is not the case at any top school.  you might with three year non-honours degree get into an mphil programme leading to a phd prgram, but they will certainly not allow you to move directly into a phd programme.  i allow that there are many differences, not only by province, but universities and how they allot credits and their value.  the timing placed on a degree is the amount of time you will spend in a programme with a full course load per semester and taking summers off.  unis do not take into account summer courses unless the prgramme is termed year round.  i have seen many people leave school in 3 years with an honours degree by taking summer courses while i have seen others go five years so that they have extra time in 3rd and 4th years for their research. 

 

[BDTyre]

Sorry to be off topic...but: Applicants with a BA applying directly to the PhD program must have at least a 3.5 CGPA or its equivalent.  That's from the History department at Simon Fraser, considered to be a top university in Canada.  Of course to you easterner's its just a hippy liberal arts college.