Location
Start Dates
- January 09, 2025
- May 05, 2025
- September 02, 2025
Program Delivery
- Blended - Self-Paced
- Face to Face - Synchronous
- Online - Synchronous
- Hyflex
Academic upgrading is offered for Canadian resident students (citizens, permanent residents, and refugees) only.
Program Description
Complete or upgrade the high school courses you need to enter post-secondary education. We offer accredited Alberta Education high-school courses and flexible learning options to help you quickly reach your goals.
For the WINTER 2025 semester, the below delivery modes will be available
BAS - Blended Asynchronous, Synchronous
Courses are delivered in a combination of scheduled online classes and self-paced D2L learning activities.
Classes are recorded and available through MS teams.
Students will be required to complete some assessments online and others in person, either on campus or with an approved proctor, based on their location
- Biology 20
- Biology 30
- Chemistry 30
- Microsoft Office 10
- Physics 20
- Science 10
- English Language Arts 20-2
- English Language Arts 30-1
- English Language Arts 30-2
- Mathematics 20-1
- Mathematics 30-1
- Mathematics 30-2
FS - Face to face, Synchronous
Students attend scheduled class times, either in a classroom, lecture theatre or another learning environment such as a lab.
Select assessments are completed during class time.
- Biology 20
- Biology 30
- Chemistry 20
- Chemistry 30
- Physics 30
- Science 10
- English Language Arts 10-2
- English Language Arts 10-1
- English Language Arts 20-2
- English Language Arts 20-1
- English Language Arts 30-1
- English Language Arts 30-2
- Post-Secondary Foundations
- Mathematics 10-C
- Mathematics 20-2
- Mathematics 30-2
OA - Online, Asynchronous
Students work at their own pace and have weekly connection times with an instructor.
Work is submitted according to a schedule
Students will be required to complete some assessments online and others in person, either on campus or with an approved proctor, based on their location
- Mathematics 10-3
- Mathematics 20-3
- Mathematics 30-3
BP - Blended, Self-Paced
Includes a combination of online learning activities and face to face scheduled learning activities such as labs and seminars.
Students complete online work at times of their own choosing but have a weekly schedule to help keep them on track with self-paced studies.
Students have access to daily face-to-face support available at scheduled times (Monday to Friday).
Meeting times may be scheduled between instructor and students as needed.
- Social Studies 10-2
- Social Studies 20-2
- Social Studies 20-1
- Social Studies 30-2
- Social Studies 30-1
Minimum Technology Requirements
All learners must have regular access to technology. A desktop computer or laptop is with the following capabilities is:
- Have reliable internet access.
- Have a camera and microphone.
- Support MS Teams and Desire to Learn (D2L)
- Allow access to email through a myBVC account.
- Allow access to PDF and Word documents.
- Have a keyboard to create text documents of 500 words or more.
Welcome Centre
South Campus
345 - 6 Avenue SE
403-410-1402
Toll-free: 1-866-428-2669
info@bowvalleycollege.ca
Admission Requirements
- Transcripts for high school courses successfully completed in Canada within the last 7 years; OR
- A high school level on the Bow Valley College Admission/Placement Test
Welcome Centre
South Campus
345 - 6 Avenue SE
403-410-1402
Toll-free: 1-866-428-2669
info@bowvalleycollege.ca
"The School of Foundational Learning is a place where the instructors strive to rebuild your confidence and where your success is important to them. Through the encouragement I have received from my instructors while upgrading over the last two years, I was able to achieve all the courses I needed to take my next step at University."
Courses in Program
In Class course delivery subject to change
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Students explore and respond to novels or book-length nonfiction, film, Shakespearean plays, poetry, and short stories. Students write personal, critical, and analytical response to texts. This course prepares students for English Language Arts 20-1. The -1 stream helps students develop skills needed to write and critically analyze literature and nonfiction.
Prerequisite: B in ENGL0705 or B in READ0105 and B WRIT0105
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Students explore and respond to novels or book-length nonfiction, film, modern plays, poetry, popular nonfictions, and short stories. Students write personal and critical response to contexts and texts. This course prepares students for English Language Arts 20-2. The -2 stream helps students improve functional and critical reading and writing skills.
Prerequisite: C- in ENGL0705 or C- in READ0105 and C- WRIT0105
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Students explore and respond to novels, film, Shakespearean plays, modern drama, poetry, essays, and short stories. Students write personal, critical, and persuasive response to texts, literary texts, and prose. This course prepares students for English Language Arts 30-1. The -1 stream helps students develop skills needed to write and critically analyze literature and nonfiction.
Prerequisite: C- in English 10-1
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Students explore and respond to novels, film or book-length nonfiction, modern plays, poetry, and short stories. Students write personal, critical, and persuasive response to contexts, prose, and non-print texts. This course prepares students for English Language Arts 30-2. The -2 stream helps students improve functional and critical reading and writing skills.
Prerequisite: C- in English 10-2
This is an Alberta Education Diploma credit course. Students read and respond to novels, film or modern plays, Shakespearean plays, poetry, short stories, and popular nonfiction. Students write personal, persuasive, and critical response to literary texts, prose, and other texts. The -1 stream helps students develop skills needed to write and critically analyze literature and nonfiction.
Prerequisite: C- in ELA2105
This is an Alberta Education Diploma credit course. Students explore and respond to novels or book-length nonfiction, film, modern plays, poetry, essays and short stories. Students write personal, critical, and persuasive response to contexts, prose, and non-print texts. The -2 stream helps students improve functional and critical reading and writing skills.
Prerequisite: C- in English 20-2 or English 20-1
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Students will explore historical aspects of globalization, the effects of globalization on lands, cultures, human rights and quality of life. Through multiple perspectives students examine the effects of globalization on peoples in Canada and beyond, including the impact on Aboriginal and Francophone communities. Students will develop skills to respond to issues emerging in an increasingly globalized world.
Prerequisites: C- in ENGL0705 or C- in READ0105 and C- in WRIT0105
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Students will explore the complexities of nationalism in Canadian and international contexts. The course covers the origins of nationalism and the influence of nationalism on regional, international and global relations. Through multiple perspectives students develop understandings of nationalism and how nationalism contributes to the citizenship and identities of people in Canada. This course prepares students for Social Studies 30-1.
Prerequisites: C- in SST1772
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Students will examine historical and contemporary understandings of nationalism in Canada and the world, the origins of nationalism as well as the impacts of nationalism on individuals and communities in Canada and beyond. Students examine examples of nationalism, ultranationalism, supranationalism and internationalism from multiple perspectives. Students will develop personal and civic responses to emergent issues related to nationalism. This course prepares students for Social Studies 30-2.
Prerequisites: C- in SST1772
This is an Alberta Education diploma credit course. Students will explore the origins and complexities of ideologies and examine multiple perspectives regarding the principles of classical and modern liberalism. Students analyze various political and economic systems assess the viability of the principles of liberalism. Developing understandings of the roles and responsibilities associated with citizenship encourages students to respond to emergent global issues.
Prerequisites: C- in SST2771
This is an Alberta Education diploma credit course. Students will examine the origins, values and components of competing ideologies. They will explore multiple perspectives regarding relationships among individualism, liberalism, common good and collectivism. Students examine various political and economic systems to determine the viability of the values of liberalism. Developing understandings of the roles and responsibilities associated with citizenship will encourage students to respond to emergent global issues.
Prerequisites: C- in SST2772 or D in SST2771
In this course students study the Aboriginal Perspective on oral tradition, worldview, traditional societies, contact, and cultural exchange. This course highlights current issues, art, and literature in Aboriginal cultures.
Pre-requisite: C- in ENGL0705
In this course students study Aboriginal history and culture change in Canada. This course highlights the Aboriginal way of life, the effect of colonization, the Metis and Inuit struggles, treaties, assimilation, and education.
Pre-requisite: C- in SSN1154
In this course students study contemporary Aboriginal issues including inherent rights, traditional governance, Aboriginal rights and self-government, land claims, communities in today's society, and world issues.
Pre-requisite: C- in SSN2154
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Topics include spatial sense and reasoning, algebra and number sense, graphing, and study of relations.
Prerequisite: C+ in MATH0801, D in ENGL0705 or D in READ0105 and D in WRIT0105; MAT1791 (repeat)
This is an Alberta Education credit course. The -3 stream is designed for students who want to enter the trades or directly into the workforce. Topics include spatial reasoning and measurement, number sense, critical thinking, and algebra.
Prerequisite: D in MATH0801 or C+ in MATH0703; MAT1793 (repeat)
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Topics include algebra and number sense, trigonometry, quadratic functions, quadratic equations, and reciprocal functions. The -1 stream is designed for students who want to enter post-secondary programs that require the study of calculus.
Prerequisite: Math 10C with a grade of C
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Topics include logical reasoning, properties of angles and triangles, acute triangle trigonometry, sine and cosine law, radicals, and quadratics. The -2 stream is designed for students who want to enter post-secondary programs that do not require calculus.
Prerequisite: Math 10C with a grade of C-
This is an Alberta Education credit course. The -3 stream is designed for students who want to enter the trades or directly into the workforce. Topics include spatial reasoning and measurement, number sense, critical thinking, statistics, and algebra.
Prerequisite: D in Math 10-3
This is an Alberta Education diploma credit course. Topics include algebra and number sense, trigonometry, inverses of relations, logarithms, exponential and logarithmic functions, polynomial functions, and permutations. The -1 stream is designed for students who want to enter post-secondary programs that require the study of calculus.
Prerequisite: C in Mathematics 20-1
This is an Alberta Education diploma credit course. Topics include logical reasoning, geometry, trigonometry, statistics and probability. The -2 stream is designed for students who want to enter postsecondary programs that do not require calculus.
Prerequisite: C- in Mathematics 20-2
This is an Alberta Education credit course. The -3 stream is designed for students who want to enter the trades or directly into the workforce. Topics include spatial reasoning and measurement, number sense, critical thinking, statistics, algebra, and probability.
Prerequisite: D in Mathematics 20-3
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Math 31 is taken as a corequisite or pre-requisite to Math 30-1. Topics include differential and integral calculus, algebraic computations of functions and graphs. This course helps prepare students who want to study university level mathematics.
Prerequisite: B in Math 30-1
This is an Alberta Education credit course. Students in this course will study energy and matter in chemical change, energy flow in technological systems, cycling of matter in living systems, and energy flow in global systems.
Prerequisite: C- in SCIE0801 , C- in ENGL0105 or C- in READ0105 and C- in WRIT0105, C- in MATH0801
This is an Alberta Education credit course. It is intended for students who do not need specialized sciences in career programs or trades. Students in this course study chemical changes, changes in motion, the changing earth, and changes in living systems.
Prerequisite: C- in SCN1270
This is an Alberta Education credit course. This course analyzes energy and matter exchange in the biosphere, ecosystems and population change, photosynthesis and cellular respiration, and human systems. This course prepares students for Biology 30.
Prerequisite: C in SCN1270
This is an Alberta Education credit course. This course analyzes the diversity of matter and chemical bonding, forms of matter, matter as solutions, acids and bases, quantitative relationships in chemical changes.
Prerequisite: C in SCN1270 and C- in MAT1791
This is a diploma course for Alberta Education credit. This course analyzes thermochemical changes, electrochemical changes, chemical changes of organic compounds, chemical equilibrium focusing on acid-base systems. This course prepares students for post-secondary programs that focus on chemistry and other sciences.
Prerequisite: C- in SCN2796 or C- in CHEM0201
This is an Alberta Education credit course. This course analyzes kinematics, dynamics, circular motion, work, and energy, oscillatory motion and mechanical waves.
This is Alberta Education diploma credit course. This course analyzes momentum and impulse, forces and fields, electromagnetic radiation, and atomic physics.
Prerequisites: C- in SCN2797 or C- in PHYS0201
This course consists of modules working in Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint. Each module has 2 to 3 units with a final project. There is no final exam. Upon successful completion of COMP0702, COMP0101, COMP0201 and COMP0301, students will be proficient at an intermediate level in each of the Microsoft Office Applications.
Prerequisite: B in COMP0702, D in ENGL0705 or D in READ0105 and D in WRIT0105
This is a diploma course for Alberta Education credit. This course analyzes nervous and endocrine systems, reproduction and development, cell division, genetics and molecular biology, and population and community dynamics. This course prepares students for post-secondary programs in health and biological sciences.
Prerequisite: C- in SCN2231 or D in BIOL0201
This is an Alberta Education diploma credit course. It is intended for students who do not need specialized sciences in career programs or trades. Students in this course study how living systems respond to their environment, chemistry and the environment, electromagnetic energy, and energy and the environment. This science course is accepted as a 30 level science in many post-secondary institutions and career programs.
Prerequisite: C- in SCN2270
Special Projects is designed to give Alberta Education Credits in recognition of work undertaken by students on an individual or small group basis. This offering is learner driven. Students will identify areas of focus and then develop the skills needed for success in these areas.
Beginning a post-secondary journey means more than just academic studies; it involves building comprehensive skills that involve a well-rounded approach to success. In this course students will learn how to access college resources and supports, build networks, practice using the essential technology necessary at a post-secondary level, and develop study methods that work for them. Students will also be introduced to a variety of critical academic reading and communication skills, as well as habits that develop wellness. Students will finish the course with stronger academic skills, social awareness, resiliency, and readiness for post-secondary success.
Program FAQs
Yes, Online courses are available in select subjects. Learners may be required to write monthly assessments in person or through an approved proctor.
See high school upgrading program description page for an up-to-date list of course offerings.
Learners can take a maximum of 3 courses per semester. You can decide how many courses you’d like to take when it’s time to self-register. A meeting with a career counsellor would be encouraged to ensure you are taking the right courses for your career goals.
Yes. Please contact our International Education Department at 403-410-3476 or via email at international@bowvalleycollege.ca.
No. Many of our classes require pre-requisite courses or grades. Your course placement will be determined as follows:
- Transcript Placement – Requires recent (7 years or less) Canadian transcripts, or
- Placement Test.
We have three terms per year. The Winter runs from Jan-April, the Spring term runs from May-Aug, and the Fall term runs from September – December.