Don’t be afraid to jump back in!
Explore deeper perspectives. Refresh your career at UVic.
Do you want to advance in your current career or are you looking for something completely fresh? Continuing Studies at UVic will deepen your perspective on career training and professional development.
Our certificate, diploma and micro-credential programs are an ideal way to earn the skills and credentials you need to succeed. Our instructors are real-world experts in their fields, who balance practical experience with teaching excellence. With many of our programs offered online, you will receive education and training for the real world and get the opportunity to network with people in your field. Financial assistance may be available for eligible applicants. Visit financial support for more info.
Different program types to suit your goals
Uncertain about what type of credential best suits your learning goals? Here is a breakdown of the various credentials offered through our professional programming.
Certificates of participation, certificates of completion and professional development certificates are considered micro-credentials—short, flexible upskilling or reskilling opportunities. Learn more about micro-credentials and our current short program offerings.
| Credential type | Credential description | Credit or non-credit |
| Certificate of Participation | Awarded after attending a course or grouping of courses that does not have any formalized assessment. Typically, participants use this type of education for professional development purposes and, in some cases, as evidence of participation for professional development units (PDUs) or continuing education credits to fulfill industry specific requirements. | Non-credit |
| Certificate of Completion | Awarded for courses or programs of study that are not professional in nature, but do require formal assessment. | Non-credit |
| Professional Development Certificate (PDC) | PDCs are non-credit micro-credentials for professionals who have, or are developing, experience in a specific industry or professional field, and who wish to sharpen their skills and competencies. Typically they consist of no more than four courses (up to 150 hours of learning); can be customized to suit individual’s specific learning goals. | Non-credit |
| Professional Specialization Certificate (PSC) | A PSC is a profession-specific program for learners who already hold a bachelor’s degree and have at least two years of work-related experience. Typically four courses or a minimum of 150 hours of learning (6 credit units). Learning is assessed. | Credit or non-credit |
| Certificate | A certificate is typically seven to 10 courses that leads to a specific set of program learning objectives (270–390 hours of instruction). Learning is assessed. | Credit or non-credit |
| Diploma | A diploma is 10 to 15 courses (390+ hours of instruction) that lead to a specific set of program learning objectives. Credit courses completed may be applied towards an undergraduate degree with approval as long as students meet current admission requirements. Learning is assessed. | Credit or non-credit |
Find out how our students' perspectives were refreshed
"Having the chance to take all kinds of different courses, in all kinds of fields, with all kinds of different people involved—different industries and professionals, different people participating—this is an opportunity that only Continuing Studies can give."
Shawn Cure, Cultural Resource Management Graduate
Our offerings
How close are you to the career you really want? Choose a program below and watch your career take shape.
Choose your career path
All
Business &
Management
Data, Computing
& Technology
Health, Wellness
& Safety
Humanities and
& Social Sciences
Languages
Museums, Heritage
& Indigenous Culture
Science & the
Environment
Teaching, Learning
& Development
-
Administrative Technology
PDC | ONLINE, BLENDEDThis micro-credential equips learners with the critical skills sought by employers to succeed in a computerized office—from software and database management to data analytics skills, cloud-based applications, digital communication and more.
-
Adult and Continuing Education (CACE)
CERTIFICATE | ONLINE, BLENDEDBuilding an effective workplace learning program means having all the right pieces in place. Gain knowledge and practical skills-building in the areas of program and course development, facilitation and instructional design. Learn how to apply the latest in instructional techniques and online learning tools to reach your learners in more ways than ever before.
-
Business Administration
CERTIFICATE | ONLINE, BLENDED, FACE TO FACEThe Certificate in Business Administration (CBA) is designed to fit the needs of mid-career professionals, full-time employees and people looking for professional development. Learn about business administration, marketing, technology, e-commerce and more. Courses are offered on-campus, online or through intensive workshops so you can complete the certificate at your own pace.
-
Business Administration
DIPLOMA | ONLINE, BLENDED, FACE TO FACEThe Diploma in Business Administration (DBA) is a comprehensive business administration program designed to give you the practical knowledge and skills required for professional success. You’ll learn business administration, business writing, management computing, financial accounting, marketing, small business management, international business and more.
-
Business Communication
PDC | ONLINE, BLENDED, FACE TO FACEThis versatile program provides practical information and easily applied strategies to help you become a confident communicator in any industry. With a focus on developing self-assurance, you’ll learn to foster trust, provide clarity and direction, create better relationships and promote team building as you go places in your career.
-
Business Intelligence and Data Analytics
PDC | ONLINEIf you are a recent graduate or career professional looking to add relevant and highly marketable skills to your resume or toolkit, these NEW business intelligence and data analytics (BIDA) courses could be just what you need to get the competitive edge in this in-demand field.
-
Canadian Fall Prevention Curriculum
PDC | ONLINEThose working with older adults in long-term, acute and home care will acquire the knowledge and skills to apply an evidence-based approach to the prevention of falls and fall-related injuries. Learn how to design, implement and evaluate a fall prevention program.
-
Climate Action Planning
PDC | ONLINEThe Climate Action Planning micro-credential (CAP) is a great opportunity to learn the foundations of planning for climate action. You will develop the skills needed for you as a professional to put into action at all government levels.
-
Collections Management
PSC | ONLINE, BLENDEDWithin every object is a story, waiting to be unlocked. Preserving and unlocking the secrets within the cultural production of diverse communities, and sharing their stories with others is what makes history relevant today. This program gives you the skills you need to develop, manage and bring meaning to cultural collections.
-
Community Fishers Training
CoP | FACE TO FACECommunity Fishers empowers researchers and professional fishers to easily contribute high-quality, continuous data on water properties to help better understand and inform policy on fish habitat and the changes that may be impacting the ocean environment over time.
-
Cultural Resource Management
DIPLOMA | ONLINE, BLENDEDIf you’re passionate about preserving cultural resources, the diploma in Cultural Resource Management (CRM) will provide you with the education you need to become a valuable member of any cultural organization. Study alongside museum and heritage professionals from around the world, and learn valuable skills from leading experts in the field.
-
Current Concepts in Dentistry
CERTIFICATE OF PARTICIPATION | FACE TO FACECurrent Concepts in Dentistry is one of the foremost events in the field of dental continuing education. This ADA CERP recognized program is a great opportunity to learn from four outstanding instructors in November each year. You’ll also earn up to seven CE credits per day (28 credits over four days).
-
Designing Learning in a Hybrid Workplace
PDC | ONLINEThe workplace is changing, and many businesses are realizing the future of work is hybrid. Training employees in this new environment requires a new set of skills. In this online micro-credential program, you will gain the necessary skills to effectively design and deliver training for a hybrid workplace through a series of three short, self-paced and stackable courses.
-
Digital Planning for the Cultural Sector
PDC | ONLINEDigital Planning for the Cultural Sector provides just-in-time training for professionals in the museum, heritage and cultural sector to develop the critical competencies and skills needed to make informed decisions around the future of digital technologies for cultural organizations.
-
Ecological Restoration
PSC | ONLINEThis non-credit certificate provides advanced ecology training for professionals working in landscape architecture, landscape design and management, forestry, agrology, biology, mining, ecological restoration or environmental practice. The courses will prepare you to conduct site assessments and restoration projects with special attention to the unique challenges presented by altered environments.
-
Emergency Management for Organizational Continuity
PDC | ONLINEContinuity during a crisis requires thinking three moves ahead. The new Emergency Management for Organizational Continuity program (EMOC) equips learners with the knowledge and skills needed to plan for and maintain business continuity in the event of an emergency such as a natural disaster, pandemic, conflict or cyber-attack.
-
Environmental and Occupational Health
CERTIFICATE | ONLINEIn this program, you’ll learn how to identify health risks, prevent serious accidents and maintain safety regulations in the workplace. The EOH program meets the requirements set by the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP), and has received the Project Minerva Canada Award from the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering.
-
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
PDC | ONLINE, BLENDEDThis program empowers employers and employees to drive positive change by fostering equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplaces. Participants will learn about intercultural communication, systemic barriers and talent acquisition to transform work environments and promote collaboration.
-
Essential Soft Skills Training
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATE| ONLINEThe Essential Soft Skills Training (ESST) micro-credential is a new five-week, part-time, instructor-led online program that will build learners’ competencies in critical soft skills: organizational skills, communication skills, critical thinking, and team-building.
-
French Immersion Teacher Mentorship
PDC | ONLINEFrench Immersion teachers in BC face unique challenges. The French Immersion Teacher Mentorship program transforms practice through mentorship, to create a more engaged and confident workforce.
-
French Immersion Teacher Pro-D
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | ONLINEFrench Immersion teachers in BC face unique challenges. The French Immersion Teacher professional development series transforms practice through workshops dedicated to the unique needs of in-service immersion teachers.
-
Green Shores™ Training
CoP | FACE TO FACEThe Green Shores Training program provides options and tools for a wide range of planning, design and construction professionals and landowners who are interested in minimizing the environmental impacts of their projects in a cost-effective manner.
-
Health Terminology Standards
PDC | ONLINEThe Health Terminology Standards professional certificate is a one-year, part-time, online non-credit program. After graduation of the program, you will be eligible for the Canadian College of Health Information Management Certified Terminology Standards Specialist (CTSS) credential.
-
Indigenous Language Documentation
PDC | ONLINEDocumentation plays a key role in language reclamation. This new micro-credential will give you skills in audio/video recording and editing, working with archival materials, creating resources, and best practices for collecting and safeguarding Elders' voices and cultural knowledge.
-
Indigenous Language Revitalization
CERTIFICATE | FACE TO FACEThis award-winning program will strengthen your understanding of language loss, maintenance and recovery, and help you develop the knowledge and practical strategies for language revitalization activities across British Columbia and beyond. Courses are offered in a variety of communities in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and more.
-
Intercultural Studies and Practice
DIPLOMA | FACE TO FACE, BLENDEDThe Intercultural Studies and Practice (ISP) program aims to develop social responsibility and a clearer understanding and awareness of the complex issues at play in our increasingly multicultural society. You will develop skills to support all aspects of cultural diversity, inclusion and social change in your community, workplace and around the world.
-
La Maison Francaise
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION | ONLINELa Maison Française (LMF) is an intensive, virtual, non-credit, summer French immersion program. It is open to Canadian and international students and is intended for learners 18 years and up, at all levels of proficiency, from total beginner to advanced.
-
October Teacher Pro-D Day
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | FACE TO FACEJoin us on the province-wide October Pro-D Day for workshops that focus on relevant topics for teachers. Workshop participants will leave with new ideas and the tools to incorporate those ideas into their classrooms. This is a fantastic opportunity to renew your inspiration, learn new skills, and network with other teachers.
-
Organizational Preparedness and Adaptability
PDC | ONLINEA six-week online program to help you become more proactive, rather than reactive, and to prepare your organization to withstand any crisis. Put the right plans in place to keep your organization moving forward.
-
Palliative Care Pharmacy
PDC | ONLINEThis online program enables pharmacists to acquire the specialized knowledge to support palliative care patients and their families, as well as other members of the interprofessional team, in pain and symptom management, deprescribing, addressing adverse events, and use of opioids and cannabis.
-
Population Health Data Analysis
PSC | ONLINEEvery piece of data tells a story. This program will prepare you to tell that story. Learn a broad array of techniques to analyze and interpret health data through online discussions, assignments and practical data analysis applications. Each course introduces relevant analytical approaches and provides you with the knowledge and evaluative tools to discern how to apply them in practice.
-
Public Relations
DIPLOMA | ONLINETake your PR career to new heights. In today’s rapidly changing world, public relations professionals must be able to design external and internal communication strategies and integrate the new theoretical and practical models of public relations into their organization’s practice. This program prepares you to think critically, develop teamwork skills and manage time effectively.
-
Restoration of Natural Systems
CERTIFICATE | BLENDEDThe bridge to a healthier ecological future. Knowing where we are headed, from an ecological standpoint, requires an understanding of environmental impacts and recovery strategies. The RNS program provides a bridge that connects this knowledge with the practical skills needed to solve complex restoration issues. The program’s holistic approach will empower you to make a difference in how we connect with the natural world.
-
Restoration of Natural Systems
DIPLOMA | BLENDEDThe bridge to a healthier ecological future. Knowing where we are headed, from an ecological standpoint, requires an understanding of environmental impacts and recovery strategies. The RNS program provides a bridge that connects this knowledge with the practical skills needed to solve complex restoration issues. The program’s holistic approach will empower you to make a difference in how we connect with the natural world.
-
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION | FACE TO FACE, ONLINETEFL will provide you with the skills and confidence you need to teach with authority and find employment with a respected school. It will also prepare you to navigate the demands of a changing marketplace and the stresses of living and working in a new country.
-
Teaching English Language Learning
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATE | ONLINEAs a K-12 teacher, you can now earn a Professional Development Certificate in Teaching English Language Learning by completing two online courses offered through Continuing Studies at UVic.
-
Strategies and Actions for Independent Living (SAIL)
PDC | ONLINEThis short, practical fall prevention micro-credential program is designed for home health care aides who provide day-to-day in-home care for frail older adults, to help their clients live independently and safely at home.
-
Visitor and Community Engagement
PSC | ONLINE, BLENDEDAs a museum, heritage or cultural professional, you know that so much of your work is about making connections. This program brings focus and increased understanding to the skills and strategies needed to build and maintain relationships with diverse communities so organizations can better engage and serve their public(s).
-
Wound Management for Health Professionals
PDC | ONLINE, BLENDEDProficient wound management is an ever-present challenge for professional health care clinicians. Chronic and acute wound prevention and treatment requires a strong foundation of theory and principles combined with evidence-based practice. This online program for health care professionals combines the most current information and trends in wound care.
-
General Studies
CERTIFICATE | ONLINE, BLENDED, FACE TO FACEIf you’ve been browsing through our programs and seeing courses that you’d like to take but they’re in multiple areas, the Certificate in General Studies (CGS) is for you! In the CGS program, you create your own course of study by choosing courses from any of our program offerings. CGS will help you to meet your specific learning needs and achieve your unique goals. Design your own learning program.
-
Coming soon: new programs
We are working on a number of exciting new programs exploring the latest in a wide range of topics, taught in small-class and online learning environments. Join our email lists and we'll let you know once details become available.