Frequently Asked Questions:

 

What is Concurrent Education?

Concurrent Education or “Con-Ed” is a program where students can work towards an undergraduate degree and an education degree simultaneously within a 5 and a half year time frame. At the end, you will graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Arts, Science, Music or Fine Art as well as a Bachelor of Education.  


Courses in Con-Ed

The only course requirements for Con-Ed are PSYC 100, PROF 110, PROF 210, PROF 310 and PRAC (see below for more details on PROF and PRAC)


Teaching Subjects and Divisions

  • As a Con-Ed student, after your first year you will have to declare a division (at the same time as major selection) of either Primary/Junior or Intermediate/Senior. I/S qualifies you to teach anywhere from Grades 7-12. P/J qualifies you to teach anywhere from Kindergarten to Grade 6.

  • Teaching subjects are different topics that you are qualified to teach and this is only applicable to those in I/S. You will need to choose two topics to be your teaching subjects. Queen’s University offers the following teaching subjects:

    • English

    • French

    • History

    • Geography

    • Math

    • Biology

    • Chemistry

    • Physics

    • Music-Instrumental

    • Music-Vocal

    • Dramatic Arts

    • Fine/Visual Art

    • First Nations, Métis & Indigenous Studies

  • A common term in reference to teaching subjects is “ABQ”. This stands for Additional Basic Qualification. Having an ABQ can allow you to have another teaching subjects.  If you get a certain amount of credits within a certain area of study you can get an ABQ in that subject area. This means that any time after you graduate, you can take an online course and acquire an additional teaching subject!

  • Your first teaching subject will require 30 units, your second teaching subject will require 24 and most (not all) ABQs will require 12 units. (Check with each individual subject to be certain how many units are needed for an ABQ)

PROF

Prof is a major component of your education degree, that you’ll be taking in first, second and third year. The reason Con-Ed allows you to finish your degree faster than a regular teacher’s college is because of the 3 PROF classes you will be taking in addition to your bachelor’s of art/science/music/fine arts. It’s a full year long course and you will automatically be placed into it so you do not have to worry about picking it yourself on SOLUS.  

Practicum

  • Practicum is where you will be a student teacher (or as we call it, teacher candidate) in a classroom. In first year, you must complete 60 hours or 10 full school days. This usually occurs in May or June after each school year, however, students can fulfill their requirements during the academic year as an alternative option.

  • Alternative Practicum is an opportunity to explore an area of educational interest that is different from a traditional classroom setting. Alt. prac may only be completed in first and second year.

  • During PROF 110, there will be special presentations by the practicum office explaining how practicum works and what students require before they set off on their first placements.

Your Education degree throughout the years

Students are required to take Prof and Prac every year up until (and including) third year. During fourth year, students focus on finishing their bachelor of arts/science/fine art/music. Students graduate from their first degree at the end of fourth year and dedicate all of fifth year to an education degree.


General Arts/Science:

Defining “general” first and talking about your degree plan

  • A general first year means you’ll proceed into university with no major. You will declare your major in May of 2022 after your first year is completed.

  • For your major, you will need one course. (ie. English →  ENGL100). Certain majors have different academic requirements and expectations, thus grades required vary between programs. An overall average also needs to be met.

  • A degree plan simply refers to the combination of your major, minor or medial, as well as your electives. A “medial” is essentially the Queen's version of a double major. Here is what it will look like over the course of you undergrad in terms of units:

    • Major: 60 units for your major and 60 units for electives. Total 120 units.

    • Major + Minor: 60 units for your major, 30 units for your minor and 30 units for electives. Total 120 units.

    • Medial: 42 units for your first subject, 42 units for your second subject and 36 units for electives. Total 120 units.

  • For more information about majors and courses here is a link to the major maps for all possible majors at Queen's: https://careers.Queen'su.ca/students/wondering-about-career-options/major-maps

  • This will tell you not only what courses you need to take throughout your four years but other things like job opportunities and what kind of experiences you could/should get out of the majors

Courses

  • You can also find the different degree plans and the requirements for them at the following link

  • You will have the opportunity to view all courses running for the fall and winter semesters on SOLUS starting June 17th. You can start building your schedule on your own at this date and add courses to your shopping cart (which will store them until your appointment time)

  • On July 8th you’ll receive your “appointment time” (the exact time and date you will be able to pick your courses) on SOLUS. This appointment time will be sometime on July 15th or 16th. This all happens online. An “appointment” is a short window of time in which you select courses.

  • To access the list of courses on SOLUS go to my.queensu.ca and log in with your net-id and password. When logged in you will see a grey icon that says “SOLUS”. Towards the right hand side of the page there will be a button that says search for classes. Then fill out the information in the various tabs to find any specific courses you’re searching for. Make sure to select Fall 2020 or Winter 2021 in the “term” section.

    If you are not available during your appointment time, there is no way to reschedule, however, you can get someone else (a family member or close friend, for example) to submit your courses for you. All they would need is your net-id and password, and as long as you filled your shopping cart with your courses, they will only have to press submit.

Getting Involved in First Year

There are many different opportunities available at Queen’s university! Here is a list of clubs at Queen's: https://myams.org/clubs-directory/ (list is not entirely up to date but it will provide a rough idea)

Working in University

  • Many university students work during school and there are many opportunities to work on campus.

  • Besides all the jobs at Queen's available through the AMS (undergraduate society) to which any student can apply, there is also something called the Work Study Program. This is primarily directed towards students from low-income families only. This program allows you to sign up for a job that is related to your field of study and earn up to $2000 a year. The application for the work study comes out in mid-summer and you can apply on SOLUS then. While everyone is guaranteed a job after an interview process, choices are on a first come first serve basis. The Work Study Program is a great opportunity to focus on your education, while subsidizing the cost of tuition as employers are required to provide leniency for educational purposes.

  • Queen's Career Services offers multiple links on this page to various different job opportunities on campus https://careers.Queen'su.ca/students/looking-job

Scheduling Courses on Campus

For the most part, you do not have to worry about scheduling courses back to back (i.e. one course ending at 10:30 and another starting at 10:30) because the campus is so close together. Additionally, all classes end 10 minutes early to give students the chance to get to their next class. The only building that is a significant distance away is the west campus building- Duncan McArthur. Schedule at least half an hour to get to a class from main to west or vice versa. 

Further Information

  • Education Student Services has Academic and Career Advisors available to you during your time at Queen’s. They are able to answer any and all of your questions about the Education side of your degree (division selection, teaching subjects, etc.).  You can book an appointment with your Advisor using the online bookingssystem.  Student Services is currently offering both in-person and remote appointments.

  • Advisors are assigned based on the first letter of your last name.  If you wish to contact them, their email addresses are as follows:

  • For questions and help with the Undergraduate side of your degree (major/minor, course enrollment, exchanges, etc.) please contact the Arts and Science Advisors at asc.academic@queensu.ca.