An extraordinary university

Bishop’s University is the only liberal education institution in Quebec and among only a few in Canada. The BU community is like no other in Quebec. With approximately 3,000 students, we offer some of the most intimate class sizes and personalized educational experiences in the province and country.

Since 1843, Bishop’s has been Quebec’s smallest English-language university and one of the most close-knit campus communities in all of Canada.

We know tradition and prestige. We know academic rigor. We have plenty of red brick and ivy. We offer intimate and dynamic classes. Our professors know your name. Our students are engaged. We have abundant school spirit. We foster a genuine sense of community and belonging. We are a family of over 21,000 proud alumni, each one having left their purple mark.

Students working in the Library

Liberal Education refers mainly to interdisciplinary studies in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and fine arts. By emphasizing the relationships between disciplines rather than their specializations, students are exposed to a wider range of ideologies and concepts. This frees them from the limitations of their own experiences and opinions, as they discover other points of view, scenarios, and explanations. By allowing our students to combine the majors and minors they wish to pursue, our graduates have the freedom to build personalized degrees that match their passions, interests, and desired fields of work.  

This web page holds all the information you need as a student studying in Quebec. It aims to help you find the place that will allow you to become the best version of yourself and pursue your most ambitious goals.  We are excited to get to know you and to help you discover this Hidden Gem in the Eastern Townships. We look forward to helping you uncover who you have the potential to be.

Frequently Asked Questions

This entirely depends on your field of study and your advanced credits. If you want to know what the course codes mean and what classes will be part of your specific program, you can view our complete Academic Calendar.

In general, students take five courses per semester for 15 credits. However, you are free to register for a lighter or heavier course load, depending on your intentions and projects. Unless you have permission from the Dean, you are not allowed to take more than six courses (18 credits – lab credits not included) per semester.

You are considered a full-time student by being registered into at least 4 classes (12 credits). A normal course load is 5 classes (15 credits), which is also the amount you need to be eligible for scholarships. We also offer an optional spring semester, which doesn’t count towards the full-time student status.

A course is normally worth three credits. For the fall and winter semesters, one credit means one contact hour per week, so a three-credit course would be 3 contact hours per week. Semesters last 12 weeks, for a total of 36 contact hours. The spring semester is shorter, so those 36 hours are condensed. Keep in mind that those contact hours are only for class time, and in general you can count double the time for independent work (study, papers, homework, etc.) Therefore, for a normal course load of 15 credits=15 hours of class time per week, you would add 30 hours of independent work.

It is up to the discretion of the professor. But in many cases, you may submit your work in French.

To apply to Bishop’s University, simply fill out the appropriate application form on our website. Applications for Fall entry open in early August and applications for Winter entry open in early February.

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Glossary

120 credit Degree: All Bachelor’s degree programs are 120 credits, however, those completing a DEC at the CEGEP level are given 30 advanced credits meaning they only need to complete an additional 90 credits (three years)

BAC or Bachelor’s Degree: A bachelor’s degree lasts three years full-time (or 90 credits) for a regular program, the bachelor’s degree represents the first level of university studies (undergraduate), leading to the degree of bachelor. Four types of bachelor’s degrees are offered at Bishop’s: Bachelor of Science (B.Sc), Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed), Bachelor of Arts (B.A).

Certificate: Undergraduate program that totals 30 credits (or 10 courses) in a field of study (e.g. Certificate in English as a Second Language).

Concentration: Term designating a part of a program of study, made up of courses leading to more advanced studies in a discipline or field of study. 

Credit: One credit is equivalent to 45 hours of academic work, i.e., 15 hours of lectures and/or workshops and 30 hours of study and personal work. Each course normally carries 3 credits.

Elective: A course taken in a degree program which is not applicable to the Honours/Major requirements, but which counts towards the total requirements for the degree; an optional course that a student can choose.

Graduate Certificate: 1-year (or two terms) full-time graduate program.

Master’s degree: A graduate program normally lasting two years and completed after receiving a Bachelor’s degree.

Major: A Major in any subject consists of slightly fewer than half of the total courses taken for a degree (normally between 45-54 credits, excluding labs).

Minor: A Minor in any subject consists of about one third of the total courses taken for a degree (normally between 18-30 credits, excluding labs).

Undergraduate or Undergraduate Degree: An undergraduate degree is a series of higher-level studies culminating in a Bachelor’s degree.

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