Honours Specialist Qualification (HSQ) Courses

Lakehead University’s Calendar outlines the general admission requirements for all Lakehead University courses, programs, and workshops. These prerequisites include the following:

• A general Certificate of Qualification and registration in good standing with the Ontario College of Teachers; and
• A recognized postsecondary degree or equivalent

In addition to Lakehead University’s general admission requirements, all prospective HSQ students must meet the following requirements:

• 20 full-course equivalents - 9 of which must be in the major area with a B average
• At least two (2) school years of successful classroom teaching experience, at least one year teaching the subject
• Signature of supervisory officer verifying the required teaching experience

We deliver our AQ, ABQ, and HSQ courses in ways that best suit your needs. We offer courses using the following delivery methods:

Online Delivery

• Online delivery allows you to complete your course using D2L/Brightspace to ensure that you can access information easily, communicate effectively, and complete your learning goals. Online courses are primarily asynchronous. Some courses have optional synchronous components to supplement asynchronous learning. For PQP and SOQP, those synchronous components are strongly encouraged, or in some cases required.

Blended Delivery

• Our Blended Delivery option lets you experience the best aspects of both face-to-face and online learning; this option combines short, face-to-face sessions with elements of our flexible online delivery.

This offering is approved as a Micro-credential by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) of Ontario and is OSAP-MC eligible at Lakehead University.

To learn more about the provincial program and how to apply for OSAP for Micro-credentials, please visit Ontario.ca Micro-credentials from Ontario’s postsecondary schools.

To learn more about OSAP for Micro-credentials, please visit Lakehead Student Central.

Lakehead University awards a full credit equivalent (1.0 FCE) in Education for any completed AQ, ABQ, or HSQ course.

All of our AQ, ABQ, and HSQ courses are fully transferable; jurisdictions outside of Ontario award credit for any additional qualification courses that you complete at Lakehead University.

Note: All of our AQ, ABQ, and HSQ courses are certified by the Ontario College of Teachers.

Expected Workload per Course

As stated in Ontario Regulation 176/10, all of our AQ, ABQ, and HSQ courses require a minimum of 125 hours of work of which 100 hours is contact time and 25 hours is documented hours of related study.

The following table provides a guideline for determining a course’s workload based on academic term:

Fall
Total Number of Weeks: 11
Suggested hours of work (per week): 11.5

Winter
Total Number of Weeks: 11
Suggested hours of work (per week): 11.5

Spring
Total Number of Weeks: 7
Suggested hours of work (per week): 18

Summer
Total Number of Weeks: 6
Suggested hours of work (per week): 21

Course Load per Term

Learners may take up to two (2) FCEs in the Fall/Winter and two (2) FCE in each of the Spring and Summer terms.

If you wish to register for more courses, you must complete a Request for Overload form and submit it the Department of Professional Development in Education.

For all AQ, ABQ, and HSQ courses, official transcripts are required and must be forwarded directly from the issuing university. As the applicant, you must ensure that all necessary documentation reaches Lakehead University before the course's application deadline.

Many of our AQ, ABQ, and HSQ courses require you to buy and use a textbook. You can order textbooks and materials directly from Lakehead University's Alumni Bookstore.

Once you complete an AQ, ABQ, or HSQ course, the Department of Professional Development in Education recommends you to the Ontario College of Teachers. If you meet all of the necessary requirements, the Ontario College of Teachers will add your additional qualifications to your Certificate of Qualification

Note: It is your responsibility to understand Ontario Regulation 176/10 and any other Ontario College of Teacher requirements.

To withdraw from an AQ, ABQ, or HSQ course, you must complete a Change in Registration form and then submit it to the Department of Professional Development in Education.

For more information about withdrawing from an AQ, ABQ, or HSQ course, such as a term's specific dates, please see our University Calendar:

• University Course Calendar

Receiving a Refund

To receive a refund for your AQ, ABQ, or HSQ course, you must withdraw from the course before a specific date. For information about each term's refund schedule, please see the Refund Policy & Schedule section of Lakehead University's Fees page, select the appropriate term's schedule, and scroll to the section (Additional Qualifications Courses). You can also view our departmental page on withdrawals and refunds.

If you are a new Bachelor of Education graduate and you wish to take an additional qualification course, you must first pay your Ontario College of Teachers membership dues and be a member in good standing. If you have met all the requirements to graduate from Lakehead University's Bachelor of Education program, have paid your OCT membership and obtained your OCT number, but have not yet graduated, you may be eligible to register for a Spring AQ course. Please contact us to discuss (aq@lakeheadu.ca).

Online courses are delivered online. Information about accessing your course(s) will be distributed through your Lakehead University e-mail account. Please test your browser and view our online learning environment using the following link:

• https://mycourselink.lakeheadu.ca/d2l/systemCheck

All learners at Lakehead University are subject to the Student Code of Conduct. Disciplinary action may be taken against the violators of academic dishonesty as per the Regulations related to Academic Dishonesty in the Lakehead University Calendar. In addition, as members of the teaching profession, learners taking courses leading to recommendations to the Ontario College of Teachers for additional qualifications are expected to demonstrate professional behaviour reflective of the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession and the Ethical Standards of Practice in the Teaching Profession.