Undergraduate Admission
Early Childhood Education: Direct Entry Admission
Frequently Asked Questions
Fall 2012 and Winter 2013
It is the responsibility of all applicants to be aware of the published admission requirements and application procedures for admission consideration to Ryerson's Early Childhood Education: Direct Entry Program for college ECE graduates.
- My GPA from college is below 3.0/70%/B. Am I still eligible to apply to the ECE: Direct Entry program?
- I have an ECE diploma from outside of Ontario. Will that be considered equivalent to an ECE Diploma from Ontario?
- Are there any requirements from high/secondary school for admission to the ECE: Direct Entry program? Am I required to submit my high/secondary school transcript?
- I want to apply as a Mature Student. What are the guidelines for the ECE: Direct Entry program?
- What documentation do I need to provide for admission?
- Do I have to finish all the Liberal Studies courses before I can apply for admission? Is there a deadline for completing my admission requirements?
- Can I complete the lower-level Liberal Studies requirement while in the program?
- Why are the Liberal Studies courses a pre-requisite for the program?
- Where can I get more information about the lower-level Liberal Studies course offerings and enrollment?
- I plan to complete/have completed Liberal Studies courses at another university. Is this acceptable? What should I do?
- I have completed some Liberal Studies courses at Ryerson/another university prior to attending college for ECE studies. Can I use these courses as Liberal Studies courses to gain admission into the ECE: Direct Entry program?
- Should I take lower- or upper- level Liberal Studies courses?
- Which courses should I select to fulfill the Liberal Studies course requirements?
- Liberal Studies Course Restrictions
- If I take the offer for the part-time program now, can I transfer to the full-time program in the future?
- If I take the offer for the part-time program, can I take a full-time load to fast-track?
- Do I have a less chance of admission if I apply to both full- and part- time vs. someone who has ONLY applied to the full-time program?
- CE Courses and Direct Entry
1. My GPA from college is below 3.0/70%/B. Am I still eligible to apply to the ECE: Direct Entry program?
No. Applicants with GPA below 3.0/70%/B must return to college and upgrade their GPA to a minimum 3.0/70%/B, before applying to the ECE: Direct Entry program. This applies both to the full- and part- time programs. Please Note: higher GPA may be required, subject to competition for the program.
2. I have an ECE diploma from outside of Ontario. Will that be considered equivalent to an ECE Diploma from Ontario?
ECE graduates of two-year programs from other provinces or outside Canada will be assessed on an individual basis by the ECE faculty.
3. Are there any requirements from high/secondary school for admission to the ECE: Direct Entry program? Am I required to submit my high/secondary school transcript?
No, applicants are not required to fulfill any requirements from high/secondary school and a transcript from high/secondary school is not required.
All applicants must provide officially certified academic transcripts including promotion/graduation status for all of their post secondary education (in or outside of Canada).
4. I want to apply as a 'Mature Student'. What are the guidelines for the ECE: Direct Entry program?
Mature student guidelines do not apply for the ECE: Direct Entry program.
All applicants must provide officially certified academic transcripts including promotion/graduation status for all of their post secondary education (in or outside of Canada).
All applicants are required to provide an outline of all their academic and non academic activities since they last attended high/secondary school (in or outside of Canada). Applicants must outline their activities on the Supplementary Form 
. Please be advised that this information is mandatory and failure to provide it will cause a delay in application processing..
. Please be advised that this information is mandatory and failure to provide it will cause a delay in application processing..6. Do I have to finish all the Liberal Studies courses before I can apply for admission? Is there a deadline for completing my admission requirements?
No, all the Liberal Studies courses do not have to be completed at the time of application. However, we strongly recommend that you are enrolled in the Liberal Studies courses at the time of application.Offers of Admission will be conditional on completion of any outstanding admission requirements. The standard date for fulfilling all conditions of an Offer of Admission is mid-July.
Full-Time Program: Extensions beyond the standard date will be considered, on an individual basis. Extensions are not guaranteed and will be based on overall academic performance and competition. If granted, the extension will be included in the Offer of Admission. Note: Preference will be given to those applicants who are expected to complete all admission requirement s by end of June.
Part-Time Program ONLY: Successful candidates for admission will automatically be granted an extension to the standard date (where necessary, till mid-August). A specific deadline date will be included in the Offer of Admission.
7. Can I complete the lower-level Liberal Studies requirement while in the program?
No. Since the lower-level Liberal Studies courses are part of the admission requirements, they must be completed prior to the start of the program.
8. Why are the Liberal Studies courses a pre-requisite for the program?
The Liberal Studies courses are required, as they are not part of the college ECE curriculum. This puts the Direct Entry students in the same position as our Four-Year students who are also required in their program to take three, one-term lower level Liberal Studies courses.
9. Where can I get more information about the lower-level Liberal Studies course offerings and enrollment?
For a list of Liberal Studies courses offered at Ryerson, please consult the Liberal Studies section in the current Undergraduate Calendar 
. To find out which courses are being offered through Ryerson's Chang School of Continuing Education, please refer to the Course Calendar . For course enrollment information please click here .
10. I plan to complete/have completed Liberal Studies courses at another university. Is this acceptable? What should I do?
Yes, Ryerson University does accept Liberal Studies courses taken at another university. However, please be advised that there is no guarantee that a course completed at another university will be accepted for admission to the ECE: Direct Entry program.If you intend to complete the Liberal Studies course requirements at another university, we strongly encourage you to contact Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment prior to registering for the courses, to confirm that they will be acceptable.
In order to get a prompt response, please provide the following when inquiring about the acceptability of courses completed at another university: name of the institution where the course will be taken, the course code, the course name and the credit value of the course (e.g. 1 credit, 0.5 credits, one-term, two-term etc.).
If you have already completed Liberal Studies courses at another university, please advise Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment at the time of your admission application. Once your official transcript has been received the courses will be assessed to determine if they are acceptable for admission to the ECE: Direct Entry program.
11. I have completed some Liberal Studies courses at Ryerson/another university prior to attending college for ECE studies. Can I use these courses as Liberal Studies courses to gain admission into the ECE: Direct Entry program?
Yes, these courses may be used as Liberal Studies courses to gain admission, if they have not been used to gain advanced standing/transfer credits in your ECE studies at college. Please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment to confirm whether or not the course(s) is/are acceptable, as there are no guarantees.If advanced standing/transfer credits have been granted to you in your college ECE studies, you must provide a letter from the college to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment specifying which courses and from which institution were used to give you advanced standing/transfer credits in your ECE studies at college.
Important Note: Any Liberal Studies courses used to gain advanced standing/transfer credits in the ECE College Diploma Studies may not be used to also fulfill the Liberal Studies requirement. If this applies to you, you must take the additional Liberal Studies to meet the admission requirements.
12. Should I take Lower- or Upper- Level Liberal Studies courses?
Applicants may choose from either Lower- or Upper- Level Liberal Studies courses, but Lower Level courses are recommended.
13. Which courses should I select to fulfill the Liberal Studies course requirements?
Applicants must choose courses in the Social Sciences or Humanities area (e.g.: History, Geography, Philosophy, Languages, Religion, Psychology, Sociology, Music, etc.) for a course to be considered a Liberal Studies elective. Applicants are encouraged to select courses from the Lower-Level Liberal Studies Table (except CPSY 105 and CSOC 103). Note: Courses that begin with "(C)LNG" are acceptable as Liberal Studies courses, but do not qualify for the English Literature Liberal Studies requirement.The following Ryerson courses are well-suited for Direct Entry applicants and are highly recommended:
· CENG112 - Zap, Pow, Bang Pop Lit *particularly recommended to fulfill the English Literature requirement
· CENG203 - Literature of Native Peoples
· CENG204 - The Literature of Immigration
· CENG101 - Laughter and Tears: Comic and Tragic Modes
· CENG104 - What's the Story?
· CENG201 - The Hero's Journey: Myth and Archetype
· CCRB100 - Introduction to Caribbean Studies
· CHST 222 - The History of the Caribbean I
Introductory level Psychology and Introductory level Sociology courses from any university may not be used to fulfill the Liberal Studies requirements. The following Ryerson introductory level Psychology and introductory level Sociology courses are not acceptable as Liberal Studies courses:
Please also see the Liberal Studies Course Restrictions below.
Introductory level Psychology and Introductory level Sociology courses from any university may not be used to fulfill the Liberal Studies requirements. The following Ryerson introductory level Psychology and introductory level Sociology courses are not acceptable as Liberal Studies courses:
CSOC 103 - How Society Works
CSOC 104 - Understanding Society
CSOC 11A/B - The Social World
CPSY 011 - Introductory Psychology
CPSY 102 - Introduction to Psychology I
CPSY 105 - Perspectives in Psychology
CPSY 202 - Introduction to Psychology II
COCR 931 - Psychology: The Study of Human Behavior (Distance Education/Open College)
COCR 929 - Understanding Society (Distance Education/Open College)
Any courses (from any university) closely related to "children" or the "field of education" (for e.g.: "Children's Literature" or "The Education System of Canada") are not acceptable as Liberal Studies courses.
Any courses designated as Professionally-Related or Core Curriculum from other Ryerson University programs or an equivalent course from any other university may not be used to fulfill the Liberal Studies requirements.
Business/Commerce, Design, Engineering, Math, Nutrition, Nursing, Science, Social Work and Visual Arts courses from any university are not acceptable as Liberal Studies courses.
15. If I take the offer for the part-time program now, can I transfer to the full-time program in the future?
Unfortunately, transfers from the part-time to the full-time program are not granted. Therefore, if you have been admitted to the part-time program, you will remain a part-time student.
16. If I take the offer for the part-time program, can I take a full-time load to fast-track?
Applicants in the part-time program may be able to complete the program approximately within 2.5 years, if they take a full-time load. The ECE department encourages applicants to take no more than 3 courses per term for the Fall and Winter and a maximum of 6 courses in the Spring/Summer terms.
17. Do I have a less chance of admission if I apply to both full- and part- time vs. someone who has ONLY applied to the full-time program?
No. Offers for the program are based on how competitive an applicant is. We don’t penalize an applicant based on which option they have applied to. In fact, we encourage applicants to apply to both the options for a better chance of admission to the program.
18. I meet all of the admission requirements for Direct Entry, but I was waitlisted this year OR
I meet all the admission requirements for Direct Entry, but I would like to take a year off before applying for admission OR
I will meet all the admission requirements for Direct Entry by December of this year and would like to start the full-time program in September of next year.
In any of the scenarios above, can I take any third or fourth-year courses through Continuing Education (the Chang School) while I'm waiting for my official admission into the full- or part-time program?
No. While what you take through Continuing Education is not monitored, the ECE program department strongly discourages students to fast track in this manner. Any courses taken through Continuing Education without being an official full- or part-time student will not be counted towards your CGPA at Ryerson. This, in turn, could jeopardize your admission into a Faculty of Education or any other post-graduate programs in the future.
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