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Postsecondary attainment

Domain

Prosperity

Subdomain

Skills and opportunity

Indicator

Postsecondary attainment


Definition

Proportion of the population who have attained a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree.


Measurement

This indicator is measured in a number of Statistics Canada surveys, including the Census of Population and the Labour Force Survey (LFS).

In the Census of Population, survey respondents are asked:

Has this person completed a Registered Apprenticeship or other trades certificate or diploma?

  • Yes, Certificate of Apprenticeship or Certificate of Qualification (Journeyperson's designation)
  • Yes, other trades certificate or diploma
  • No

Has this person completed a college, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma?

  • Yes, certificate or diploma from a program of less than 3 months
  • Yes, certificate or diploma from a program of 3 months to less than 1 year
  • Yes, certificate or diploma from a program of 1 year to 2 years
  • Yes, certificate or diploma from a program of more than 2 years
  • No

Has this person completed a university certificate, diploma or degree?

  • Yes, university certificate or diploma below bachelor level
  • Yes, bachelor's degree (e.g., B.A., B.A.(Hons.), B.Sc., B.Ed., LL.B.)
  • Yes, university certificate or diploma above bachelor level
  • Yes, degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry (M.D., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.V.M., O.D.)
  • Yes, master's degree (e.g., M.A., M.Sc., M.Ed., M.B.A.)
  • Yes, earned doctorate (e.g., Ph.D.)
  • No

In the LFS, survey respondents are asked:

What is the highest certificate, diploma or degree you have obtained?

  • Has not obtained a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree
  • Trade certificate or diploma from a vocational school or apprenticeship training
  • Certificate or diploma from a community college, CEGEP, school of nursing, etc.
  • University certificate below a bachelor's degree
  • Bachelor's degree
  • University certificate, diploma or degree above a bachelor's degree

Data sources


Data visualizations


Data analysis


Additional information

Frameworks

This indicator aligns with the following frameworks:

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