Dual Credit
Dual credit can help you start building a career pathway while you’re in high school, by giving you an opportunity to earn post-secondary credit at the same time. You don’t need to wait to graduate from high school to start working towards apprenticeship training or other post-secondary courses.
Dual credit helps students to:
- get a jump start on their post-secondary education while still in high school
- complete high school while engaging in meaningful curriculum
- transition to post-secondary studies or move into the world of work
- potentially complete post-secondary with less financial debt
The Alberta Dual Credit Framework identifies dual credit as programming that is authorized and funded by Alberta Education in which grade 10, 11, or 12 students can earn both high school credits and credits that count toward a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree, including a journeyperson certificate.
- High school credits earned count towards courses and credit requirements of the Alberta High School Diploma or the Alberta Certificate of High School Achievement.
- Post-secondary credits earned may count towards a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree through partial or full completion of post-secondary requirements.
Schools across the province are offering a wide range of affordable, accessible, and rewarding learning opportunities that provide students with valuable hands-on learning. Participating in dual credit helps students develop the attitudes and skills they need to improve their employability in Alberta’s dynamic job market.
How you participate in dual credit depends on whether or not on-the-job training is required (which often means you’d need to be on a work site). Depending on the dual credit opportunities offered by your high school, you can take classes in a number of different ways:
- On a post-secondary campus, with post-secondary students
- On a post-secondary campus, with other high school students
- At your high school
- On a work site
- Online
Types of Dual Credit Opportunities
Dual credit is offered in a number of different ways.
- 1-year certificate program, completed on the regular post-secondary schedule (attending high school while you also complete your certificate)
- First-period apprenticeship program
- Participation in a regular post-secondary course (you can sample post-secondary courses to see if they interest you enough to continue)
- Courses created specifically for you and run as a cohort of high school students and community members
Search dual credit opportunities to find program options near you.
How to Participate in Dual Credit
Talk to your high school guidance counselor to see if dual credit opportunities are available at your school, or to discuss other high school transition opportunities that may be available to you. You can also look up dual credit opportunities on Alberta Education's website.
