Start your computing science degree at VCC in a supportive learning environment with attentive instructors. Credits transfer to post-secondary institutions across British Columbia.
What you will learn
Upon successful completion of this program, graduates will be able to:
- Incorporate critical thinking into theoretical reasoning and decision making.
- Work collaboratively in computing laboratory activities.
- Utilize information literacy abilities to determine the nature and extent of information required.
- Develop appropriate presentation styles to produce clear and accurate written, verbal, and visual communication for clients and other professionals.
- Utilize accepted research processes and abilities in all professional enquiries, communications, and scholarship.
- Apply scientific and quantitative methodology as well as analytical skills.
- Apply problem-solving in math and computer programming.
What to expect
Program Duration and Maximum Time for Completion
The time limit on completion is sixteen months for assured admission to SFU. The time limit on completion is three years for competitive admission to SFU.
The maximum allowable time for students to complete the program is three years.
The courses are delivered using a variety of instructional strategies, resources, and activities, including lectures, demonstrations, guest speakers, case studies, and applied computing experiences.
Admission requirements
Program-specific
- Grade 12 graduation, or equivalent
- Knowledge of English demonstrated by one of the following:
- English 12 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or equivalent ?
or - ?English Language Proficiency at a minimum English 12 ‘C+’ level
- English 12 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or equivalent ?
- Knowledge of mathematics demonstrated by one of the following:
- Precalculus 12 with a minimum 'B' grade, or equivalent
or - Math 0983 and MATH 0993 both with a minimum 'B' grade, or equivalent
or - Math 1020 with a minimum 'C' grade, or equivalent
or - VCC Math Precalculus Assessment Test (MPT) with a minimum 72% grade
- Precalculus 12 with a minimum 'B' grade, or equivalent
- Knowledge of science demonstrated by one of the following:
- Physics 12 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or PHYS 0983 and PHYS 0993 both with a minimum 'C+' grade, or equivalent
or - Chemistry 12 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or CHEM 0983 and CHEM 0993 both with a minimum 'C+' grade, or equivalent
or - Biology 12 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or BIOL 0983 and BIOL 0993 both with a minimum 'C+' grade, or equivalent
- Physics 12 with a minimum ‘C+’ grade, or PHYS 0983 and PHYS 0993 both with a minimum 'C+' grade, or equivalent
General
- This program is available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. See program options for international students at VCC International.
- Applicants who self-identify as Indigenous are strongly encouraged to connect with VCC’s Indigenous Education and Community Engagement team to learn more about VCC’s Indigenous Enrolment policy, application preparation/completion, program advising, and a range of other individualized services.
- Applicants must be 16 years of age or older or a graduate of a secondary school. (Some exceptions may apply.)
- Applicants must submit official transcripts and other documents as required by their course or program. Seats are offered to eligible applicants with completed applications, in order of application completion date (except for programs with competitive admissions). A complete application includes an application form, evidence of educational pre-requisites (e.g. transcripts), any required supporting documents (e.g. language proficiency, audition video), and the required deposit or fee payment. If you do not meet the requirements for the term applied, your application may be cancelled.
Missing prerequisites? Learn more about VCC's tuition-free academic upgrading or English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, or discover which university transfer options are right for you.
Recommended Characteristics
- Motivated and disciplined.
- Possess analytical and critical thinking skills.
- Some word processing experience.
Courses *
Prior learning assessment and recognition
For students attempting the assured pathway to Simon Fraser University, PLAR is not allowed, as per the agreement with SFU.
Course Credits (Option A - SFU Transfer)
Successful completion of a minimum of 30 credits of university transfer articulated first year courses as per the British Columbia Council on Admission and Transfer Guide (BCCAT) is required for completion of the certificate. Credit distribution in the following courses is required:
| Term One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 1100 | Calculus 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1120 | Discrete Mathematics 1 | 3 |
| SCIE 1110 | Professional Communication | 3 |
| CMPT 1010 | Introduction to Computer Programming 1 | 3 |
| SCIE 1100 | Engineering, Technology and Society | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Term Two | ||
| MATH 1200 | Calculus 2 | 3 |
| CMPT 1020 | Introduction to Computer Programming 2 | 3 |
| MATH 1221 | Applied Linear Algebra | 3 |
| Select one of the following electives: | 3 | |
| SOCI 1100 or SOCI 1200 or PSYC 1100 or ECON 1100 or ECON 1200 |
Sociology 1: Intro to Sociology or Sociology 2: Canadian Society or Psychology 1 or Microeconomics or Macroeconomics |
|
| Credits | 12 | |
| Term Three | ||
| MATH 2700 | Probability and Statistics for Science and Engineering | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Course Credits (Option B - UBC BSc. in Computer Science transfer)
Successful completion of a minimum of 25 credits of university transfer articulated first year courses as per the British Columbia Council on Admission and Transfer Guide (BCCAT) is required for completion of the certificate. Credit distribution in the following courses is required:
| Term One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 1100 | Calculus 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1120 | Discrete Mathematics 1 | 3 |
| Science Elective | ||
| PHYS 1100 or CHEM 1121 or BIOL 1100 |
Physics 1 or Chemistry 1 or Biology 1 |
4 |
| CMPT 1010 | Introduction to Computer Programming 1 | 3 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Term Two | ||
| MATH 1200 | Calculus 2 | 3 |
| CMPT 1020 | Introduction to Computer Programming 2 | 3 |
| MATH 1221 | Applied Linear Algebra | 3 |
| Elective | 3 or 4 | |
| PHYS 1200 or CHEM 1223 or BIOL 1200 or ENGL 1100 or SOCI 1100 or SOCI 1200 or PSYC 1100 or PSYC 1200 or ECON 1100 or ECON 1200 |
Physics 2 or Chemistry 2 or Biology 2 or English 1 or Sociology 1: Intro to Sociology or Sociology 2: Canadian Society or Psychology 1 or Psychology 2 or Microeconomics or Macroeconomics |
|
| Credits | 12-13 | |
| Total Credits | 25-26 | |
Course Credits (Option C - UBC BA in Computer Science transfer)
Successful completion of a minimum of 27 credits of university transfer articulated first year courses as per the British Columbia Council on Admission and Transfer Guide (BCCAT) is required for completion of the certificate. Credit distribution in the following courses is required:
| Term One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 1100 | Calculus 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1120 | Discrete Mathematics 1 | 3 |
| CMPT 1010 | Introduction to Computer Programming 1 | 3 |
| Elective | ||
| ENGL 1100 or SOCI 1100 or SOCI 1200 or PSYC 1100 or PSYC 1200 or ECON 1100 or ECON 1200 |
English 1 or Sociology 1: Intro to Sociology or Sociology 2: Canadian Society or Psychology 1 or Psychology 2 or Microeconomics or Macroeconomics |
3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Term Two | ||
| MATH 1200 | Calculus 2 | 3 |
| CMPT 1020 | Introduction to Computer Programming 2 | 3 |
| MATH 1221 | Applied Linear Algebra | 3 |
| Select two of the following electives: | 6 | |
| ENGL 1100 or SOCI 1100 or SOCI 1200 or PSYC 1100 or PSYC 1200 or ECON 1100 or ECON 1200 |
English 1 or Sociology 1: Intro to Sociology or Sociology 2: Canadian Society or Psychology 1 or Psychology 2 or Microeconomics or Macroeconomics |
|
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 27 | |
Option A: SFU Software Systems Transfer
Assured SFU Software Systems Degree 2nd Year Admission Pathway
Assured admission under this pathway requires completion of this Certificate. The number of students receiving assured admission from VCC to SFU is capped at 10 per year. Students must have an overall average GPA of 3.2 on the courses required for the pathway which are listed below (calculated based on the best attempt for each course) and an overall average of 3.2 (again, calculated based on the best attempt for each course) on all work combined in order to be considered for the 'assured admission' pathway. Students who have been previously required to withdraw from another institution would be considered ineligible for the assured admission pathway as would students who were formerly in a Computing, Engineering or Mechatronics program at SFU. Students must achieve an overall 3.0 CGPA from all post-secondary transfers from the last three years.
The assured admission pathway does not apply to international students. While the certificate is fully transferrable to SFU’s Computing Science and Software Systems Degree, international students’ GPA requirements may vary at the time of transfer.
The following courses must be completed as part of this pathway:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CMPT 1010 | Introduction to Computer Programming 1 | 3 |
| CMPT 1020 | Introduction to Computer Programming 2 | 3 |
| MATH 1100 | Calculus 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1120 | Discrete Mathematics 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1200 | Calculus 2 | 3 |
| MATH 1221 | Applied Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 2700 | Probability and Statistics for Science and Engineering | 3 |
| SCIE 1100 | Engineering, Technology and Society | 3 |
| SCIE 1110 | Professional Communication | 3 |
| Select one of the following electives: | 3 | |
SOCI 1100 | Sociology 1: Intro to Sociology | |
SOCI 1200 | Sociology 2: Canadian Society | |
ECON 1100 | Microeconomics | |
ECON 1200 | Macroeconomics | |
PSYC 1100 | Psychology 1 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Of these courses, the following core courses must be taken at VCC:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SCIE 1110 | Professional Communication | 3 |
| SCIE 1100 | Engineering, Technology and Society | 3 |
| CMPT 1010 | Introduction to Computer Programming 1 | 3 |
| CMPT 1020 | Introduction to Computer Programming 2 | 3 |
Other (non-core) courses in the certificate that are taken at post-secondary institutions other than VCC may be used towards completion of the VCC/SFU Computing pathway, providing that they transfer independently to SFU and receive the same credit at SFU as does the VCC pathway course. All credits must be obtained within sixteen months. In addition, for at least two of the terms at VCC, students would need to meet a minimum course load of 12 credits.
Competitive Software Systems Degree 2nd Year Admission Pathway
For competitive admission into 2nd year of the SFU Software Systems Degree, students must complete a minimum 24 units of transferable course work, including: one mathematics course chosen from MATH 1120 Discrete Mathematics 1, MATH 1100 Calculus 1, MATH 1200 Calculus 2, MATH 2700 Probability and Statistics for Science and Engineering and MATH 1221 Applied Linear Algebra; CMPT 1020 Introduction to Computer Programming 2 (for which CMPT 1010 Introduction to Computer Programming 1 is a prerequisite); and one additional mathematics course chosen from the above list. Full details can be found on SFU's College/University site www.sfu.ca/students/admission-requirements/canadian-transfer/college-university.html.html under the program specific requirements for Software Systems students.
Applicants must meet the general SFU English language and quantitative admission requirements.
Option B: UBC BSc in Computer Science Transfer
No assured admission agreement is in place with UBC. To attempt admission into the 2nd year of the BSc in Computer Science at UBC it is recommended that students complete the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CMPT 1010 | Introduction to Computer Programming 1 | 3 |
| CMPT 1020 | Introduction to Computer Programming 2 | 3 |
| MATH 1100 | Calculus 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1120 | Discrete Mathematics 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1200 | Calculus 2 | 3 |
| MATH 1221 | Applied Linear Algebra | 3 |
In addition, it is recommended that students take:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| One science elective chosen from: | 4 | |
PHYS 1100 | Physics 1 | |
BIOL 1100 | Biology 1 | |
CHEM 1121 | Chemistry 1 | |
| One additional elective chosen from: | 3-4 | |
PHYS 1100 | Physics 1 | |
PHYS 1200 | Physics 2 | |
BIOL 1100 | Biology 1 | |
BIOL 1200 | Biology 2 | |
CHEM 1121 | Chemistry 1 | |
CHEM 1223 | Chemistry 2 | |
ENGL 1100 | English 1 | |
SOCI 1100 | Sociology 1: Intro to Sociology | |
SOCI 1200 | Sociology 2: Canadian Society | |
ECON 1100 | Microeconomics | |
ECON 1200 | Macroeconomics | |
PSYC 1100 | Psychology 1 | |
PSYC 1200 | Psychology 2 | |
Option C: UBC BA in Computer Science Transfer
No assured admission agreement is in place with UBC. To attempt admission into the 2nd year of the BA in Computer Science at UBC it is recommended that students complete the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CMPT 1010 | Introduction to Computer Programming 1 | 3 |
| CMPT 1020 | Introduction to Computer Programming 2 | 3 |
| MATH 1100 | Calculus 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1120 | Discrete Mathematics 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1200 | Calculus 2 | 3 |
| MATH 1221 | Applied Linear Algebra | 3 |
In addition, it is recommended that students take:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Three elective courses chosen from: | 9 | |
ENGL 1100 | English 1 | |
SOCI 1100 | Sociology 1: Intro to Sociology | |
SOCI 1200 | Sociology 2: Canadian Society | |
ECON 1100 | Microeconomics | |
ECON 1200 | Macroeconomics | |
PSYC 1100 | Psychology 1 | |
PSYC 1200 | Psychology 2 | |
The required GPA for transfer to other post-secondary institutions may vary based on transfer agreements with other institutions.
* This information is intended as a guideline only. Program and course details are subject to change with the approval of VCC's Board of Governors.
Discover Open Studies
Open Studies lets you take courses from credit programs without having to be accepted into one. Based on availability, you can sample different courses, earn credits, and build new skills.
Explore your optionsFees and other costs *
| Fee description | Fee Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | 36 | |
| Tuition Tuition | 6349 | |
| Student union | 128 | |
| College initiative | 86 | |
| Materials | 0 | not including textbooks |
| Campus resource | 157 | |
| Laundry | 0 | |
| Tools (deposit) | 0 | |
| Coverall (deposit) | 0 | |
| Uniform (deposit) | 0 | |
| Medical and Dental | 275 | |
| Temporary Medical Insurance | 0 | |
| U-PASS | 354 | |
| Graduation | 45 | |
| Program-specific extra fees | 0 | |
| Total |
* Fees are approximate and subject to change with the approval of VCC's Board of Governors. Students are required to pay any applicable fee increases. Application and assessment fees are non-refundable. Tuition fees include a $300 non-refundable deposit.
Fees listed are for domestic students. For international programs, visit VCC International.
Any refunds are issued according to VCC's refund policy.
Apply now
Are you interested in this program?
This program has several options:
- Option A: SFU Software Systems Transfer
- Software Systems Pathway (Assured - 16 months to complete VCC courses)
- Software Systems Pathway (Competitive admission - maximum 3 years to complete VCC courses)
- Option B: UBC BSc in Computer Science Transfer (Competitive admission)
- Option C: UBC BA in Computer Science Transfer (Competitive admission)
Read the University Transfer Computer Science and Software Systems Certificate Course Selection Guide for more information.
To apply to any of these options, please submit your application to the University Transfer Computing Science and Software Systems Certificate. (Note: You must apply separately to the transfer institution of your choice upon completion of the VCC program.)
Don't forget to:
- Submit your official transcripts to the Registrar's Office when you apply
- Check Important Dates for deadlines and registration information
Get started
Entrance award
September intake of this full-time program is eligible for financial award.