Graduate Diploma in Education (GDE)

What does a professional reference mean?
A professional letter of recommendation should be a letter from an employer or workplace supervisor. The reference cannot be from a colleague but should be someone to whom you report.

How will the references be contacted?
When compiling your online application, you will enter the names and email addresses of your two references. Upon submitting your application, your references will be emailed a link to complete a secure online reference form. It is important to submit your application at least a week before the application deadline to ensure that your references have sufficient time to submit their recommendation. If your reference did not receive the link, please have them check their junk folder or contact sgsapp@queensu.ca.

Where do I send my transcript?
Official transcripts should be sent in unopened sealed envelopes directly to:

School of Graduate Studies
Gordon Hall, Room 425
74 Union Street
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6

My university is only sending e-transcripts during this time. Is that acceptable?
In these unusual circumstances, the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) will accept e-transcripts if they are generated and sent directly by the issuing university to sgspa.reception@queensu.ca or by fax to 1-613-533-6015. Courier cannot be processed for now, but Canada Post Services is still operational, so SGS can pick up and process transcripts by regular mail. 

Parties should understand that official hard copy transcripts will still be required, eventually. For more information, please see SGS website.

I was a student at Queen's previously. Will the university access my Queen's transcripts internally?
If you are a Queen's University alumnus, there is no need to provide or upload Queen's transcripts to your application.

Do I need a B.Ed. to apply?
A B.Ed. is not a requirement to apply to the GDE program. A three-year baccalaureate degree is required from a recognized university.

Can I go back to my online application and make changes after it has been submitted?
Changes can only be made prior to payment and submission of your application. Please email edonline@queensu.ca if you need to note an important mistake or change after it has been submitted.

Who do I contact if I have any questions?
Please email us at edonline@queensu.ca for questions regarding the program or application.

In the GDE program, students focus their graduate learning in a chosen concentration of study and apply that learning to solve problems of practice and effect change in their professional context. Concentrations include: Assessment & Evaluation, Classroom Specialist, Educational Administration, Global Education, Indigenous Education, and Literacy Education. In the PME program, students build on their learning in the GDE program to broaden their understanding of educational theory and practice in relation to diverse professional contexts. The PME program includes a culminating, self-directed capstone project in which students explore current and personally relevant educational issues and challenges.

Students can exit after their GDE is completed if they do not wish to continue. Applicants can also apply for direct entry into the PME if they choose.

Is the GDE program intended for teachers?
While our online graduate programs attract many teachers and education administrators, they also draw professionals from other sectors. Professionals who have education and leadership responsibilities and wish to improve their professional practice come to the program from health sciences, engineering, business, social services, and the military.

How long will the GDE take to complete?
The GDE requires 5 courses for completion. There are 4 instructional terms per year: Fall (September to November) and Winter (January to March), which are 10-week courses, as well as Spring (May to June) and Summer (July to August), which are 7-week courses. The university operates on a 3-term academic year, and thus all courses taken in Spring will fall under the Summer term umbrella. We advise students to start by taking 1 course to get a feel for the workload and then add on from there. Most students take 1 - 2 courses per term and finish around the 1-year mark. Students have up to 3 years to complete the GDE program. 

What is the course load like?
The GDE is designed for flexible part-time studies. Also, note that this program is 'asynchronous,' meaning there is no requirement to attend lectures or be online at a certain time, so you can arrange your coursework around your professional and personal schedule. You receive all course materials and due dates on the first day of the course, so you know what is coming and can manage your time accordingly. Students who have successfully completed our program typically spend anywhere from 2-10 hours per week per course, depending on their educational background and understanding of course material and the demands of an assignment or project.

What does a typical course look like?
All GDE course content emphasizes connections between educational theory and practice and provides students with opportunities to apply their learning in meaningful and relevant ways. GDE courses are broken into modules, each lasting 1-2 weeks and focusing on a particular theme. Within each module, there are typically a few discussion posts (posting your thoughts on the course material and responding to your peers) and one short authentic assignment (e.g., blog post, PowerPoint slides, brief video, 1-2 page position paper, or mind map). Some courses have fewer short assignments in favour of one or two larger assignments (e.g., case study, multimedia project, book review, professional resource, or professional inquiry project), and vice-versa. There is never any need to come to campus to write examinations.

Does the cost of tuition include textbooks?
The cost of tuition does not include any textbooks. Most courses do not require you purchase a textbook.

What online platform do you use for course instruction?
onQ is Queen's University's enterprise learning management system, built in the Brightspace/Desire2learn environment that many students are already familiar with, both at Queen's and at other institutions. It can be used to deliver academic courses on the Web and can also be used for collaborative research and project-based group work. onQ is the same online environment used across all units, including those offered by Continuing Teacher Education, to ensure a consistent student experience across all programs.

Do I have to choose a Concentration right away?
In the application, you will be asked which Concentration you would like to enrol in. It is important to carefully consider all Concentrations prior to submitting your application. The Admissions Committee reviews your requested Concentration and rationale as part of the review process.

Can I change my Concentration afterwards?
Concentration changes may be considered if you are still in the early stages of the program and have not yet completed your Concentration courses. Email your Concentration request and supporting rationale to the Manager of Graduate Programs in Education and include your student number. Concentration changes are normally not considered more than once.

Once you receive your admission email in the program, you will find information about how to apply for advanced standing using your Continuing Teacher Education Post-Graduate Certificate. 

It is important for those taking the PME program with advanced standing and who are from BC to consult with their teacher qualifications service to be sure that being exempt from courses in the master's program still qualifies them for category upgrades.  Students who are approved for advanced standing are only required to complete 8 out of the 10 courses but in some instances, your qualification service will not allow 8 courses but require 10 for a master's program.  Please make sure you check with TQS and/or are aware of regulation 5.04, "where the content of one part of a program overlaps the content of a second program, the common portion shall not be counted twice in assigning a teacher's category.  The TQS cannot split the credit used from a course between two programs".  We do not deal directly with qualification services so we urge potential applicants or current students to do the research about what is required in terms of courses and degrees that would qualify them for potential category upgrades.  Please contact TQS if you have any questions regarding this. 

• A baccalaureate degree from a recognized university
• Graduation with a B- graduating average or higher (70% graduating average or a ranking in the top third of the graduating class where number grades are not available)
• Under exceptional circumstances, consideration will be given to highly motivated individuals with relevant field experience who do not meet the B- requirement
• Applicants whose native languages do not include English must obtain a minimum English language requirement of 580 or higher on the paper-based TOEFL exam; 237 Computer-based; 88 on the TOEFL iBT test or IELTS Band 7 or higher

You may apply to the Graduate Diploma in Education first and then to the Professional Master of Education, or you can apply to the Professional Master of Education directly. In most cases, applicants must apply for admission to the Professional Master of Education within five years after completing the Graduate Diploma in Education.

Note: The application for admission is used for all graduate programs at Queen's University, so you will notice that reference is often made to your research interests. Since you are applying for admission to a professional program, please relate your comments in these areas to your professional aspirations rather than to research.

Two Professional letters of recommendation (e.g., letters from an employer or workplace supervisor) can be submitted to support applications to professional graduate programs. For applicants who apply to a professional graduate program, a Professional reference form will be generated for their referees. Academic references are also acceptable. 

Referees are notified that you want them to provide a reference for you by email after you have submitted your online application, so please submit your application at least two weeks before the application deadline and be sure to include the correct email addresses of your referees on your online application. Applications will not be deemed complete and will not be reviewed by the admissions committee until all listed references are received.

In addition to the online application and application fee, applicants are required to submit an official transcript (envelopes from the institution cannot be opened) from all universities they have attended except for Queen's. Transcripts sent from the issuing university should be sent to:

School of Graduate Studies
Queen's University
Gordon Hall Room 425
74 Union Street
Kingston, Ontario
Canada K7L 3N6