Requirements to teach kindergarten to grade 7
The BC Teachers’ Council (BCTC) sets the requirements for teaching at the elementary level (kindergarten to grade 7). In the Faculty of Education, these requirements apply to teacher education programs in various ways as outlined below.
Academic requirements
6 credit/semester hours or equivalent of undergraduate English course work with a minimum of 3 credit/semester hours in literature.
This is a program admission requirement in the following:
- Post Baccalaureate Elementary
- Dispersed Teacher Education B.Ed.
This is a program progression requirement to enter the following:
- Year 4 of the Bachelor of Education program
Sample courses at VIU that meet the English literature requirement include:
- ENGL 125 (3) Literature and Culture
- ENGL 127 (3) Literature and Culture: Indigenous Focus
- ENGL 135 (3) Literature and Criticism
Sample courses at VIU that meet the English composition requirement include:
- ENGL 115 (3) University Writing and Research
- ENGL 117 (3) University Writing and Research: Indigenous Focus
Additional comments:
- Accepted is 6 credit/semester hours in English literature
- Not accepted is 6 credit/semester hours in English composition
- Accepted is completion of both
- Not accepted are any technical ENGL courses, such as:
- Not accepted are any creative writing or journalism courses, such as:
3 credit/semester hours or equivalent of undergraduate Canadian studies based course to indicate sufficient academic preparation to teach BC Social Studies Curriculum at the Elementary level.
This is a program admission requirement in the following:
- Dispersed Teacher Education B.Ed.
- Post Baccalaureate Elementary
This is a program progression requirement to enter the following:
- Year 4 of the Bachelor of Education program
Canada must be representing the central focus of a course and typically the word Canada appears in the course title. Suggested courses at VIU include:
- ANTH 121 (3) Aboriginal Peoples and Cultures in Canada
- ANTH 221 (3) Indigenous Cultures of BC
- ARTS 204 (3) History of Canadian Art
- CRIM 200 (3) First Peoples, Colonization, and Justice
- CYC 321 (3) Contact and Colonization: Implications for CYC Practice
- ECON 214 (3) Canadian Economic Institutions and Problems
- GEOG 290 (3) Regions of Canada
- HIST 111 (3) Canada to 1867: Contact, Colonies, and Empires
- HIST 112 (3) Canada 1867 to 1945: National Expansion in Peace and War
- HIST 113 (3) Canada since 1945: New and Changing Identities
- HIST 114 (3) Canadian Women's History to 1920
- HIST 115 (3) Canadian Women's History since 1920
- HIST 116 (3) First Nations People in Canadian History since 1867
- HIST 205 (3) Immigration, Immigrants and Minorities: The Canadian Experience
- HIST 206 (3) Canadian Society: New and Changing Identities Since 1960
- HIST 210 (3) Canadian Women's History to 1920
- HIST 211 (3) Canadian Women's History since 1920
- HIST 230 (3) Studies in the History of First Nations in Canada
- HIST 231 (3) First Nations People in Canadian History since 1867
- HIST 330 (3) Canadian International Relations to 1945: Emerging Out of the Shadows
- HIST 331 (3) Canadian International Relations since 1945: The Triumphs and Frustrations of a Middle Power
- HIST 333 (3) Hockey and the Canadian Identity since 1952: Canada's Game in the Cold War and Beyond
- HIST 339 (3) Consumer Nation: Society and Business in Modern Canada
- HIST 340 (3) Work and Workers in Canadian History
- HIST 344 (3) Indigenous Peoples and the Law in Canada
- HIST 345 (3) Tradition and Transition: Canadian Values and Ideas in the 19th Century
- HIST 346 (3) Aspects of the Modern: Canadian Values and Ideas in the 20th Century
- HIST 349 (3) Education and Childhood in Canada
- HIST 350 (3) Nineteenth Century British Columbia
- HIST 351 (3) Twentieth Century British Columbia
- HIST 355 (3) Topics in Canadian History
- HIST 358 (3) History of Vancouver Island
- HHS 263 (3) Elder Teachings Across Disciplines
- HHS 264 (3) Elder Teachings Across Disciplines II
- INDG 101 (6) Exploring Indigenous Identities
- INDG 102 (6) Exploring Indigenous Communities
- INDG 103 (3) Introduction to Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies I
- INDG 104 (3) Introduction to Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies II
- INDG 203 (3) Indigenous and Settler Relations
- INDG 204 (3) Indigenous Perspectives on the Environment
- INDG 215 (3) Indigenous and Settler Relations: Canada
- INDG 217 (3) Indigenous Knowledges and Land
- INDG 218 (3) Indigenous Survivance and Land in Canada
- INDG 220 (3) First Nations and the Canadian State
- INDG 232 (3) Indigenous in Film: Selected Topics
- INDG 300 (3) Indigenous Knowledge: Land as Life
- INDG 380 Special Topics in Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies (upon course outline approval)
- KIN 260 (3) Foundations of Canadian Sport, Health and Physical Activity
- POLI 151 (3) Law and Politics in Canada
- POLI 221 (3) Canadian Politics and Government
- POLI 222 (3) Governance and Public Policy in Canada
- POLI 224 (3) Canadian Constitution: History, Development and Leading Cases
- POLI 321 (3) Strategic Leadership in Canada and the Tragedies of Great Powers
- POLI 323 (3) Canadian Political Parties
- POLI 328 (3) First Nations, Municipal, Regional Government and Politics
- POLI 360 (3) Canadian Federalism and Multilevel Governance
- POLI 370 (3) Canadian Provincial and Territorial Politics
- RMOT 496 (3) Resource Management and Aboriginal Rights
- SOCI 112 (3) Canadian Society in the Contemporary World
- SOCI 215 (3) Canadian Society: Culture, Identity and Values
- SOCW 421 (3) Social Work Practice with Indigenous Communities
- SWAG 210 (3) Introduction to Indigenous Feminisms
- SWAG 211 (3) Introduction to Indigenous Gender
- WOST 210 (3) Introduction to Women’s Studies: First Nations I
- WOST 211 (3) Introduction to Women’s Studies: First Nations II
Additional Comments:
VIU courses not accepted in meeting this requirement include:
- CRIM 135 (3) Intro to Canadian Law and Legal Institutions: A Criminal Justice Perspective
- CYC 362 (3) Child Abuse and Neglect Concerns
- ECEC 200 (3) Roots and Trends of Canadian Early Childhood Education Practice
- ENGL 220 (3) Canadian Literature in Context
- ENGL 221 (3) North American Indigenous Literatures
- FRCH 230 (3) Introduction to Francophone Culture and Literature
- GEOG 228 (3) Maps and Mapping
- GEOG 240 (3) Human Environments
- ILRP 100 (3) Indigenous Learning and Recognition Portfolio
- SOCI 430 (3) Social Movements and Social Change
- SOCW 200B (3) Introduction to Social Welfare in Canada
- TRMT 394 (3) Sport Tourism in Canada
6 credit/semester hours or equivalent of undergraduate Mathematics to indicate sufficient academic preparation to teach BC Mathematics curriculum at the Elementary level. Courses characterized by the MATH prefix are generally accepted.
This is a program admission requirement in the following:
- Dispersed Teacher Education B.Ed.
At the 3 credit/semester hours, this is a program admission requirement in the following:
- Post Baccalaureate Elementary
This is a program progression requirement to enter the following:
- Year 4 of the Bachelor of Education program
Suggested courses at VIU that meet the Math requirement include:
- MATH 131 (3) Mathematics for Elementary Education I
- MATH 132 (3) Mathematics for Elementary Education II
- Other MATH coded courses
Additional comments:
- MATH 135 (3) From Puzzles to the Poetry of Patterns does not meet the Post Baccalaureate Elementary mathematics admission requirement
3 credit/semester hours or equivalent of undergraduate Science based course to indicate sufficient academic preparation to teach BC Science Curriculum at the Elementary level.
This is a program admission requirement in the following:
- Dispersed Teacher Education B.Ed.
- Post Baccalaureate Elementary
This is a program progression requirement to enter the following:
- Year 4 of the Bachelor of Education program
Disciplines recognized towards this requirement include:
- Astronomy
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Earth Science
- Environmental Science
- Geology
- Kinesiology or Physical Education
- Ocean Science
- Physical Geography
- Physics
- Science
Additional comments:
VIU general science courses accepted are:
VIU kinesiology or physical education courses accepted are:
- KIN 201 (4) Human Anatomy or PHED 201 (3) Human Anatomy
- KIN 220 (4) Human Physiology or PHED 220 (3) Intro to Human Physiology II
- KIN 301 (3) Advanced Anatomy or PHED 301 (3) Advanced Anatomy
VIU physical geography courses accepted are:
- GEOG 101 (3) Environmental Geography
- GEOG 211 (3) Atmospheric Environments
- GEOG 212 (3) Earth Environments
- Comment: All three courses also satisfy the geography requirement for a Secondary level teachable in Social Studies.
VIU courses not accepted include:
15 credit/semester hours or equivalent of undergraduate academic course work in faculties other than the Faculty of Education.
This is a program admission requirement in the following:
- Dispersed Teacher Education B.Ed.
- Post Baccalaureate Elementary
This is a program progression requirement to enter the following:
- Year 4 of the Bachelor of Education program
Faculties, and associated disciplines supporting completion of a bachelor degree, recognized towards this requirement at VIU generally include:
Additional comments:
- Selecting minors that support a secondary teachable subject area is encouraged.
- Courses with the following prefix are not accepted towards this academic requirement:
33 credit/semester hours or equivalent of additional undergraduate academic course work or other elective coursework, including those not accepted towards the 15 credit/semester hours or equivalent of undergraduate academic course work in faculties other than the Faculty of Education.
This is a program admission requirement in the following:
- Dispersed Teacher Education B.Ed.
- Post Baccalaureate Elementary
This is a program progression requirement to enter the following:
- Year 4 of the Bachelor of Education program
Additional comments:
- Teacher candidates who entered the Bachelor of Education program at Year 1 must have also completed EDUC 101, EDUC 202 and EDUC 203 as part this requirement
- Selecting elective credits that support a VIU minor and or a secondary teachable subject area is encouraged
Frequently asked questions
No. There are no university course admissions requirements for Year 1of the Bachelor of Education program. The academic requirements for admission to the Bachelor of Education are:
- Minimum "C" in English 12, or equivalent
- Minimum "C" in Pre-calculus 11 or Foundations of Mathematics 11; or a pass in Pre-Calculus or Foundations of Mathematics 12; or equivalent
For more information on all admission requirements, see Year One Entry in the blue Admissions Requirements tab on the Bachelor of Education program page.
Yes. Application to Year 3 of the Bachelor of Education program requires the completion of a minimum of 48 post-secondary credits acceptable in content to the Faculty of Education, VIU Admissions and Registration, and the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care Teacher Regulation Branch. In addition, the following high school academic requirements are required:
- Minimum "C" in English 12, or equivalent
- Minimum "C" in Pre-calculus 11 or Foundations of Mathematics 11; or a pass in Pre-Calculus or Foundations of Mathematics 12; or equivalent
For more information on all admission requirements, see Year Three Entry in the blue Admissions Requirements tab on the Bachelor of Education program page.
Yes. Application to the Dispersed Delivery option requires a minimum of 66 post-secondary credits acceptable in content to the Faculty of Education, VIU Admissions and Registration, and the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care Teacher Regulation Branch, as follows:
- 18 credits of Elementary prerequisite coursework, including:
- 6 credits of approved English as outlined on this page
- 6 credits of approved mathematics as outlined on this page
- 3 credits of approved Canadian studies as outlined on this page
- 3 credits of approved science as outlined on this page
- 15 credits of approved academic coursework as outlined on this page
- 33 credits of undergraduate electives or transfer courses, excluding practicum based courses, as outlined on this page
For more information on all admission requirements, see Dispersed Delivery Entry in the blue Admissions Requirements tab on the Bachelor of Education program page.
Applicants to the Post Baccalaureate Elementary program show completion of the elementary prerequisites as part the initial degree completion admission requirement. If an initial degree does not satisfy all the elementary prerequisites, additional post-secondary course will need to be completed.
Specific for entry to the Post Baccalaureate Elementary program, the following prerequisite coursework is required:
- 6 credits of approved English as outlined on this page
- 3 credits of approved mathematics as outlined on this page
- 3 credits of approved Canadian studies as outlined on this page
- 3 credits of approved science as outlined on this page
For more information on all admission requirements, see the blue Admissions Requirements tab for the Elementary Teaching Option on the Post Baccalaureate Bachelor of Education program page.
Yes. For those with a completed thesis in English, maybe be credited 3 credit/semester hours or equivalent of English composition.
No. However, there are school districts and independent schools in BC that look for flexibility in the teachers they hire. Having a secondary teachable subject could be advantageous. As there are plenty of credits required through the academic credit and undergraduate elective requirements, it is possible to use the credits for these requirements towards a secondary teachable subject and or a VIU degree minor.
VIU's Goal Planning System (GPS) helps you plan your educational path and track your progress toward degree completion and graduation.
GPS is accessed through the Academics tab in the left menu of your online VIU Student Record. You can use GPS to conduct a degree audit without an Education Degree Advisor. Check your progress at least twice each term. If your audit does not look correct or your progress is off track, make an appointment with an Education Degree Advisor.
Additional support
For general questions or support visit:
Official assessment of meeting prerequisite requirements is made upon formal program application.
Official assessment of meeting program progression requirements is made by a B.Ed. degree advisor.