Skip to main content Skip to local navigation
Faculty of Education

Advanced Standing Credits

You can count one of your York-earned Additional Qualification (AQ) Specialist, AQ Honour Specialist, or Principals’ Qualification Program (PQP) courses towards one graduate half-course (3.00 credits) in your Master of Education (MEd) degree at York University!

Relation to salary increases for teachers:

Teachers who are interested in applying an advanced standing credit for a Master’s degree that will be used to progress to a higher pay category should check with their federation in advance of completing the degree in order to ensure that they will qualify.

Requirements

In order to qualify for this credit:
  • One of your Additional Qualification (AQ) Specialist, Honour Specialist, Principals’ Qualification Program (PQP) Part 1 or PQP Part 2 course must have been successfully completed within the last two years at York University’s Faculty of Education.
  • Your course will only count if it was taken from the Fall 2015 (September 1, 2015) term or later.
  • You must have completed one of any of the following courses: Specialist AQ; Honour Specialist AQ; Principals’ Qualification Program PQP Part 1; or Principals’ Qualification Program PQP Part 2.
  • You must register in the Master of Education (MEd) program within two years of completing the AQ or PQP course and successfully complete the petition within the required timelines.

Please note:

  • Courses taken in the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Program are not eligible for this credit.
  • The minimum time for completion of your MEd degree will remain the same, but you will receive 3.00 credits towards the degree.
  • You are still required to complete the coursework with adherence to the minimum and maximum timelines for your graduate program.

Submission Information:

  1. Students who are registered in the Master of Education (MEd) degree program in the Faculty of Education at York University and who have completed their Specialist, Honour Specialist, PQP Part 1 or PQP Part 2 course in the Professional Learning Unit in the Faculty within the appropriate timelines can complete a “petition form” in order to have the course count towards one 3.00 course towards the degree.
  2. Include a transcript of the completed course with the petition.
  3. Submit the petition and transcript to the Graduate Program Office in Education during your first term of study.
  4. The 3.00 graduate course will only be credited if the following conditions are met:
  5. The student who is currently enrolled in the MEd program submits a petition to the Graduate Program in Education in the first year of study in the MEd program. Upon successful completion of course(s) in the first term, the petition will be considered. In reviewing the petition, the Petitions Committee deems that all conditions have been met and grants the 3.00 credit equivalency.
  6. The 3.00 credits will be added to the student’s file, but will not show up on the transcript. A mark is not granted, but the credits will count towards degree completion.

How to Apply

  1. Successfully complete an AQ Specialist, AQ Honour Specialist, PQP Part 1 or PQP Part 2 course at York University’s Faculty of Education.
  2. Within two years of completing the course, you will need to be accepted into the Master of Education (MEd) degree in the Faculty of Education at York University.
  3. During your first term, submit a petition to the Graduate Program Office, indicating that you would like to count the course towards your degree.
    • Include a transcript of the AQ or PQP course that you would like to count towards your degree with the petition.
    • Please note that the Petitions Committee will confirm that you have successfully completed your first term and that the course was successfully completed within the requirements.
    • Successful petition applicants will have 3.00 “advanced standing credits” added to their records, which will count towards the degree completion. A grade will not accompany the course, and will not be counted in the GPA; the course will not show up on the transcript.
    • Please note that you can count up to a maximum of 3.00 credits towards your MEd degree.

Note: If you are a student in the MEd program who has completed one or more of these courses, there is no obligation to count them as “advanced standing credits” towards a course in your program. By completing the petition, you are informing the Graduate Program in Education that you would like to count the coursework towards your degree.