Province of Nova Scotia Announces New Programs to Educate More Teachers at Cape Breton University

Two new accelerated bachelor of education (B.Ed.) programs at Cape Breton University will help get more teachers into Nova Scotia’s classrooms faster.

The new programs will increase the number of funded seats at the university from 40 to 115 with the Province providing funding for the 75 additional seats for the next three years.

“Teachers are the foundation of our education system. We need more of them to respond to our growing population, support teachers already in the system and meet the needs of students across the province,” said Becky Druhan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “These new programs provide new ways to offer the same high-quality bachelor of education program online and in a shorter amount of time to help get teachers into classrooms faster.”

“Cape Breton University is thrilled to be increasing our Bachelor of Education seats from 40 to 115 with today’s announcement,” says David C. Dingwall, President and Vice-Chancellor, Cape Breton University. “CBU has a long history of recognizing community need and taking action in innovative and forward-thinking ways. We are happy to be able to step up when it comes to educating highly skilled teachers. These teachers then develop future generations of Nova Scotians, and for that we are so proud.”

The accelerated programs meet Nova Scotia’s teacher certification requirements. One is an eight-month online pilot that will allow students to complete the program and their practicum from anywhere in the province. The program will begin in January and participants will be ready to enter the school system for the September 2024 school year.

The second option is a 12-month in-person program that will begin in May 2024 and replace the university’s current 15-month program. Both programs consist of 48 credits of coursework and 12 credits of practicum work, as does the 15-month program. Advanced Education will closely monitor the outcomes of the accelerated programs.

“As a growing province, we need to take action and find innovative solutions to train more teachers faster to keep up with population growth. As an educator of 28 years, I know that the most important aspect of teaching is building relationships with students and I’m confident that this program will deliver the teachers that our schools need,” says Brian Wong, Minister of Advanced Education.

Information about how to apply is available online at: https://www.cbu.ca/academics/programs/bachelor-of-education/