Coast Mountain College
Tucked away in the coastal mountains of British Columbia near the Great Bear Rainforest, Coast Mountain College offers innovative programs and experiential, place-based education. Formerly known as Northwest Community College, the school has campuses in Hazelton, Haida Gwaii, Prince Rupert, Smithers and Terrace. A range of certificates, diplomas, associate degrees, trades, apprenticeships and upgrading programs are offered. Coast Mountain emphasizes Indigenous programming, and the college’s student body is made up of 47 per cent self-identified Indigenous students. The First Nations fine arts program focuses on the northern style of West Coast First Nations art and is the only one of its kind in Canada. Intensive summer field schools condense a full semester into a few weeks. In one, students are paired with RCMP members to investigate a crime using forensic studies. In another, students examine the geography of northern B.C. and Alaska during a two-week trip to mines and glaciers.
Students at the Terrace campus can live in a new state-of-the-art student housing complex with suites for visiting family members, an Elder’s suite, laundry facilities, shared kitchens, an e-sports room and bike storage. The school’s $13.4-million library renovation includes new space and an Indigenous reading circle.
Quick facts
School size:
Small
Tuition:
Associate Degree $6,700
Diploma $4,800-$15,900
Certificate $4,800-$7,400
Post-Grad $4,800-$6,000
Residence offerings:
Yes
Popular programs
Diploma in Business Administration
Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education
Diploma in Applied Coastal Ecology
Cool options
Professional Accounting: In this post-degree diploma program, students gain prerequisites to enter the Chartered Professional Accountants Professional Education Program (CPA PEP).
First Nations Fine Art: Named after the Haida artist, the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art offers courses about the art of the First Nations of the Pacific on B.C.’s northwestern coast.
Applied Coastal Ecology: Blending biology, geography and oceanography, this program teaches students to examine how coastal ecosystems react to the stresses imposed by humans.
