Douglas College

Douglas College’s namesake is Sir James Douglas, who was born in 1803 and became British Columbia’s first governor. Douglas College offers 12 bachelor’s degrees as well as certificate, diploma and post-degree programs, and has nearly 25,000 students each year. Upwards of 4,200 international students from more than 92 countries attend the college. Douglas’s main campuses are in New Westminster and Coquitlam, with training centres serving Surrey, Burnaby and Maple Ridge. As part of the school’s efforts to reduce energy consumption, it began updating the Coquitlam campus in 2021 by installing new walls and windows. A four-metre-tall Coast Salish welcome figure, carved by local artist Gerry Sheena, was erected at Coquitlam in 2021.

The school positions itself as a launchpad for university. Students can complete two years of their degree there, taking advantage of the college’s smaller class sizes, and then transfer to a university. Douglas also offers a degree program that allows for simultaneous study at Simon Fraser University. Douglas aims to provide the educational breadth of a university in addition to the applied-skills training common to colleges. The school focuses on experiential learning, tailoring each program to offer practical opportunities in co-ops, job shadowing, internships, community projects and applied research with its partner organizations.

Quick facts

School size:
Mid-size

Tuition:
Degree $3,500-$5,100
Diploma $3,600
Certificate $3,600
Post-Grad $4,200 (2024 figures)

Residence offerings:
No

Popular programs

Associate Degree in Arts
Associate Degree in Science
Criminology
Associate Degree in Psychology
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Cool options

Therapeutic Recreation: Students learn to assess, plan, implement and evaluate leisure services for people with physical barriers to participating in leisure activities.

Hearing Instrument Practitioner: Students train to test hearing, dispense and program hearing aids, and counsel patients on managing ongoing hearing loss.

Geological Resources: Graduates of this program work in mining and mineral exploration as geological technicians, or continue on to complete a university degree.