
Education Advising

Advisors help with education planning.
Advisors help with course planning.
Advisors help with admissions requirements.
Join a drop-in to ask a quick question, book an appointment or send a message to connect with an advisor below.
Have a few quick questions ? Meet with an advisor in a virtual drop-in session.
Participants will:
Week of May 16
Mon, May 16 from 3 to 4 p.m.
Tues, May 17 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Wed, May 18 cancelled.
Thurs, May 19 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Week of May 23
Mon, May 23 OC closed
Tues, May 24 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Wed, May 25 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Thurs, May 26 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
.
Week of May 30
Mon, May 30 from 3 to 4 p.m.
Tues, May 31 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Wed, June 1 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Thurs, June 2 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
*all dates and times subject to change or cancellation on short notice.
Book an appointment through our online booking system. Pick a campus and appointments can be in person, via Zoom or telephone. If you don't see appointments available, come to Virtual Drop Ins. Need assistance but not sure who to ask? Services for students chat.
Note: Students in year 3 and 4 BBA or Post-Baccalaureate programs should contact businessadvising@okanagan.bc.ca to setup an appointment.
Have a question you're wondering about education advising or the advising process? Complete this quick online form and our team will get back to you within 48 business hours.
Do you have questions? Are you struggling and don't know where to start? Don't know which department to ask? Chat with Student Services!
Click on the following link to start a chat session with one of our services for students’ team members.
Online: Monday to Friday, 7:00a.m. - 5:00p.m. (excluding statutory holidays). If we are offline, we will respond to your question by email at the earliest opportunity.
Okanagan College Education Advisors help you plan your studies to get the most out of your time at our institution. Whether you take a full credential, or a few transferable courses, your decision to come to school is a life-changing choice. Education Advising is a collaborative process that involves teamwork to create an academic plan to meet your needs.
We'll review requirements and pre-requisites, program checklists and course planning with you. We're here to help you navigate college processes and plan out your time here at OC.
We understand that deciding to go back to school can be overwhelming, or that you have a lot of questions. Education Advisors are here to help! We will walk you through each step from:
Need to know what courses to take to complete your program or earn your credential? Download a handy course planning sheet to help you map out what courses you need to take.
Classfinder is very useful to plan your schedule. It contains course descriptions, course registration numbers (CRN) and allows you to create mock schedules so you can be ready when registration opens for you. If you open ClassFinder via your myOkanagan account, you will also see if there is availability in the class or if it is waitlisted. Visit how do I register for full details and watch all the course registration help videos in your myOkanagan account.
If you are in a program where registrations are completed for you, you should take the prescribed number of classes.
If you are in an Arts, Science, Business diploma or degree program, five courses (15 credits) per semester is the traditional course load for university students. If you are an upgrading student, it is a good idea to consider your work and family responsibilities. Take the amount of courses that would enable you to succeed in your classes. You are the one who knows what the right decision is for you!
If you receive funding from student loans, a sponsor, scholarship or bursary, consult with Financial Aid and Awards (or your sponsor) to find out how many courses they require you to take.
Two courses (6 credits) is usually considered part-time study, three courses (9 credits) or more is full-time study. In addition to your funding requirements, consider your work and family responsibilities and take the amount of courses that would enable you to succeed in your classes.
All university transfer courses are 3 credits each, 3 hours of lecture time (more in-class time for courses with labs and/or seminars). You should plan for 6-9 hours of homework each week for every class. Six courses are the maximum you can take without written approval from the appropriate dean or designate; this would not be recommended in your first year of study.
Meet with an advisor, review admission information and program description for your prospective program and apply for admission to your new program
See the Important Dates page for the withdrawal deadlines for your program and Financial Aid and Awards (or your sponsor) to find out how it may affect your funding. Meet with an Education Advisor to find out how withdrawing might impact your academics or if you are withdrawing for medical or compassionate reasons.
Prerequisites are courses that must be taken BEFORE another course is take, so it is extremely important that you check for prerequisites in a course description. Success in the course could be jeopardized if you do not possess the prerequisite and you will also risk being dropped from the course just before it starts. It is also important to look ahead to courses you wish to take in future terms and ensure you take the required prerequisite courses beforehand.
Corequisites are courses that need to be taken together.
Always read the course description for a class. They can be found in ClassFinder or in the calendar under course descriptions. See the "Course Layout and Definitions" tab for a full breakdown of course description terms.
The answer is entirely at the professor's discretion and will be based on their faculty's practices and policies. You can approach the professor with a Request to Waive Pre or Corequisites form and ask for their permission. Be prepared to give academic reasons why you feel you will be successful in the course without the pre- or corequisite. Permission is not always granted, but if they say yes, take the completed form to the Registrar's Office or Administration Office.
If you want to complete the Adult Dogwood, begin with English and Math courses and contact an Education Advisor to plan your remaining courses. Find out about upgrading admissions here. There are many ways to complete the Adult Graduation Diploma, some of which may allow you to take academic or vocational programs at the college.
Do you know the admissions requirements for upgrading? Once that's all set, check the registration dates for Upgrading (also known as AACP or ABE) on your campus.
In order to take a course at Okanagan College, you need to apply and be accepted to a program. Once you are admitted to a program you can then register for courses within your area for which you have the course prerequisites. The first step is to decide which program(s) you wish to apply to.
Here is some information to get you started:
Meet with an advisor, review admission information and program description for your prospective program and apply for admission to your new program.
Use the B.C. Transfer Guide to see how your Okanagan College transfer in or out to other colleges and universities in British Columbia. It is your responsibility to contact a program advisor at your intended school early in your studies at OC. There may be other courses they would wish you to take for your particular program.
They are welcome to come with you to an advising appointment. However, without you being present, they cannot get advice for you unless you give Okanagan College permission to release your information to them. This is true for parents, spouses or sponsors; no information can be shared without your prior consent.
Log into myOkanagan and fill out the "Consent to Release Information" online form.
If you have been out of high school for three years or more, or you do not have the pre-requisite course, we recommended that you complete the Skills Assessment to determine which Okanagan College class is the best fit for you. Contact an Education Advisor for assistance.
September to April (Monday-Friday): 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
May to August (Monday-Friday): 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
hours may vary per campus
Book an appointment through our online booking system. Need assistance? Contact us.
Note: Students in year 3 and 4 BBA or Post-Baccalaureate programs should contact businessadvising@okanagan.bc.ca to setup an appointment.
General advising email: educationadvising@okanagan.bc.ca