Additional Qualifications

Niagara University in Ontario has been, and continues to be, committed to ongoing professional development for educators. We offer courses for Additional Qualifications (AQ), Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ), Principals Qualifications Program (PQP), and Supervisory Officer Qualifications Program (SOQP).

Next Session Starts: April 3, 2023

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Angela Marchese
Professional Development Coordinator - Ontario Education

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Additional Qualifications Courses (AQ) and Additional Basic Qualifications Courses (ABQ)


  • Niagara University in Ontario’s AQs and ABQs are accredited through the Ontario College of Teachers. The intended audience for these courses is Ontario certified teachers. The courses focus on the Ontario curriculum and the Ontario experience in education.
  • NUO ‘s AQ program includes ABQ courses in the primary, junior and intermediate divisions for teachers seeking to add a teaching qualification to their existing qualifications. These are Schedule A courses.
  • NUO offers Schedule C courses for teachers who may need bridge courses to fulfil conditions of their OCT certification, which are often geared toward teachers that were trained in a jurisdiction outside Ontario.
  • We also offer Schedule D courses for teachers who aspire to be curriculum leaders in their schools, or who want to expand their knowledge of curriculum design and implementation.

Principal Qualifications (PQP) Courses


Niagara University in Ontario offers both parts of the PQP courses that are designed for teachers who wish to become school leaders and principals. Students that take both PQP courses are eligible to transfer these credits into NUO’s MS in Education Leadership.

Supervisory Officer’s Qualification Program (SOQP) for Academic Supervisory Officers.


The SOQP is designed to provide opportunities to enhance candidates’ professional knowledge, efficacy, capacities, and leadership resources from a system perspective. Candidates will critically explore effective processes for collaboratively working with a wide range of educators, families, caregivers, trustees, the Ontario Teachers’ Federation and its affiliates, principal organizations, representatives from Ministries and stakeholders. Candidates will also have an opportunity to reflect on the role of the supervisory officer in relation to policies, legislation, and the regulatory context of publicly funded education (from OCT SOQP guideline, 2017).

The SOQP is comprised of five modules, one of which is a leadership practicum at the system level. Each module is 50 hours in length. Candidates must complete all five modules within five years of starting the first module.

Registration Information and Sessions


  • Registration ends a week before the courses begin.
  • Courses will ALL be published on the Monday of the starting date.
  • Courses are asynchronous online.
  • Course grades will be sent to OCT 2 weeks after the end of each session.
Session Registration Ends Session Dates
Spring 1 Monday, January 9, 2023 Monday, January 16 through Friday, March 24, 2023
Spring 2 Monday, March 27, 2023 Monday, April 3 through Friday, June, 9, 2023
Summer 1 Monday, May 15, 2023 Tuesday, May 23 through Friday, June 23, 2023
Summer 2 Monday, June 26, 2023 Monday, July 3, 2023 through Friday, August 4, 2023
Fall Monday, September 11, 2023 Monday, September 18 through Friday, November 24, 2023

Recommendation to the Ontario College of Teachers to Upgrade Existing Candidate Qualifications.  


Once a candidate has successfully completed the AQ or ABQ course, and if the candidate meets all of the necessary requirements at that time, Niagara University will make the recommendation to the Ontario College of Teachers to include the additional qualification to the candidate’s Certificate of Qualification. Niagara will do so at the end of two weeks after the completion of the course session.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to read and understand Ontario Regulation 176/10 and any other Ontario College of Teacher requirements. In addition, the Ontario College of Teachers may take from 6-8 weeks to process the AQ or ABQ.

Note:

  • Any candidate with outstanding fees will not be permitted to register in future sessions
  • Any candidate with outstanding fees will not have his/her course recommended for the appropriate accreditation to the Ontario College of Teachers
  • Any candidate with outstanding certificate of teaching experience form or other pertinent documents will not have his/her course recommended to the Ontario College of Teachers.

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