Explore your potential and push your limits
The Transition Year Program is an eight-month, full-time program designed to prepare students for all aspects of academic life.听
This program requires dedication and focus, but the rewards are life-changing. You鈥檒l be both challenged and supported as you build the skills and confidence to succeed.听
Throughout the program, you will:听
- Strengthen your foundational Math and English skills
- Learn about Indigenous and Black Studies
- Develop research and essay writing abilities听
- Learn effective study strategies and workload management听
- Build the confidence to thrive in an academic environment
- Learn about university-wide supports and services and how to navigate them
Upon completion of the program, students will earn four academic credits they can use toward their degree program of choice.听
Students who complete the TYP program will be eligible for a tuition fee waiver which would cover tuition related expenses for their first undergraduate degree.
Admissions requirements
To apply for the Transition Year Program (TYP), you鈥檒l need to submit several key documents to help us get to know you and assess your readiness for the program. Applicaitons are due by April 30 each year.
Start by completing the official TYP application form and preparing a current resume that outlines your education, work experience, and any volunteer activities.
You'll also need to prepare a personal statement. This is your opportunity to tell us why you want to join TYP, what your academic goals are, how the program aligns with your long-term career aspirations, and how your community or volunteer experiences have shaped you.
Three references will also be part of your application.听
Professional: A reference from a current or recent employer, or someone from an organization where you鈥檝e volunteered or trained.
Personal: Someone outside of your family who can speak to your character, such as a clergy member, community leader, educator, elder, or chief.
Academic: A teacher who knows your academic strengths and potential.
If it鈥檚 been more than five years since you were in school, you can submit two professional references and one personal reference instead.
The last piece to include are your academic transcripts from your most recent educational experience. This could be from high school, college, a GED program, or any job training program you鈥檝e completed.
What will you learn
Our professors and instructors teach courses that are designed to give you the academic and life skills foundation you need for a successful transition to the academic university environment.听
Required courses
The first course will help you develop university-level communication and composition skills, along with study skills to facilitate the transition to university. The second course will help you further develop university-level communication and composition skills, along with study skills to aid in the transition to university. These courses may not be used to satisfy the degree writing requirements.
The first course covers grammar, basic essay writing, research, documentation, argumentative writing and a wide variety of writing skills.听 It includes literary material from current and historical essayists. The second course takes English 1 skills to an advanced level.听 It includes the study and analysis of literary material from current and historical essayists as well as contemporary Mi'kmaq and Black Nova Scotia authors. These courses may not be used to satisfy the degree writing requirements.
The first course focuses on the history of Africa and the emergence of the African Diaspora, interweaving aspects of the African Nova Scotia experience. It provides an overview of African history and the African Diaspora: the integral contribution of African peoples to world history. The second course provides an historical survey of the Black Nova Scotian experience, covering its origins, socio-economic conditions, politics and evolution to the present. The people of African descent in Nova Scotia represent a particular aspect of the African Diaspora.
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In the first course, we will learn about the history of Indigenous Peoples in what is now known as Canada. We'll move through the pre-contact era to the historical relationship between the British Crown and First Nations Peoples with an emphasis on Indigenous perspectives on history, land, treaties, self-government and oral traditions. The second course will have you delving into colonialism, imperialism and other key issues facing Aboriginal peoples, both historically and in present da
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The first course covers signed numbers, order of operations, fractions, decimals, exponents, polynomials, equations, algebraic fractions, and graphing. Homework is checked regularly. Several tests and two major exams are given. The second course covers a diverse array of topics that include: fractions, decimals, exponents, polynomials, algebra, graphing, probability, and statistics. Homework is regularly assigned and marked, and several major exams are given during the year, including a three-hour final in April
Apply now
Are you ready to take the first step? Download the application form听and begin your journey today!