Situating Ontario’s Colleges between the American and European Models for Providing Opportunity for the Attainment of Baccalaureate Degrees in Applied Fields of Study

Oct 15, 2026

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During the last third of the twentieth century, many countries created new college sectors to expand opportunities for earning baccalaureate degrees in applied fields. European systems developed colleges as a parallel, degree-granting sector with more applied programs than traditional universities. Other jurisdictions, including parts of Canada, followed an American transfer model. The article explains why the Ontario government did not fully adopt the European approach despite the original vision aligning more closely with it than with the American model.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

OECD models for new postsecondary sectors

Evolution of specialized and binary/parallel models

Europe’s parallel degree-granting sector

CSSHE SCÉES Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 46, No. 1, 2016, pages 38-56 Situating Ontario’s Colleges between the American and European Models for Providing Opportunity for the Attainment of Baccalaureate Degrees in Applied Fields of Study Michael L. Skolnik University of Toronto Abstract During the last third of the twentieth century, college sectors in many countries took on the role of expanding opportunities for baccalaureate degree attainment in applied fields of study. In many European countries, colleges came to constitute a parallel higher education sector that offered degree programs of an applied nature in contrast to the more academically oriented programs of the traditional university sector. Other jurisdictions, including some Canadian ones, followed the American approach, in which colleges facilitate degree attainment for students in occupational programs through transfer arrangements with universities. This article offers some possible reasons why the Ontario Government has chosen not to fully embrace the European model, even though the original vision for Ontario’s colleges was closer to that model to than to the American one. Résumé Au cours du dernier tiers du 20e siècle, les réseaux collégiaux de nombreux pays se sont donné comme mission d’accroître les occasions d’obtention de baccalauréat dans des domaines d’études appliquées. Dans de nombreux pays d’Europe, les collèges ont progressivement constitué un secteur parallèled’enseignement supérieur offrant des programmes d’études appliquées CJHE / RCES Volume 46, No. 1, 2016 Situating Ontario’s Colleges / M. L. Skolnik 39 menant à un grade, à l’inverse du secteur universitaire traditionnel, lequel favorise plutôt les études théoriques. Dansd’autres juridictions,dont certainesau Canada, on a plutôt suivi le modèle américain selon lequel les collèges facilitent l’obtention de grades dans des programmes axés sur les professions par le biais d’ententes de transfert avec les universités. Le présent article propose certaines raisons susceptibles d’expliquer pourquoi le gouvernement de l’Ontario a choisi de ne pas adopter entièrement le modèle européen, malgré le fait que la vision initiale des collèges de l’Ontario se rapprochaitdavantage de ce dernier que du modèle américain. Introduction During the last third of the twentieth century, one of the principal ways in which many countries increased access to postsecondary education was by establishing new sectors of institutions that were intended to provide an alternative to traditional universities. The primary mission of these institutions was to prepare graduates for jobs and careers. Besides their focus on preparation for employment, other characteristics that differentiated the newer sectors were emphasis on teaching; use of pedagogies that emphasized experiential and hands-on learning; limited involvement in research; and admission of students from a wide range of socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, including secondary school vocational streams. The new sectors were created by merging existing vocational institutions and by adding new institutions. In the early 1970s, analysts at the OECD reported that the new sectors fit one of three patterns: the multipurpose model, the specialized model, and the binary model (OECD, 1971; OECD, 1973). The prototype for the multipurpose model was the American junior college. Its defining characteristics were a “fairly close” link with the university, and diversified curricula that included purely academic programs, various types of general education, and vocational training of a “terminal nature”(OECD, 1973, p. 15). The main locations ofthis model were said to be the United States, some western provinces of Canada, and Québec. In the specialized model, the institutions provided vocational training of a terminal nature largely for students from the non-academic streams of the secondary s

FAQs

What changes drove increased access to postsecondary education in many countries during the late 20th century?

Many countries expanded access by establishing new institutional sectors intended as alternatives to traditional universities, with a primary mission of preparing graduates for jobs and careers.

How did the OECD categorize new postsecondary sectors in the early 1970s?

The OECD reported three patterns: the multipurpose model, the specialized model, and the binary model, each differing in institutional links, curriculum mix, and program orientation.

Why does the article discuss Ontario choosing not to fully adopt the European model?

It argues that the Ontario government selected not to fully embrace the European model, even though the original vision for Ontario’s colleges was closer to the European than to the American approach.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet