At Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada, HD in Computer Programming and Analysis is offered as a higher diploma in Software Engineering programme. The programme runs for 3 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 8,082 per semester (CAD 1,389 per semester for local students).
This three-year advanced diploma prepares students for careers spanning both software development and systems analysis, with an emphasis on designing, building and deploying complete information systems rather than writing isolated programs. Coursework applies established coding and testing methodologies to connect technical software development with the practical needs of the business it serves.
Students work with industry-standard approaches including development operations, quality assurance and testing, cybersecurity, systems analysis and design, database design and administration, and object-oriented methods, learning to bring business and information technology perspectives together on a single project. Because programming skills apply across almost every sector, graduates find roles in fields including healthcare, education, commerce, science, finance, production and information services.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Admission needs an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature-student status (19 or older without a diploma), subject to Algonquin's own assessment. Program eligibility on this page adds Grade 12 English (ENG4C or equivalent) and one of: Grade 12 MCT4C, Grade 11 MCR3U, Grade 12 MAP4C at 80% or higher, or Grade 11 MCF3M at 70% or higher. English: IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with no band under 5.5; TOEFL iBT 80 overall with 20 in each of reading, listening, speaking and writing for tests sat before 21 January 2026, or 4 overall with 4 in every component for tests sat after that date; or a Duolingo English Test score of 110 overall with 110 in Literacy and nothing under 95. Applicants presenting international transcripts, or domestic applicants holding international ones, must have them assessed by the International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS) or World Education Services (WES).
Application Details
Start Date:Fall
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through ontariocolleges.ca: for September 2027 entry the application portal opens 26 September 2026, the equal consideration date is 1 February 2027, and offers must be accepted by 1 May 2027, while later applications are still assessed as space allows; Algonquin publishes no separate equal-consideration date for the January 2027 intake. International applicants apply directly via Algonquin's own International Application Portal, not ontariocolleges.ca; instead of one fixed date the college posts a program-by-program closing-date list shortly before each term starts - for Fall 2026 most programs closed 16 September 2026, technology programs by 9-10 September; no Winter 2027 or Fall 2027 international list has been posted yet, so admission remains effectively rolling until each list is published and fills. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
