Douglas College offers Youth Justice Diploma, a diploma in Criminal Law & Justice programme in New Westminster, Canada. The programme runs for 2 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 40,944 per total (CAD 3,900 per total for local students).
The diploma blends child and youth care with criminology theory and practice. Coursework spans topics such as the criminal justice system, youth crime, Indigenous experiences, mental health and substance use, building the ability to connect with young people through a trauma-informed approach and to address risk factors while promoting resiliency. Two supervised practicums run through the program, often leading to permanent positions, with placements spanning Indigenous agencies, community centres and neighbourhood houses, custody centres, social and recreational settings, outreach programs, community-based agencies, residential services and schools.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: The programme applies Douglas College's General College Admission Requirements together with its own selection step. Every applicant must attend an introductory admissions event, at which faculty assess the applicant's program readiness and suitability for practicum placements with vulnerable youth; this event functions as the programme's screening interview. Following acceptance, Enrolment Services provides the applicant with instructions for a required Criminal Record Search (CRS), needed before practicum placements begin. No minimum grade average, language-test score, or portfolio is stated on the programme page beyond the College's own general and English-proficiency requirements.
Application Details
Start Date:Douglas runs three fifteen-week semesters a year: Fall from September to December, Winter from January to April and Summer from May to August. The programme page lists intakes in Fall (September). The Fall 2026 semester began on 8 September 2026 and Winter 2027 classes begin on 4 January 2027.
Application Deadline:Douglas publishes college-wide application windows rather than a single date for every programme, and the domestic and international timetables are different. DOMESTIC APPLICANTS apply on EducationPlannerBC. Applications for a semester open about eleven months ahead, at 9:00 a.m. on the first business day of the opening month: 1 October for the following Fall. Douglas labels this a limited-enrolment programme, so it sets no single fixed closing date: the round shuts when the intake fills, and the college’s own test is whether the programme still appears in the EducationPlannerBC drop-down list. Applicants are acknowledged in writing about two to three weeks after applying, and qualified applicants are then ranked against the programme’s published criteria. INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS: this programme page carries no international application block, so confirm with Douglas International Admissions that the programme is open to you before applying. The college-wide international dates are 30 September 2026 for Winter (January) 2027 and 31 January 2027 for Summer (May) 2027; the Fall (September) 2026 intake closed on 31 May 2026. Read from the programme page and the college deadline pages on 6 September 2026; Douglas had not yet published Summer 2027 domestic closing dates.
