Physical and Health Education Graduate Diploma is a postgraduate diploma in Health Sciences programme offered by Douglas College in New Westminster, Canada. The programme runs for 2 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 682 per credit (CAD 145 per credit for local students).
This 30-credit graduate diploma runs part-time over two years at Douglas College's New Westminster campus and trains qualified teachers to take on the Physical and Health Education specialist role in elementary, middle or high school classrooms. Because its students are already teaching, the timetable is built around the K-12 calendar rather than across it, pairing evening classes on campus with online study. Ten three-credit courses fill the 30 credits: most meet one night a week, two run online from September through March, and two are compressed into summer institutes in the first half of July. Between them they cover dance and developmental gymnastics, physical literacy over two successive terms, teaching in alternative outdoor environments, curriculum questions specific to the subject, health education, games-centred approaches to activity, applied study in the field, and a closing leadership seminar. The program also commits itself to equity, diversity and inclusion across how it is structured, what it teaches and how it teaches. Entry is open to holders of a BC Professional Teaching Certificate, to applicants with an undergraduate degree in an education-related field plus practicum experience, or to those with a degree and documented experience working with children in an educational or recreational setting; a letter of intent is required in every case. Graduation opens TQS pay-scale upgrades, lifting category 4 teachers to category 5 and category 5 teachers to 5+.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Candidates must meet one of three prerequisite conditions: hold a current Professional Teaching Certificate in British Columbia; hold an undergraduate degree in an education-related field with practicum experience; or hold an undergraduate degree together with documented experience working with children in an educational or recreational setting (for example daycares, community centres, summer camps, or tutoring). They must also submit a letter of intent covering career goals, years of teaching experience, education background, and current or short-term teaching contexts. Candidates under the third option must also submit two letters of reference addressing lesson planning, lesson delivery, and leadership traits. Candidates who do not hold a current teaching certificate must submit a satisfactorily completed Criminal Record Search as a condition of entry, with the College's Registrar making the final admission determination on any CRS record.
Application Details
Start Date:Fall
Application Deadline:Douglas College publishes college-wide application windows rather than a single date for every programme, and the domestic and international timetables differ. Domestic applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC: for the 2027 entry cycle, Fall applications open 1 October 2026, Winter applications open 1 February 2026, and Summer applications open 1 June 2026; limited-enrolment programmes set no fixed close and shut once seats fill, while open-enrolment programmes stay open until 4:00 p.m. the Friday before the semester starts. International applicants apply directly to Douglas: Fall 2026 entry is now closed, Winter 2027 entry is accepted until 30 September 2026, and Summer 2027 entry until 31 January 2027. Admission is effectively rolling within each window until seats or the deadline are reached. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
