Nova Scotia Community College offers Cert in Plumbing, a certificate in Trades programme in Halifax, Canada. The programme runs for 1 year, delivered on campus. Tuition for international students is CAD 13,505 per year (CAD 3,800 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Trades
Duration: 1 year
Delivery: On Campus
Local tuition: CAD 3,800 / year
International tuition: CAD 13,505 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Plumbing at Nova Scotia Community College is a certificate program that teaches students to install and repair water distribution and sanitary drainage systems, as well as hot water heating systems. Coursework covers ferrous and non-ferrous piping, drainage and venting systems, water supply, fixtures, and hydronic heating fundamentals. A mandatory, typically unpaid field experience course of about five weeks gives students practical exposure outside the classroom, and because plumber is a compulsory trade in Nova Scotia, graduates must register as apprentices with the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency once employed. The program is offered full-time in person, full-time in a blended online-and-in-class format, and part-time in blended format over about two years, at several NSCC campuses including the Institute of Technology campus in Halifax. It suits students who enjoy hands-on work and problem-solving and hold a high school diploma or equivalent, preparing them for careers in construction, manufacturing, service industries, maintenance and repair, or plumbing supply sales.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Nova Scotia Community College requires a High School Graduation Diploma or equivalent for this programme; no Grade 12 subject prerequisites are published. International applicants' diploma equivalency and English language requirements vary by country per NSCC's international requirements documentation, and the programme defers to the institution-wide proficiency standard: IELTS Academic minimum 6.0 on each band, TOEFL iBT 80 overall (pre-January 2026), Duolingo English Test 115 overall with no subscore below 95, CAEL Band 60, CanTest 4.5 average, or PTE Academic 55, or an exemption. Accepted applicants must complete a mandatory orientation survey, and graduation requires maintaining a minimum 90% attendance in all courses. The programme notes that plumbing work commonly involves petroleum-based chemicals and lubricants, relevant to applicants with sensitivities, and that many employers require a criminal record check as a condition of hiring rather than of admission.
Application Details
Start Date:September and January
Application Deadline:Domestic (Canadian and permanent resident) applicants apply directly to NSCC on a first-come, first-served basis with no fixed opening or closing date; because many of the college's 140+ programmes fill quickly, applicants are advised to apply as early as possible. International admissions run on a fixed annual cycle: the 2026/27 academic year's international deadline was 1 April 2026 and that intake is now closed, with the college stating international applications will re-open in late September 2026 for a future intake. NSCC has not yet published a firm international deadline for the next (2027/28) academic year, so domestic admission is rolling while international admission follows an annual deadline once applications reopen. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
