At Nova Scotia Community College in Halifax, Canada, Diploma in Welding is offered as a diploma in Trades programme. The programme runs for 2 years. Tuition for international students is CAD 13,505 per year (CAD 3,800 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Diploma
Field:Trades
Duration: 2 years
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
Welding at Nova Scotia Community College is a two-year diploma that teaches students to interpret blueprints to join metal, repair parts and structures, fabricate components, and apply safe working practices using multiple welding processes such as SMAW, GMAW, FCAW, and GTAW, alongside blueprint reading, rigging, and fabrication techniques. A mandatory, unpaid field experience course runs for about five weeks, and students can also take an optional paid co-op placement between year one and two, requiring a minimum of 12 weeks and 420 hours of employment. Graduates may register as apprentices with the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency, working toward Red Seal certification. The program is delivered full-time and in person at several campuses, including Akerley, Burridge, Pictou, Strait Area, and Sydney Waterfront. It suits students with good hand-eye coordination, mechanical and mathematical aptitude, and problem-solving skills who are comfortable working at heights and in confined spaces.
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. Students must not have facial hair that interferes with respirator fit, since an approved, fit-tested respirator is required whenever airborne hazards are present, and graduation requires maintaining a minimum 90% attendance in all courses. A mandatory field-experience placement is included, with an optional co-op, and many employers in the trade require a criminal record check as a hiring condition.
Application Details
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.
