At Sheridan College in Oakville, Canada, Diploma in Educational Support - Intensive (Part-time), Virtual, Online is offered as a diploma in Education & Teaching programme. The programme runs for 1 year, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 19,900 per year (CAD 4,943 per year for local students).
Aimed at students who have already completed a university or college program, as well as current Educational Assistants seeking deeper knowledge of classroom exceptionalities and an Ontario College Diploma, this intensive diploma covers supporting students with disabilities or Individual Education Plans, Universal Design for Learning principles, social inclusion, and work within a special education team. Field placements in the first two semesters take place in an Ontario public school, exposing students to exceptionalities including physical and intellectual disabilities, behavioural disorders, visual and hearing impairments, and autism. Students also learn to apply assistive technology toward individualized educational goals and to support a student's social development and sense of belonging. An optional Skills Passport series in the final year focuses on behavioural needs and mental health, and the program runs on a flexible, course-based schedule for full-time or part-time study.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Entry is by one of two routes: a postsecondary degree or a two- or three-year diploma, or demonstrated competence through documented experience, meaning at least 140 hours of work or volunteer experience in an Ontario public school, or experience as the parent or guardian of a student with disabilities in the Ontario special-education system, validated by a supervisor or school. Applicants admitted through the experience route must complete three General Education Electives, which can add an extra semester. Selection weighs previous academic achievement and related coursework, or the documented experience, alongside physical capability for the role, self-regulation skills for managing diverse learner behaviour, and the ability to help implement Individual Education Plans. Students must give field-placement sites a criminal record check and immunization records at their own expense before placement begins. Applicants whose first language is not English must meet Sheridan's English Proficiency Requirement for certificate and diploma programmes: IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with no band below 5.5, TOEFL iBT 80 with no section below 20, PTE Academic 58 with no section below 49, or Duolingo English Test 105 with no sub-score below 85.
Application Details
Start Date:September, January and May
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through ontariocolleges.ca: for programmes starting in Fall 2027 the application opened 26 September 2026, the equal-consideration date is 1 February 2027, and offers can go out from 1 November 2026, with portfolio- and audition-based programmes deciding later in March; accepted offers must be confirmed by 1 May 2027. Winter and Spring/Summer 2027 entry use the same portal but Sheridan publishes no fixed equal-consideration date for them and reviews those on an ongoing basis. International applicants apply directly through Sheridan's own International Application Portal, not ontariocolleges.ca; the college publishes no fixed international deadline and admits on a rolling, space-permitting basis, so early application is advised for the 2027 entry cycle. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
