Graduation & the Dogwood Diploma
What it takes to earn the BC Certificate of Graduation.
Students who complete the BC Graduation Program earn the BC Certificate of Graduation, known as the Dogwood Diploma. It is awarded by the BC Ministry of Education, the same diploma that graduates in British Columbia receive.
CSEEC students graduate with both a Chinese diploma and a BC Dogwood Diploma.
80 credits to graduate
- Students need at least 80 credits from Grades 10, 11 and 12. Most courses are worth 4 credits.
- At least 16 of those credits must be at the Grade 12 level, including a Grade 12 Language Arts course.
- 52 credits come from required courses; the other 28 or more come from elective courses that students choose.
What every graduate takes
- Language Arts 10, 11 and 12
- Mathematics 10, plus a Mathematics 11 or 12
- Science 10, plus a Science 11 or 12
- Social Studies 10, plus a Social Studies 11 or 12
- Physical and Health Education 10
- An Arts Education or Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies course (Grade 10, 11 or 12)
- Career-Life Education, and Career-Life Connections with a capstone project
- Indigenous-focused coursework (at least 4 credits), which can be a course that also meets another requirement
Literacy and numeracy
Every student writes three provincial graduation assessments: the Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment, the Grade 10 Literacy Assessment and the Grade 12 Literacy Assessment. Students must write all three to graduate, and the results appear on their official transcript.
Recognized around the world
The Dogwood Diploma is accepted by universities across Canada and in many other countries. Each university sets its own admission requirements, so students should check the programs they are interested in early. See University Pathways for more.
Graduation requirements are set by the BC Ministry of Education and may be updated. The Ministry's website has the current, official details.
BC graduation requirements