The B.C. Graduation Program ensures that students graduate from secondary school as educated citizens, with the knowledge, competencies, and skills they will need to transition successfully into higher education, training and the workforce. The B.C. Certificate of Graduation or “Dogwood Diploma” is awarded to students who successfully complete the provincial graduation requirements.
In order to meet graduation requirements and be awarded a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation (Dogwood Diploma), students must earn a minimum of 80 credits and write the Graduation Numeracy (GNA) and Graduation Literacy (GLA) Assessments. The 80 credits must include 52 credits for required courses (including 8 credits of Career Education courses) and a minimum of 28 elective credits. Of these 80 credits:
- At least 16 credits must be at the Grade 12 level, including a required Language Arts 12
- At least 28 credits must be elective course credits
- 52 credits are required from the following:
- Career-Life Education (4 credits), and Career-Life Connections (4 credits)
- Physical and Health Education 10 (4 credits)
- Science 10 (4 credits), and a Science 11 or 12 (4 credits)
- Social Studies 10 (4 credits), and a Social Studies 11 or 12 (4 credits)
- A Math 10 (4 credits), and a Math 11 or 12 (4 credits)
- A Language Arts 10, 11 and a required 12 (12 credits total)
- An Arts Education 10, 11, or 12 and/or an Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies 10, 11, or 12 (4 credits total)
- The completion of three Graduation Assessments:
- Grade 10 Numeracy, Grade 10 Literacy, and Grade 12 Literacy