Editing Certificate Programs in Canada, Part 1

So, you’ve decided to become an editor, change your niche, or gain more knowledge and improve your skills. Where do you start?

Mentorships, volunteering or training offered by professional editors or associations like Editors Canada can all help. In Canada, we’re also fortunate to have many editing and editing-adjacent courses offered by post-secondary institutions. A list of these courses is available on the Editors Canada website.

In this article, we will look at two of the four English editing certificate programs offered in Canada. Next week, we will examine the other two and explore how to pick the right program for you. All of the following programs offer online courses taught by experienced professional editors, and define editing skills based on the Professional Editorial Standards:

●      Mount Royal University: Professional Editing Extension Certificate

●      George Brown College: Editorial Skills Program

●      Queen’s University: Professional Editing Standards Certificate

●      Simon Fraser University: Editing Certificate

Mount Royal’s Professional Editing Extension Certificate

To obtain a professional editing certificate from Mount Royal University (MRU), students must complete six asynchronous online courses. As part of the program, students review parts of speech, grammar and punctuation. They explore structural and stylistic editing, copyediting and proofreading, and learn about style guides and style sheets, and about copyright, citations and references.

Pamela Karlenzig, Program Coordinator, said that MRU completely revised the program in 2021 to make it shorter, more flexible and accessible to students, regardless of their previous editing experience. “It’s important to make all incoming students feel valued and welcome, whether they’re new or experienced editors. We structure the courses so students can easily interact with the instructor and classmates through online discussions, helping foster their learning.” She also explained that industry expert instructors meet annually with the program team to provide feedback and keep the content current.

MRU emphasizes practical application of this curriculum, so it includes a course on preparing an editing portfolio. Usually taken at the end of their studies, it helps students create a professional showcase for prospective employers or clients.

George Brown College’s Editorial Skills Program

George Brown’s program requires seven courses for completion, and similar to MRU, focuses on core editing skills. However, it also includes courses in editing web content and creating accessible documents.

A unique aspect of this program, explains Kelly Hakem, Director of Continuing Education, is that its online courses are offered synchronously, meaning the classes are scheduled at a specific time in the evenings (ET, since George Brown is physically located in Toronto). The students benefit from an enhanced experience and real-time interactions, she explains, “they get the community without the commute.”

Students don’t need to apply to begin the program; they can simply register for the courses individually. After completing the required courses, students can then request their certificate and might opt to participate in the Editing Clinic course, which provides hands-on, supervised editorial experience. Students work on actual, real-life projects from non-profit organizations, campus departments and community partners, and can gain practical experience under professional supervision. Hakem added that organizations who are interested in submitting their projects to the clinic can email celiberal@georgebrown.ca.

This is only Part 1 of our investigation! Join us again next week to learn about the editing certificates from Queen’s University and Simon Fraser University, as well as explore how to choose a program.

—

The Editors’ Weekly is the official blog of Editors Canada. Contact us.