Census learning centre
Education concepts and variables

Release date: November 30, 2022 Updated on: December 15, 2022

Catalogue number: 982000032021028

Hello and welcome to the "Education concepts and variables" video.

This video will give you a basic understanding of four main education concepts—educational credentials, major field of study, location of study and school attendance—as well as information on the variables associated with these concepts. It will provide information about variables, such as highest certificate, diploma or degree, Classification of Instructional Programs CIP 2021, location of study and school attendance, as well as their usefulness to data users.

Subject
Education
Length
00:07:37
Cost
Free
Links

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Concept video: Education concepts and variables  - Transcription

(The Statistics Canada symbol and "Canada" wordmark appear on screen with the title: "Concept video: Education concepts and variables".)

Welcome to the “Education concepts and variables” video.

In this video, we will explain the education concepts and variables used in the census.

The census collects education information for the population aged 15 years and over. A person’s education affects things like their job, income and health. It is also important to understand the supply of educated workers in Canada’s labour market and the occupations of people with education in different fields of study.

The census measures four main concepts through its education questions:

  • Educational credentials
  • Major field of study
  • Location of study
  • School attendance

Let us start with the first concept—Educational credentials.

Educational credentials are the certificates, diplomas or degrees that a person has completed. These include ones from high schools, apprenticeship and other trades programs, colleges and CEGEPs, and universities.

A CEGEP is a college-level public institution unique to Quebec.

Trades, apprenticeships, college, CEGEP and university are all types of postsecondary education.

From the census questions on educational credentials, three different variables are used to display our findings.

  1. Secondary (high) school diploma or equivalency certificate
  2. College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma
  3. Highest certificate, diploma or degree

The first variable, “Secondary (high) school diploma or equivalency certificate,” shows whether a person has not completed high school or has completed high school.

(The following bullet points appear on the screen:

  • No high school diploma or equivalency certificate

  • With high school diploma or equivalency certificate)

A person can complete it either by graduating with a high school diploma, or by later completing a test such as the General Educational Development also known as the GED.

This variable can also be seen in more detail by showing the highest postsecondary credential a person has completed, since some trades, apprenticeship and college certificates and diplomas can be completed by people who did not complete high school.

(The following bullet points appear on the screen with the title “Secondary (high) school diploma or equivalency certificate”:

  • No high school diploma or equivalency certificate

    • With apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma

    • With college, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma

  • With high school diploma or equivalency certificate

    • With apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma

    • With college, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma

    • With university certificate or diploma below bachelor level

    • With bachelor’s degree

    • With university certificate, diploma or degree above bachelor level)

This detail lets us see how these people’s outcomes, such as employment status, differ from those of people with other combinations of education.

The second variable, “College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma” shows whether or not a person completed this type of credential, regardless of what other credentials they have completed.

This variable can be more detailed as well, to show whether or not a person has completed both a college certificate or diploma and a bachelor’s degree or higher.

(The following bullet points appear on the screen:

  • No college, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma

    • No bachelor’s degree or higher

    • With bachelor’s degree or higher

  • With college, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma

    • No bachelor’s degree or higher

    • With bachelor’s degree or higher)

The third variable is “Highest certificate, diploma or degree.” Rather than showing combinations of credentials, this shows the highest credential a person has completed.

This means that “High school diploma or equivalency certificate” has a different significance here than it did in the previous variables. Here, it only includes people who completed high school and did not complete any postsecondary credentials.

Like the other variables, “Highest certificate, diploma or degree,” can be shown at different levels of detail. This table shows different possible groupings.

(A table shows the following categories and groupings for the "Highest certificate, diploma or degree" variable:

  • Highest certificate, diploma or degree

    • Not applicable (under age 15)

    • No certificate, diploma or degree

    • High (secondary) school diploma or equivalency certificate

    • Postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree below bachelor's

      • Apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma

        • Non-apprenticeship trades certificate or diploma

        • Apprenticeship certificate

      • College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma

      • University certificate or diploma below bachelor level

    • Bachelor's degree or higher

      • Bachelor's degree

      • University certificate or diploma above bachelor level

      • Degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry

      • Master's degree

      • Earned doctorate)

This concludes our discussion of the first concept, Educational credentials.

Now we will look at the next two concepts—Major field of study and Location of study. These two concepts provide more information about a person’s highest postsecondary credential.

Respondents report their major field of study on the census by writing it in.

(An image of question 35 of the 2021 Census questionnaire appears on the screen.)

These responses are classified using the Classification of Instructional Programs 2021 also known as CIP 2021.

The CIP has three levels. Every response is classified first at the most detailed level. Detailed categories at each level can be grouped into broader categories.

For example, International economics is CIP code 45.0605. This fits within 45.06, Economics.

(45.0605 International economics is shown to be a part of 45.06 Economics along with the other categories below:

  • 45.06 Economics

    • 45.0601 Economics, general

    • 45.0602 Applied economics

    • 45.0603 Econometrics and quantitaive economics

    • 45.0604 Development economics and international development

    • 45.0605 International economics

    • 45.0699 Economics, other)

Economics fits within 45., Social sciences.

(45.06 Economics is shown to be a part of 45. Social sciences along with the other categories below:

  • 45. Social sciences

    • 45.01 General social sciences

    • 45.02 Anthropology

    • 45.03 Archaeology

    • 45.04 Criminology

    • 45.05 Demography

    • 45.06 Economics

    • 45.07 Geography and cartography

    • 45.09 International relations and national security studies

    • 45.10 Political science and government

    • 45.11 Sociology

    • 45.12 Urban studies/affairs

    • 45.13 Sociology and anthropology

    • 45.15 Geography and anthropology

    • 45.99 Social sciences, other)

The social sciences are within the primary grouping “Social and behavioural sciences and law.”

This level of the CIP gives the most general groupings. Twelve primary groupings are used in the census.

(45. Social sciences is shown to be a part of the primary grouping Social and behavioural sciences and law. The twelve primary groupings are:

  1. Education

  2. Visual and performing arts, and communications technologies

  3. Humanities

  4. Social and behavioural sciences and law

  5. Business, management and public administration

  6. Physical and life science and technologies

  7. Mathematics, computer and information sciences

  8. Architecture, engineering, and related trades

  9. Agriculture, natural resources and conservation

  10. Health and related field

  11. Personal, protective and transportation services

  12. Other)

We also use a different variant of the CIP that classifies fields of study as either STEM—that is, science, technology, engineering, math and computer science—or BHASE—that is, business, humanities, health, arts, social science and education, or non-STEM.

(The following categories are grouped under "STEM and BHASE groupings, Major field of study":

  • Not applicable (under age 15)

  • No postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree

  • STEM

    • Science and science technology

    • Engineering and engineering technology

    • Mathematics and computer and information science

  • BHASE (non-STEM)

    • Business and administration

    • Arts and humanities

    • Social and behavioural sciences

    • Legal professions and studies

    • Health care

    • Education and teaching

    • Trades, services, natural resources and conservation)

This is useful if you are interested in STEM fields specifically, and issues such as women’s representation in STEM, or the earnings of STEM graduates relative to those of BHASE graduates.

Location of study shows the location of the institution from which the highest postsecondary credential was obtained.

For Canadian institutions, it shows the province or territory. For foreign institutions, it shows the country. In census data tables, a summarized form is often used which just shows whether the location of study was in Canada or outside Canada.

(The following categories are displayed under the heading "Location of study":

  • No postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree

  • Postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree

    • Location of study in Canada

    • Location of study outside Canada)

It can also be shown using the variable “Location of study compared with province or territory of residence.”

This shows whether or not graduates are now living in the same province or territory where they originally completed their credential.

(The following categories are displayed under the heading "Location of study compared with province or territory of residence":

  • No postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree

  • Postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree

    • Location of study in Canada

      • Same as province or territory of residence

      • Different from province or territory of residence

    • Location of study outside Canada)

The last concept is School attendance. For the 2021 Census, it shows whether a person attended school at any time between September 2020 and May 2021.

It also shows the type of school they were attending. Since the education questions are asked only to the population aged 15 years and over, the person would generally be attending either high school; college, CEGEP or trades school; or university.

This concludes our discussion of the four education concepts and the related variables. For more information on these variables, you can refer to the Census Dictionary.

(The words, "Thank you for watching the “Education concepts and variables" video", appear on screen.)

This concludes the “Education concepts and variables” video.

(The census logo appears with a link, which is also available to view here: Census of Population. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) 978-0-660-46313-1 appears underneath the link.)

For more detailed information regarding concepts, variables, methodology, historical comparability and other elements, please refer to Statistics Canada's census web pages.

(The "Canada" wordmark appears.)

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