Planning My Pathway: Courses, Programs and Supports

Hook: the course-selection deadline

Every winter, Grade 10 students choose their Grade 11 courses. It can feel like a small form to fill in, but it is a real decision: a Grade 11 course choice can open or close doors to Grade 12 courses, and Grade 12 courses are what colleges, universities and apprenticeship programs look at.

You've built your profile (Lesson 5), analysed influences (Lesson 6) and compared destinations (Lesson 9). Now the curriculum asks you to identify the secondary school courses and programs that lead to your preferred destinations and meet diploma requirements, and to identify school and community supports that can help you. This is where your plans become a timetable.

The diploma: what everyone needs

To earn the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), students who started Grade 9 in 2024 or later need 30 credits: 17 compulsory and 13 optional. The compulsory credits are:

• 4 English (one per grade)
• 3 mathematics (at least one in Grade 11 or 12)
• 2 science
• 1 technological education (Grade 9 or 10)
• 1 Canadian history (Grade 10)
• 1 Canadian geography (Grade 9)
• 1 arts
• 1 health and physical education
• 1 French as a second language
• 0.5 career studies (this course) and 0.5 civics and citizenship
• 1 from a STEM-related group: business studies, computer studies, cooperative education, or an extra math, science or technological education course

You also need:

• 40 hours of community involvement (volunteering),
• the literacy requirement, usually by passing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) in Grade 10,
• 2 online learning credits, unless a parent or guardian (or an adult student) opts out,
• financial literacy: students who started Grade 9 in September 2025 or later must also pass a financial literacy requirement inside this Career Studies course, with a mark of 70% or higher. (Ontario's guidance has described which students this starts with in slightly different ways, so confirm with your guidance counsellor. You'll prepare for it in the next unit, Planning and Financial Management.)

Students who started Grade 9 before 2024 have slightly different rules (18 compulsory credits, with some chosen from three groups). Check with your guidance counsellor.

Course types and prerequisites

• Grade 9: English, math and science are de-streamed (one course for everyone, coded W).
• Grade 10: most courses are academic (D), applied (P) or open (O).
• Grades 11 and 12: courses are U (prepares for university), M (university or college), C (college), E (workplace) or O (open, for everyone).

A prerequisite is a course you must pass before taking another. For example:

• Math: Grade 10 academic math (MPM2D) is the prerequisite for Grade 11 Functions (MCR3U, a U course). Grade 11 Foundations for College Mathematics (MBF3C) and Functions and Applications (MCF3M) accept either MPM2D or Grade 10 applied math (MFM2P).
• English: Grade 11 university English (ENG3U) requires Grade 10 academic English (ENG2D); Grade 11 college English (ENG3C) accepts ENG2D or ENG2P.

Destination requirements, in general:

• University: usually the OSSD plus six Grade 12 U or M courses, including specific courses for each program (for example, Grade 12 U English for most programs).
• College: the OSSD with specific courses, often Grade 12 C or U English and sometimes math or science at the C, M or U level.
• Apprenticeship: you must be at least 16 and find a sponsor; academic entry requirements vary by trade (check Skilled Trades Ontario).
• Workplace: the OSSD, often with E or C courses, co-op experience and certifications.

Always check the exact requirements for programs you're interested in, because they differ.

Specialized programs

You met these in Grade 9 technology if you took it. Here's how they fit into a pathway:

• Cooperative education (co-op): earn credits through a supervised work placement connected to classroom learning. Co-op can count as your STEM-related group credit.
• Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM): focus on one of 19 sectors (such as health and wellness, construction, information and communications technology, arts and culture, business, or non-profit, education and child care) through a bundle of 8 to 10 courses, sector certifications (for example, first aid and CPR) and experiential learning such as co-op. Graduates get an SHSM seal on their diploma.
• Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP): start an apprenticeship while in high school, usually through co-op.
• Dual credits: take a college course that counts toward both your OSSD and a college credential.
• Other options: e-learning, summer school, and courses such as First Nations, Métis and Inuit Studies. The Grade 11 course Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis and Inuit Voices can be used to meet the Grade 11 compulsory English credit.

Supports that can help

In school:

• Guidance counsellors: course selection, pathways, applications, scholarships, personal support.
• Student success teachers or teams: help for students at risk of not graduating, credit recovery.
• Special education teachers and Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for students with learning needs.
• Indigenous education supports: many boards have staff who support First Nations, Métis and Inuit students and connect them with community.
• Subject teachers, co-op teachers, librarians and school social workers.

In the community:

• Employment Ontario centres: job search help, training and apprenticeship information.
• Indigenous community supports and services, such as Friendship Centres and Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) programs.
• Public libraries, settlement agencies for newcomers, youth organizations, and Skills Ontario.
• Recruitment officers at colleges and universities, including Indigenous recruitment officers.