Essential Communication Skills and Advanced Standing

Students who have successfully completed a communications/ English course at another College or University may be able to get Advanced Standing for Essential Communication Skills at Sheridan.

There are many criteria used to determine Advanced Standing for ECS. As a first consideration, make sure:

• the communication course credit was earned in a postsecondary institution, and
• the communication course taken included a presentation component, and
• the communication course was taken within the past five (5) years and the grade was 60% or higher. (Courses over 5 years may be considered as exemption requests.)

For information on applying for Advanced Standing, visit our policies and procedures page, and review the policies and procedures for Advanced Standing or visit Sheridan’s Student Advisement Centre (Trafalgar Campus – Room B104; Davis Campus – Room B230).

Applying for Advanced Standing and Language Assessment

Students are still required to write their Language Assessment even though they are applying for Advanced Standing. Requests for Advanced Standing should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.

If your request for Advanced Standing is approved, you will be provided with an exemption after the first week of class or as soon as Sheridan is able to process your request. Make sure you continue to attend ECS classes until you receive a decision from the Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies (FAHCS) regarding your request for Advanced Standing.

I took English in high school. Do I have to take Essential Communications Skills?

Yes. ECS is a College level communications course, not a high school English or Communications course. They are not equivalent. All students in participating programs are required to take and successfully complete Essential Communication Skills before they are able to graduate.