Concordia is about to expand its learning landscape in a major way. The university is adding seven new microprograms, designed to attract students who want to explore new fields without enrolling as fulltime students.
"Microprograms are a great way to open up our academic offerings to meet the needs of more learners," says Effrosyni (Faye) Diamantoudi, Concordia's Provost and Vice-President, Academic.
"This includes people who are not necessarily looking to undertake a full undergraduate or graduate degree but want to get a taste of the academic experience, expand their skillset or change gears in their career."
The six new undergraduate microprograms, approved by Concordia's Senate at its most recent meeting, are:
- Economic Policy (Economics)
- Computational Physics (Physics)
- Religious, Cultural, and Ethnic Literacy (Religions and Cultures)
- Jewish Studies (Religions and Cultures)
- Production Accounting for Film and Television (Accountancy)
- Songwriting and Music Production (School of Performance)
Senate also approved a graduate microprogram in Global Health Entrepreneurship, offered by the School of Health.
Most programs are set to launch in the fall 2026 or winter 2027 semester, with Production Accounting for Film and Television to be offered as of summer 2027.
Short programs, high flexibility
Microprograms are short programs lasting from one to three terms designed to provide specialized training to anyone who wants to gain new competencies. Course delivery varies from in-person, hands-on learning, to hybrid or, in a few cases, completely online formats, with some offering evening or weekend classes to more easily accommodate working professionals.
If a student chooses to continue their studies after completing a microprogram, the credits obtained (between 6 and 15 credits for undergraduate microprograms) can generally be transferred to other certificates, diplomas or degrees at Concordia, provided the student meets the eligibility criteria.
Reaching new groups of learners
Concordia's Faculty of Fine Arts introduced undergraduate microprograms during the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when many workers in the cultural sector were without a job, its programs in Screenwriting and Film Producing and Web Design and User Interface provided appealing upskilling and retraining avenues.
The faculty has since added microprograms in Fundamentals of Digital Filmmaking and, starting in fall 2026, Songwriting and Music Production. Last year, it also launched a graduate-level microprogram in Curatorial Studies.
In the fall of 2025, Diamantoudi met with all academic departments at Concordia and discussions around new recruitment opportunities generated multiple program ideas. The seven new microprograms bring the total to 16, with many more in development.
While some microprograms may have specific admission requirements, in many cases there is no requirement for applicants to undergraduate microprograms to provide prior academic records.
"This flexibility opens doors for students who demonstrate capacity to succeed in the program, but who may not have followed a traditional academic pathway," adds Diamantoudi.
Responding to labour market needs
Microprograms often help address emerging labour market needs identified through consultation with a particular sector. For example, the new microprogram in Production Accounting for Film and Television was developed based on industry feedback, including through a focus group.
Similarly, the graduate microprogram in Applied Artificial Intelligence was created by the Gina Cody School in 2024 to address training gaps identified by the private sector.
The Faculty of Arts and Science is also introducing new microprograms that are likely to be of interest to certain groups of professionals. The microprogram in Economic Policy, for example, may appeal to employees of the public sector, community organizations or the private sector who work in this field or a related one.
The microprogram in Religious, Cultural and Ethnic Literacy will be relevant for anyone working in public-facing services, such as health care, education, social services, human resources and the hospitality industry, among others.
These and two other new microprograms, in Computational Physics and Jewish Studies, will build on the Faculty of Arts and Science's existing microprograms: Indigenous Land-Based Education, Innovation Mindset and Sustainability Principles. Concordia also offers the multidisciplinary graduate-level Sustainability Perspectives microprogram.
New graduate microprogram
Graduate microprograms differ from undergraduate microprograms in that applicants must have an undergraduate degree and, in some cases, related work experience.
The university's newest graduate microprogram, Global Health Entrepreneurship, led by the School of Health, starts in fall 2026. Built for mid-career health professionals, the program is aimed at providing fundamental and data-analytics skills in health sciences and biomedical sciences, as well as entrepreneurship skills.
Its goal is to equip graduates to tackle the toughest challenges of the health care sector, including unequal access to care, rising safety and security risks, system inefficiencies and the need to keep pace with transformative new technologies.
Concordia's existing microprograms
Undergraduate:
- Screenwriting and Film Producing
- Fundamentals of Digital Filmmaking
- Web Design and User Interface
- Indigenous Land-Based Education
- Innovation Mindset
- Sustainability Principles
Graduate:
Find out more about Concordia's undergraduate microprograms and graduate microprograms.
