{"id":25469,"date":"2026-03-04T14:55:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T14:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/?post_type=rbc_tl&p=25469\/quantum-computing-explained"},"modified":"2026-03-26T14:19:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:19:55","slug":"competency-based-education-explained-2","status":"publish","type":"rbc_tl","link":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Competency-based Education. Explained."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

A smarter way for adult learners to hone new skills<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

What is competency-based education?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Competency-based education (CBE) is a personalized style of post-secondary learning that allows participants to earn credentials by mastering skills and knowledge at their own pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are more than <\/a>1,000<\/a> CBE programs offered at U.S. institutions, many at the degree or associate degree level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Canada, while several postsecondary institutions are experimenting with CBE at micro-credential and certificate levels, no public Canadian institution offers the chance to earn competency-based degrees or diplomas (Bow Valley College<\/a> in Calgary plans to offer hybrid diplomas in information technology and cybersecurity beginning in September).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Why did CBE take off in the U.S.?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, the Obama administration called for individually paced programs that \u201caward credits based on learning, not seat time<\/a>\u201d as a way of promoting innovation, and creating affordable, accelerated degree pathways for adults. Within a decade, the number of providers grew from about a dozen to more than 600.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

What\u2019s different about CBE?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Traditional<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Traditional degree and diploma programs are generally designed to serve students studying full-time and moving directly from high school to college or university. These students often seek and benefit from a cohort experience\u2014students start and progress together, with a pace set by an instructor. Their final grades vary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBE degree and diploma programs are designed for adults who already have a level of skill and experience. Programs tend to start monthly or even weekly. Learners move at their own pace with individualized support from coaches or advisors. CBE assessments are usually performance-based tasks or projects that reflect real-life scenarios\u2014a business student might analyze a company\u2019s financial statements and identify inefficiencies, for example, while a nursing student might conduct a thorough patient assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone is required to meet the same high bar. Students pass by demonstrating mastery and are supported to address learning gaps until they do (e.g., they may get rounds of feedback from a faculty coach, persisting until they can perfect a specific task before moving on to the next). This approach allows participants to progress more quickly through content they\u2019re familiar with and devote the necessary time to new skills and concepts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Who do CBE programs benefit?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In today\u2019s rapidly changing economy, CBE can help adults<\/strong> whose jobs are disrupted, providing them an opportunity to upskill in evolving sectors or reskill to shift into an entirely new area of work. CBE programs could also provide foreign-trained workers<\/strong> the opportunity to earn Canadian credentials aligned with their skills and expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employers <\/strong>benefit, too. CBE programs can help match skills with jobs quickly. And the focus on mastery ensures that graduates achieve a high level of skill. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

How does CBE work in practice?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Western Governors University\u2013<\/strong>The pioneer of CBE<\/em>
<\/strong>Salt Lake City, Utah + regional hubs<\/a> in nine states<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On offer<\/strong>: Online undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, education, information technology, health & nursing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it works<\/strong>: Most program intakes are monthly. Leaners pay US$4,000 in tuition per six-month term, working at their own pace to earn competency units<\/a> by demonstrating skills on various tests or projects. On average<\/a>, a bachelor’s degree takes 2.5 years to complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University of Maine at Presque Isle\u2013<\/strong>Nearly doubled<\/a> CBE enrolment last year
<\/em>Presque Isle, Maine<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On offer<\/strong>: Online undergraduate and graduate degrees in areas such as accounting, education, public policy and management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it works<\/strong>: Learners progress through courses in eight-week<\/a> sessions\u2013 US$1,800 per session for undergraduates, US$2,450 for graduate students. An advisor helps ensure students maximize their time each session; programs can be completed in a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Capella University \u2013<\/strong>A founding member of the Competency-Based Education Network<\/a><\/em>
<\/strong>Minneapolis, Minnesota<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On offer<\/strong>: Undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, education, health care administration, information technology, nursing and psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it works<\/strong>: Programs operate on an \u2018all-you-can-learn\u2019 12-week subscription basis. Students can start any month. An evaluation<\/a> of the first five years of program delivery found the median completion time was 60% faster in CBE bachelor\u2019s degrees compared to credit-hour versions Capella offered; and median tuition costs were 60% lower.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Download the report<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Download<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Jackie Pichette<\/strong> is Skills Policy Lead at RBC Thought Leadership<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A smarter way for adult learners to hone new skills<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":25492,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"disable_focal_point":false,"featured_image_focal_point":{"x":0.55,"y":0.32},"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"rbc_tl_category":[218,122],"rbc_tl_tag":[],"class_list":["post-25469","rbc_tl","type-rbc_tl","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rbc_tl_category-explained","rbc_tl_category-skills"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCompetency-based Education. Explained. -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A smarter way for adult learners to hone new skills\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Competency-based Education. Explained.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A smarter way for adult learners to hone new skills\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RBC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-26T14:19:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Branded-1200x627-3.jpg?quality=80\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1306\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Competency-based Education. Explained.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/\",\"name\":\"Competency-based Education. Explained. -\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-04T14:55:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-26T14:19:55+00:00\",\"description\":\"A smarter way for adult learners to hone new skills\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80\",\"width\":7250,\"height\":3500,\"caption\":\"Competency-based Education. Explained.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"RBC\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Competency-based Education. Explained. -","description":"A smarter way for adult learners to hone new skills","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Competency-based Education. Explained.","og_description":"A smarter way for adult learners to hone new skills","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/","og_site_name":"RBC","article_modified_time":"2026-03-26T14:19:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2500,"height":1306,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Branded-1200x627-3.jpg?quality=80","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Competency-based Education. Explained.","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/","name":"Competency-based Education. Explained. -","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80","datePublished":"2026-03-04T14:55:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-26T14:19:55+00:00","description":"A smarter way for adult learners to hone new skills","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80","width":7250,"height":3500,"caption":"Competency-based Education. Explained."},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/","name":"RBC","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Competency-based Education. Explained.","url":"http:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/competency-based-education-explained-2\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80&w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80"},"articleSection":"Uncategorized","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"lavanyakaleeswaran"}],"creator":["lavanyakaleeswaran"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"RBC","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-03-04T14:55:08Z","datePublished":"2026-03-04T14:55:08Z","dateModified":"2026-03-26T14:19:55Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Competency-based Education. Explained.\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/thought-leadership\\\/explained\\\/competency-based-education-explained-2\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/thought-leadership\\\/explained\\\/competency-based-education-explained-2\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80&w=150&h=150&crop=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rbc.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80\"},\"articleSection\":\"Uncategorized\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"lavanyakaleeswaran\"}],\"creator\":[\"lavanyakaleeswaran\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"RBC\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[],\"dateCreated\":\"2026-03-04T14:55:08Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-04T14:55:08Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-26T14:19:55Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rbc.com\/p.js"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/RBC-Explained-Banners-CBE_Banner-wide-1.jpg?quality=80&w=1024","coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/author\/lavanyakaleeswaran\/","display_name":"lavanyakaleeswaran"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 1 month ago","modified":"Updated 3 weeks ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on March 4, 2026","modified":"Updated on March 26, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on March 4, 2026 2:55 pm","modified":"Updated on March 26, 2026 2:19 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","tax_additional":{"rbc_tl_category":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/explained\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Explained<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/thought-leadership\/skills\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Skills<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Explained<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Skills<\/span>"],"slug":"rbc_tl_category","name":"Categories"},"rbc_tl_tag":{"linked":[],"unlinked":[],"slug":"rbc_tl_tag","name":"Tags"}},"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rbc_tl\/25469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rbc_tl"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rbc_tl"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rbc_tl\/25469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25945,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rbc_tl\/25469\/revisions\/25945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"rbc_tl_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rbc_tl_category?post=25469"},{"taxonomy":"rbc_tl_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rbc_tl_tag?post=25469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}