Contact/FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The Program runs from September to April each year.
The official deadline for applications is 31st May 2025 however applications will be assessed upon receipt and a tentative acceptance will be awarded if appropriate. You are encouraged to send in your application promptly. As part of the admission process, all applicants will be interviewed; this can be in-person (preferred) or online. Interview duration 30 mins.
A Diploma in Heritage Conservation is awarded. We are registered with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) as a Career College, ID 103175. The Diploma is a Post Secondary Diploma, not a professional certificate.
Graduates are Heritage Professionals. Students are encouraged to become members of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP).
Anyone who is interested in the school should contact us by email or 905.262.1239 x 200 to schedule a visit, anytime during the year.
No. There are no prerequisites to attending Willowbank. One of the great things about our students is the vast diversity of their backgrounds – some have worked in the heritage field and some have worked in a totally unrelated field; some are changing careers later in life and some are recent graduates. This creates a rich variety of perspective within any given class.
96% of our graduates go on to employment within the heritage field. Our graduates go on to be city planners, heritage consultants/advisors, heritage carpenters and masons, heritage conservators, and entrepreneurs, to name just a few options.
Industry Internship is an integral part of the Heritage Conservation program, whereby students are required to hold a position in the heritage conservation field (conservation, planning, trades etc). This position needs to be in the form of a paid internship, an apprenticeship, employment or a combination of these. The industry internship must be paid. The total number of hours needs to be a minimum of 600 hours. Program Requirement (ePortfolio): daily logs, monthly reports, final report duly signed by industry supervisor.
ePortfolio is a requirement of the industry internship as part of the Heritage Conservation program. The ePortfolio is an online archive that contains evidence of student’s academic achievement, reflections on their learning experiences from the program years, and records of their professional development. At the end of the third year, students will be required to present the ePortfolio and the learnings from their industry internship.
Research Project: students will select a thesis project within the domain of Heritage Conservation (research and documentation, conservation planning, trades) to be conducted under the supervision of a faculty supervisor and an industry supervisor, during the final year.
The Willowbank campus is located in Queenston, Ontario. Transit hubs are located in nearby Niagara Falls and St. Catharine’s but there is no direct transit route to Willowbank. Students are encouraged to have their own transportation. We do not currently offer on-campus housing, but we expect to have facilities ready by 2021. In the meantime, there is accommodation available in the neighbourhoods near Willowbank. The Education Coordinator will assist you in finding accommodation – contact us for more information.
Please see our Fees & Financial Aid page.
Please visit our Mission, Vision and Values page
Willowbank creates a unique environment where learning all aspects of heritage conservation are weighted equally, allowing the students to approach both the theoretical and practical streams of heritage restoration
CHARLIE PORTER, CLASS OF 2024