ICS Canada Mission & History

Mission Statement

ICS Canada’s mission is to enhance the lives of our students through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and credentials that can help them work toward their goals of advancing in their chosen field, starting a new career, or pursuing lifelong learning.

ICS Institutional Goals

  • Provide educational programs that enable self-motivated, independent learners to acquire core competencies in their chosen technical and professional fields
  • Employ contemporary learning strategies based on academic standards of good practice in distance education
  • Develop and maintain systems that optimize student opportunities for broadly participative, interactive learning
  • Establish and communicate high standards of academic performance for students and the institution
  • Assess student learning and institutional effectiveness systematically in order to improve student performance
  • Provide an extensive suite of student support services based on student needs and interests
  • Conduct fiscally responsible planning that balances the institution's commitment to academic excellence with its concern for profitable financial performance

The mission is supported by an admissions policy that allows students with appropriate prior education to enroll in programs without regard to race, religion, gender, age, color, national origin, or physical disability.

The school regularly assesses fulfillment of its mission and achievement of its institutional goals through ongoing studies of student learning, measurement of student satisfaction, and evaluation of career outcomes of graduates.

ICS Canada History

In 1890, a newspaperman named Thomas J. Foster was one of the first to recognize that working adults with ambition needed a convenient way to learn advanced skills. He developed a distance-learning method in order to help anthracite coal miners become mine superintendents and foremen.

By 1894, in addition to the U.S. and Canada, the International Correspondence School was enrolling students in Mexico, British America, and Australia. The school became a stunning success virtually overnight, enrolling more than a quarter of a million students in its first decade. By 1920, ICS opened its Canadian division, known today as ICS Canada.

As the world's leader in at-home education, ICS has maintained a tradition of excellence for more than 100 years. We're proud of our history and excited about our future. We look forward to helping you become a successful part of our next century of learning and accomplishment.