SFU launched the Prison Education Program (PEP) on April 1, 1984 after negotiating a three-year contract with the Federal Government to deliver a university program for male inmates at four penitentiaries - Kent, Mountain Head, Matsqui, and William Head/Metchosin. Assuming responsibility from the University of Victoria who had run the program for twelve years, PEP staff worked quickly to ensure a smooth administrative transition of the program and re-registration of the inmates as SFU students. The new program was assigned a dual home at SFU where all academic affairs of the program were administered through the Office of the Dean of Arts and a Steering Committee, and all administrative affairs of the program - including appointment of its Director, Stephen Duguid and its Program Coordinator, Henry Hoekema - were run under the guise of the Office of Continuing Studies.

Teaching staff for Kent, Mountain Head and Matsqui institutions were recruited from SFU while faculty at William Head were drawn extensively from UVic. In the course of its duration, the Prison Education Program established a library program at each institution, administered GED (grade 12 equivalency) courses, and offered courses in the Liberal Arts leading to certificate, diploma and degree completion. The program also sponsored courses and workshops in Writing and the Fine and Performing Arts and had a transition program for paroled inmates who chose to complete their education at SFU's Burnaby campus. After a few short years, the program grew to be very successful, garnering support from other SFU departments, developing a network of contacts in the field of prison education, initiating a series of seminars and Occasional Papers, and regularly publishing the Prison Journal. Despite the program being cancelled in the early 1990's due to government cutbacks, SFU continues today to be recognized as a leader in the field of prison education.

Sub-series consists of records relating to the administration and development of the Prison Education Program. Activities, events and topics documented include liaison with the federal government and SFU departments, library proposals, course scheduling, Library Technician meetings, recognition and awards ceremonies, the SFU Prison Education Newsletter, and copies of the serial Prison Journal. Records include agendas and minutes, annual reports, correspondence, working papers, contracts, course proposals and outlines, reports, statistics, budgets and financial reports, reference materials, and publications.

Sub-series consists of records relating to the administration of the SFU/Secwepemc Cultural Education Society Program. Activities, events and topics documented include program development, the SFU/SCES Joint Committee, and planning for the 10-year program anniversary in 1998. Records include correspondence, minutes, working papers, contracts, course outlines, budget and financial working papers, questionnaires, and publications.

The Certificate Program in Health and Fitness Studies was established in 1978 drawing largely upon the resources of the Department of Kinesiology. Developed for sport coaches, those supervising training and/or fitness programs, and the general public, the program provides an opportunity to complete a coordinated program of university study on a full or part time basis in the areas of health, fitness, and nutrition. In the program's early years, students could earn a certificate by completing a series of credit courses from Kinesiology, Chemistry, Psychology, and Fine and Performing Arts along with a series of scheduled non-credit activities organized to allow students to meet with faculty and professionals in the field. Credit from these courses could also be used towards a Bachelor's degree. The program has evolved with an emphasis on Kinesiology courses and as of 2005, continues to be offered as an undergraduate certificate by the School of Kinesiology in the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

Sub-series consists of records relating to the administration of the Health and Fitness Studies Certificate program. Activities, events and topics documented include program and course development, correspondence with students, enrollment statistics, and program guidelines. Records include correspondence, working papers, program brochures, and statistics.

The Applied Science Continuing Education program has offered a series of non-credit certificate programs in the areas of Communication, Computing Science, Engineering, Kinesiology and Resource and Environmental Management since 1989. Courses, seminars, workshops, and conferences are developed as a result of faculty support and industry demand with changing technological needs often dictating course content. In the 1990s an autonomous Faculty of Applied Sciences Continuing Education Unit was created that reported directly to the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences. However, the unit proved to be financially unsustainable so in 2002 it was downsized and its administrative control was returned to the Dean of Continuing Studies.

Sub-series consists of records relating to the development and administration of the Applied Sciences Continuing Education program. Activities, events and topics documented include general programs offered in the Applied Science Continuing Education Program (including specifically designed in-house programs), computer programming and Internet courses; international programs on management techniques and cultural orientation; project management; and risk assessment and decision analysis for management of natural resources. Also documented are external programs sponsored by Applied Science Continuing Education such as The Institute for Government Informatics Professionals and The Technology Industries Association (TIA) Business Program. Records include correspondence, working papers, minutes, course outlines, program evaluations, contracts, and pamphlets.

In August 1988 the British Columbia Telephone Company entered into agreement with SFU for the delivery of a Certificate Program in Telecommunications Engineering. The specialized program, developed to upgrade the technical knowledge of BC Tel professional engineers in telecommunications technologies, was jointly run by SFU and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and managed by the Applied Sciences Program in Continuing Studies. Working in collaboration with the BC Tel Engineering Training Committee, Continuing Studies developed a series of eight, one-week extensive courses that covered topics such as communication systems, digital concepts, voice networks, communication standards and ISDN. Courses were made up of a combination of lectures, technical presentations, laboratories, and group activities. Each course had a coordinator rather than a single instructor and industry experts were brought in to give presentations. At the end of each session, courses were evaluated by participants and individuals outside of the BC Tel/SFU-UCLA group to ensure that participants acquired an in-depth understanding of changing technology and communication systems.

Sub-series consists of records relating to the development and administration of the BC Tel Convergence course program. Activities, events and topics documented include BC Tel's initial request for proposal, course development, progress reports, instructors contracts and promotional materials sent out to BC Tel staff. Records include correspondence, working papers, reports, course outlines and evaluations, contracts, budgets and financial working papers, and pamphlets.

The Management Skills in Advanced Technology Program (MSAT) was established in 1986 after a series of development seminars with employers, managers, and engineers in science and technology-based industries identified the need for a management skills training program. The President's Fund provided a loan to the Applied Sciences Continuing Studies program in order to get to the program started and soon after its inception, it was recognized as an innovative program in professional development education winning a Canadian Association for University Continuing Education Distinctive Program Award in 1989. The design of the program has changed little since the development of core courses in the late 1980's that include Managing Technology, Engineering Economics and Financial Planning, and Project Management. Students - comprised mainly of engineers, software developers, technologists and scientists seeking to develop their management skills - receive twenty-four days of instruction over a six month period in two three-day modules. Resource persons from the community are brought in as guest speakers. Through lectures, exercises, and group assignments students cover topics including human and organizational behaviour, resource allocation, demand forecasting, economic and financial analysis, project management, sales and marketing, production, operations, business planning, writing and public speaking. The program culminates with a team business planning project using a local technology company as a case example. As of 2005, the program consists of eight integrated core courses and includes new topics relevant to modern industry demands such as eBusiness.

Sub-series consists of records relating to the development and administration of the Management Skills in Advanced Technology Program. Activities, events and topics documented include program planning and general administration, instructors workshops and meetings, course and instructor evaluations, and graduation ceremonies. Records also include those relating to core courses of the program such as Communications Skills; Economic and Financial Planning; Implementing Management Concepts in Advanced Technology; Managing Creative Technically-Oriented People; Project Management; and feasibility planning for MSAT II courses. Records include correspondence, working papers, minutes, course outlines, student binders, budget and financial working papers, pamphlets, photographs and contact sheets.