Certificate in General Arts and Science - Community Studies

at Algonquin College - Ottawa Campus Canada

This one-year Pre-Health Sciences Pathway to Certificates and Diplomas Ontario College Certificate program provides you with the knowledge, skills and abilities fundamental to academic success in a variety of health science programs. Develop strong study skills and earn post-secondary credits that may be transferred to other college programs.

As a student, you explore your interests in the health science field while meeting the eligibility requirements for a number of Algonquin College programs, including:

• Dental Assisting - Level I and II
• Fitness and Health Promotion
• Occupational Therapist Assistant/Physiotherapist Assistant
• Paramedic
• Practical Nursing
• Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training
• Veterinary Assistant
• Veterinary Technician

The curriculum provides you with the opportunity to learn more about potential careers in health sciences as you improve your skills and knowledge in communications, mathematics, biology and chemistry.

The intention of this program is to prepare you for further study in certificates or diplomas, rather than moving directly into the chosen industry. It is important to note that completing this program doesn`t guarantee entry into a health or science program.

The Event Management Ontario College Graduate Certificate program prepares you for many exciting roles in the fast-paced event planning industry. Gain the experience, knowledge and real-world practice needed to be successful in this high-demand field.

Learn the logistics of planning an event, including risk management, project development and planning, accounting and financial skills, and marketing.

Gain critical event management skills, from acquiring sponsorships, to providing entertainment and creating programming, to people management and working in teams.

The highlight of the program is a real-world team-based fundraising event that provides you with an opportunity to make a difference in the community. You also benefit from 112 hours in an industry field placement, gaining more real-world experience and valuable industry contacts.

Graduates may find employment in:

• Corporations or associations
• Museums or attractions
• Sports organizations
• Wedding planning companies
• Tourism organizations
• Festivals or cultural organizations
• Hotels or cruise lines
• Government and non-profit organizations - locally, nationally or globally.

The two-year Library and Information Technician Ontario College Diploma program provides you with a broad range of knowledge and experiences for the library and information management field. This unique program teaches skills that deal with both technical and public service considerations. Technical services involve manual and automated operations related to collecting, processing and organizing material. Public services involve assisting or teaching clients in finding or using information resources.

An emphasis on exposing students to the latest technologies, trends and developments in the library and information field enables students to graduate job-ready. Benefit from small class sizes. Learn from professors with industry experience. Test your knowledge and skills through hands-on classroom activities and work field placements.

Field placements take place in:

• Schools
• Public, government, and academic libraries, or
• Archives, records and information management organizations

Through field placements, you develop relevant industry connections, preparing you for work in the field.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Acquire, loan, borrow, and maintain book, serial and online collections, using procedures for bibliographic verification, vendor selection, order production, and fund management.
• Derive, edit and/or create catalogue records using internationally accepted cataloguing rules with MARC coding in national bibliographic utilities, and computer-based systems.
• Conduct reference interviews, analyze information requests in a variety of topic areas, provide instructional assistance, and perform searches using current, relevant and authoritative resources.
• Assess client needs and provide effective client service to distinct client groups in various library, archive or information management settings.
• Develop and prepare promotional materials, library programming, bibliographies, finding tools and reports using word processing and publishing programs.
• Design relational databases, web sites and use integrated library systems and other library related software according to current standards.
• Identify different types of libraries and topics related to library science such as the publishing industry, freedom of information, censorship and copyright.
• Recognize, identify and perform duties in an archive, records management or information management setting and apply meta data to online resources.
• Outline theories and practice of library management and apply skills in staff supervision, conducting primary research, marketing library services and budget preparation.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

The two-year Computer Programmer Ontario College Diploma program prepares you for a career in software development. The program also specializes in program development strategies (using object-oriented modelling), database design and database administration.

Use leading industry software products such as Oracle and CASE tools. Learn about programming languages such as Java, COBOL, SQL and PHP. Study object-oriented analysis and design, operating systems and coding in integrated environments, and learn how to debug, test, and maintain codes.

In your final semester, participate in a software development project working with external clients to gain real-world experience in the programming field.

Students also have the option to gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term (see Additional Information for more details). Please note that places in the co-op version of the program are subject to availability. Students who elect to apply to the non co-op version of the program may not have the opportunity to transfer to the co-op version at a later date.

Graduates may work in a variety of different fields, as almost all sectors of industry require programmers. You may be employed as:

• A software programmer
• A web programmer
• A business programmer
• An application programmer

The collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program helps you develop the skills to enter the field of nursing. This program prepares you to take on the role of Registered Nurse - offering quality care in the healthcare system.

In this program, you experience classroom, laboratory and clinical learning in a wide variety of settings. Key program outcomes include developing critical thinking and communication skills, as you become a professional nurse who solves problems as part of healthcare teams.

This is a four-year program offered in collaboration with the University of Ottawa. You experience both theoretical and applied courses that help you succeed. You may choose to study at either the University of Ottawa, Algonquin (Ottawa campus) or Algonquin (Pembroke campus).

Those studying at Algonquin College (Ottawa campus) take some of their courses in the first year at the University of Ottawa. Those studying at Algonquin College (Pembroke campus) take all of their classes in Pembroke.

Regardless of the location chosen, all successful students graduate with a BScN from the University of Ottawa. Graduates are eligible to write the NCLEX to become a Registered Nurse in Canada. As a graduate, you contribute to the development of nursing as an art and as a science. Following graduation, you may pursue graduate studies.

BScN graduates are in high demand and may work in hospitals, community health agencies, long-term care facilities, private practice and a variety of other settings across Canada and around the world.

This one-year Ontario College Graduate Certificate program prepares students for a career in design research and strategy. Professionals in this field examine the intersection of research, technology, business and design to apply a human-centred approach to solving problems. These professionals work in a variety of fields, including private, public and government organizations, to provide strategic direction for system, product, policy and/or service design. The skills gained in this program complement a myriad of professional backgrounds, from designers, computer programmers and engineers looking to update their skillset to public servants and social scientists looking for new ways to draft policies and model services.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Apply a universal, interdisciplinary design approach to overcome complex problems and create intelligent solutions that address social, technological and economic challenges.
• Manage a holistic, human-centred process to deliver design strategies, products, systems and services for government, corporations and non-profit organizations.
• Design collaboratively in an interdisciplinary studio environment to produce communication, products, systems and service projects for a variety of media.
• Apply primary and secondary research methodologies to the design process using a think/make practice model to achieve project outcomes that meet user needs and adhere to industry standards.
• Adhere to the professional practices of a design studio to facilitate and manage the success of design teams in achieving project goals.
• Participate in an iterative, multi-phase design process in order to create testable prototypes and realized products.
• Liaise and negotiate project direction and process with stakeholders to produce strategies and outcomes that align with business objectives.
• Present and defend research results and design outcomes to a diverse audience using effective communication strategies.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

The Environmental Management and Assessment Ontario College Graduate Certificate program adds depth to your existing expertise in the environmental management and assessment field. Highly skilled and environmentally aware professionals are constantly being sought out by employers in the field. This program enhances your knowledge of environmental sciences.

Gain essential knowledge and skills by studying a range of disciplines throughout this program, including:

• Ecological conservation
• Project management
• Environmental policy and reporting
• Contaminant control
• GIS and environmental map design

Take courses in hydrology, environmental modelling and environmental policies. Courses are offered on evenings and weekends.

Field experiences throughout the program give you integrative skills that employers of this expanding field are looking for.

Students also have the option to gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term. Please note that places in the co-op version of the program are subject to availability.

Graduates of this program may be employed in a number of fields including:

• Ecology research and reporting
• Water and wastewater monitoring
• Site assessments
• Cost proposals
• Pollution prevention and control
• Regulatory compliance
• Policy development

The one-year Victimology Ontario College Graduate Certificate program prepares you for work in a variety of fields, providing services to victims of crime. This one-year program provides specialized knowledge and skills in victimology and in the provision of victim services. You also explore the history and theories of victimization, with applied victim-centred focus.

Combining theoretical and applied learning, it includes a field placement of more than 140 hours. It is in this setting where you learn about victims` issues and perspectives first-hand from experts in the field.

Practicum options include:

• Victim crisis units
• Police services
• Victim advocacy centres
• Indigenous healing centres
• Government agencies
• Women`s shelters
• Community action groups

Overall, you develop knowledge of crisis response, sudden and traumatic loss, and victim populations. Learn about crime and its effects on victims in the criminal justice system. In your practicum, you integrate theory with practice and contribute to victim service initiatives within your community.

The Victimology program offers you the means to pursue a unique career. This program is the first graduate certificate program offered by a Canadian college specializing in victimology. More than just theory, this program puts you in the field, allowing you to learn how to look at issues from the victim`s perspective.

You may find work in a wide variety of fields helping victims of crime. Work opportunities may exist in:

• Social services
• Child protection
• Crisis response
• The criminal justice system, and
• In other areas related to victimization

The language skills you need for the life you want

The General Arts and Science - English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Ontario College Certificate program is an academically-oriented English as a Second Language (ESL) Program designed for International and Domestic students whose first language is not English.

Improve your academic English language skills for college and job success in a dynamic multicultural setting. Upon successful completion of the program, you obtain an Ontario College Certificate, which provides a pathway into post-secondary studies by satisfying the language requirements for entry into most programs offered at Algonquin College.

The EAP Placement Test determines your starting point in the program, ranging from low-intermediate to low-advanced language skills. As you move through the program, you actively participate in a variety of large and small group activities that provide engaging opportunities to practice the four language skills of:

• Reading
• Writing
• Listening
• Speaking

The two-year Cabinetmaking and Furniture Technician Ontario College Diploma program at Algonquin College prepares you with the skills and techniques necessary to get started in the industry.

This program, compressed into a 42-week format, is a highly-intensive but rewarding journey for those seeking a hands-on career in the cabinetmaking and woodworking industry. All classes take place at the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence, where students use modern industry-standard equipment and tools. You learn both traditional joinery and advanced technology used in the industry today.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Solve trade related problems using basic mathematics.
• Use appropriate trade terminology in communications with colleagues, supervisors and clients.
• Explain the relationship between industry, style and history on furniture.
• Apply surface preparation, stains and finishes to specification.
• Examine the nature and manufacture of materials common to the trade and the relationship to industry.
• Apply the basic concepts and principles of marketing, management and financial control to the operation of a small business.
• Construct advanced furniture and cabinetry projects according to specifications, plans and cutting lists.
• Select, maintain and use tools of the trade and standard woodworking machinery.
• Use computer software to design projects, determine cutting procedures, and to calculate material requirements and costing.
• Perform all work in compliance with relevant legislations, regulations and health and safety procedures.
• Develop and use joinery and layout techniques to design and construct projects.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship. o the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.