Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (Co-op)

at Algonquin College - Ottawa Campus Canada

This one-year General Arts and Science - Environmental Studies Ontario College Certificate program allows you to research and debate environmental issues on the global, national and local level. Topics include environmental citizenship, environmental ethics, sustainable development and ecology. Expand your knowledge about the environment and the impacts made by humans.

This program prepares you for further study, rather than moving directly into the chosen industry. You receive an Ontario College Certificate in General Arts and Science - One Year, with a concentration in Environmental Studies.

Upon completion, you are eligible to apply to other specific Algonquin College programs if you desire. These programs include:

• Forestry Technician
• Environmental Technician
• Water and Waste Water Technician
• Biotechnology - Advanced
• Outdoor Adventure Naturalist

You may also choose to continue your education in Year II of the General Arts and Science Ontario College Diploma program. After completion of Year II with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher, you can apply for advanced standing at Carleton University or the University of Ottawa.

This program helps you expand your knowledge and choose your career path. You can enter the workforce and show that you have well-developed skills and a general understanding in a variety of topics. Completion of this certificate confirms to potential employers that you have the ability to learn at a post-secondary level.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Develop, through general knowledge gained in a wide range of subjects, insight into both self and society.
• Develop flexibility and clarity of both thought and expression in order to develop communications competence to a level required by business
• and industry.
• Understand and utilize critical thinking processes and problem-solving techniques.
• Examine and evaluate various aspects of our changing society to assist in developing a sense of personal and social responsibility as a citizen in society.
• Employ basic vocational skills drawn from the areas of the Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences of Vocational Studies (Business, Technology).

The three-year Game - Development Ontario College Advanced Diploma program prepares you to enter into the increasingly competitive profession of game development with confidence. This program provides you with hands-on learning and a team-oriented environment that simulates the work setting found in large game studios. Throughout the program, you learn the design and critical thinking skills needed to find employment in the game development industry.

As a student, you learn how to create games of strategy and skill in an applied setting. During your first year, you gain knowledge in basic programming syntax and game development software tools. You enhance your skills with courses in:

• Game design and development
• Traditional and digital imaging
• Authoring
• Animation
• Programming

For your final project, you work with your classmates to conceptualize, design and implement a complete 3D game title. After graduation, you have the skills to demonstrate you are ready to start your career in this highly-competitive field.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Analyze the differences in game genres in order to develop games that meet the needs of specific markets.
• Analyze the history of video games to compare various approaches to game development.
• Support the development of games by identifying and relating concepts from a range of industry roles-programming, design, and art.
• Contribute as an individual and a member of a game development team to the effective completion of a game development project.
• Develop strategies for ongoing personal and professional development to enhance work performance in the games industry.
• Perform all work in compliance with relevant statutes, regulations, legislation, industry standards and codes of ethics.
• Apply conceptual game design elements to support the ongoing iteration, creation, programming, design, and development of games.
• Apply practical game design elements to support the ongoing iteration, creation, programming, design and developing of unique gaming environments, levels, characters, assets and props.
• Apply programming principles and techniques to create operational games or game components.
• Apply artificial intelligence and/or network implementation strategies to support real-time game environments and simulations.
• Utilize game engine functionality at an advanced level to support real-time games and simulations.
• Create original game props, characters and assets based on the concepts and requirements outlined in game design documents.
• Contribute to world building and level design, including using a game engine.
• Conceive, prototype, develop, test and evaluate procedures for the creation, design, programming, production and testing of games in a group environment.
• Test, debug and correct game components to ensure efficient and appropriate game functionality.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

Specialize with a challenging and rewarding career in finance

Earn a flexible diploma that shows you are aware of all areas of business, and that you also have specialized education in finance. Finance is one of seven majors available to Business Administration students. This three-year Ontario College Advanced Diploma program starts with three semesters learning a variety of essential business skills before ultimately deciding on a Major.

The Business Administration - Finance program prepares you to meet the high proficiency standards needed to complete professional designations and licensing courses in the financial services industry.

Learn how to become a strategic, skilled financial expert whom individuals and businesses will trust to create and analyze financial plans. You learn from experienced faculty who provide you with an education based on all areas of finance, including:

• Financial analysis and decision-making
• Customer service, sales and marketing financial products and services
• Wealth management
• Retirement and tax planning
• Insurance and estate planning 

Develop an understanding of the operations and importance of financial services. Use a hands-on approach to explore topics such as:

• The time value of money
• calculating return on investment and tax treatment of returns
• The relationship between risk and return
• Canadian financial institutions and regulators
• Financial planning steps and the components of a financial plan 

Build your architectural career within the construction industry

The two-year Architectural Technician Ontario College Diploma program teaches you the skills and techniques to enter a career in the architecture and construction fields.

Your professors are industry professionals who provide you with a learning experience from the construction industry and the architectural profession, enabling you to be successful in your academic and professional ventures.

Begin the program with a focus on residential construction, and progress to studying commercial construction, as defined in the Ontario Building Code. Develop skills related to all facets of building construction, including design and technical resolution with the integration of building and material detailing.

As a student in this program, you have the opportunity to study and learn in a variety of practical topics, using both applied and theoretical learning, and a project-based, integrated studies approach. Courses include:

• Working Drawings
• Methods and Materials of Construction
• Codes and Standards
• AutoCAD
• Revit
• Visual Communications
• Design
• Environmental Systems

The three-year Child and Youth Care Ontario College Advanced Diploma program prepares you to help vulnerable children, youth and families with complex needs.

Learn to develop and implement a wide range of prevention, intervention and treatment strategies to foster positive change and healthy development in clients. Apply the principles of relational practice with clients, while respecting their unique culture and diversity.

In classes, you learn practical and theoretical concepts and then apply them in field placements.

Working with clients in field placements helps you to develop into a confident and competent child and youth care practitioner. By the end of this program, you have practical experience in two different work environments in the field of child and youth care.

This is the only Child and Youth Care program in Ontario to offer two courses in therapeutic outdoor activities. In these courses, you learn to facilitate therapeutic activities in the outdoors while on a camping trip with fellow classmates and faculty - a truly memorable learning experience.

There is a wide variety of work opportunities for you after graduation. As a child and youth care practitioner, you may find employment in a:

• Group home
• Hospital
• Mental health treatment centre
• Shelter
• School
• Youth justice program
• Community resource centre

The two-year Cardiovascular Technology Ontario College Diploma program provides you with the essential knowledge and technical skills required to perform electrocardiograms, exercise tolerance tests and ambulatory monitoring in the role of a cardiovascular technologist. Professionals in this field work closely with patients to diagnose cardiac conditions.

Emphasizing a hands-on approach through in-class clinical simulation and clinical practice, this program is aligned with the competencies outlined by the Canadian Society of Cardiology Technologists (CSCT) National Occupational Competency Profile (NOCP). Areas of focus include performing various non-invasive cardiac testing such as:

• Electrocardiography
• Stress testing
• Ambulatory monitoring
• Pacemaker follow-up

You develop critical thinking by integrating knowledge of cardiac anatomy, pharmacology and various pathophysiology to provide accurate diagnostic information to members of the health care team.

Graduates of this program are eligible to write the CSCT national certification exam. Upon successful completion of this exam, graduates become Registered Cardiology Technologists (RCT). This provides employment opportunities across Canada in:

• Hospitals
• Private cardiac clinics
• Physicians`offices
• Cardiac rehabilitation centres
• Pacemaker clinics
• Ambulatory monitoring health services
• Medical sales or research

Graduates may pursue post-graduate studies in such areas as diagnostic cardiac sonography, pacemaker technology or cardiac electrophysiology technology.

The four-year Bachelor of Automation and Robotics (Honours) degree program prepares you for a career in the field of automation and robotics.

Autonomous and remotely operated systems are deployed the world over with ever increasing frequency. Such systems are being implemented in many instances to reduce risk to human workers, to achieve higher efficiencies in manufacturing and to improve the quality of lives through robot-assisted rehabilitation and care. Variations of these systems are often in place for reasons of feasibility, efficiency, safety or practicality. Traditionally, in order to develop such systems, collaborative expertise and knowledge in aspects of mechanical and electrical engineering as well as computer science is necessary. Through a combination of these three fields of engineering, this program helps you acquire the theoretical and applied expertise to succeed in the field of automation and robotics.

As a student in this program, you acquire knowledge and skills specific to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science, including:

• Engineering principles, professionalism and methodologies
• Fundamentals of mathematics, technical writing, dynamics, electronics, computer programming, optical systems and materials science
• Machine design, control systems, electromechanical actuators, sensors, vision systems and the software necessary to design and simulate autonomous and remotely operated systems and components
• Project planning and management, and research and leadership skills

This co-operative education program provides you with learning opportunities through industrial and/or applied research placements. A comprehensive final year project tied to the needs of industry exists to challenge you, presenting the opportunity to test and further develop knowledge and skills. If you are interested in the potential of self-employment, you have an opportunity to foster entrepreneurial aspirations.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to

• Analyze, design, modify and support mechanical, software and electrical components, processes and systems by applying fundamentals of engineering.
• Build functional robotic components by researching and integrating knowledge from mechanical, electrical and software engineering practices.
• Customize existing non-autonomous systems into autonomous or semi-autonomous systems by designing and integrating solutions and developing autonomy algorithms and controls.
• Analyze and solve complex technical problems in the field of robotics and automation by applying the principles of engineering and mathematics.
• Develop, execute and interpret quantitative and qualitative analysis and tests for industrial mechatronic and automation systems.
• Lead and perform diagnostics on a variety of industrial automation controls, sensors, data acquisition devices and interfaces by developing and using troubleshooting skills and techniques.
• Ensure all work is performed in compliance of relevant laws, codes, regulations, policies, ethical principles, safety procedures and engineering practices and standards.
• Contribute to the on-going and upcoming innovation and research in the robotics and automation field.
• Develop entrepreneurship and effective business planning skills to innovate robotics technology targeting new and existing local and global markets.
• Develop personal and professional strategies and plans to adapt to change, maintain currency and foster interprofessionalism.
• Manage the project and communication with clients and other professionals to translate abstract ideas into tangible project requirements and products.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific factors that enable the contribution to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

This two-year Developmental Services Worker Ontario College Diploma program prepares you to support children, youth and adults with physical, mental and/or developmental disabilities, through their activities of daily living, behaviour support, personal care and special education. You facilitate the development of skills for people with disabilities to enjoy independence, citizenship and social living.

As a student, you learn strategies for providing support in ways that are respectful of the dignity and individuality of each person with whom you work with.

The Developmental Services Worker program uses both experiential and outcome-based theory to help you prepare to work a variety of educational, community and social service settings.

During your program of study you apply theory and skills in various field placements, with opportunities to experience work as an Educational Assistant and Community Support/Residential Counsellor. Field placements allow you to explore concepts from a hands-on point of view and are an important learning tool to prepare for your profession. Throughout the program, you complete a series of field placements, totaling close to 600 hours of work experience.

You may find work in a variety of roles after graduation, including:

• Educational assistant
• Developmental assistant
• Special needs worker
• Residential counsellor
• Rmployment specialist
• Life skills instructor
• Vocational instructor
• Family support worker
• Support network facilitator

Develop your awareness of sustainable building operation expertise for a career in the rapidly advancing field.

The Building Automation System Operations Ontario College Graduate Certificate program builds on your industry and educational experience and deepens your understanding of technologies that support the sustainable operation of buildings and ongoing building optimization.

By working with data analysis, you gain the ability to monitor and adjust energy usage and gauge system parameters, alarms and activities within a building. The program is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to advance in the building technology field.

With increased awareness of sustainable measures and growing energy costs, professionals in this field are moving towards high-performance automated buildings. These Smart buildings are reducing consumption and ensuring comfort, health and safety.

In this program, you use case studies, hands-on learning, and field work to give you the knowledge to understand and apply skills in relation to building automation systems.

Graduates who are looking to work in the building technology field may find employment in many different positions, including:

• Building automation system operator
• Building automation technician
• HVAC automation and controls technician
• Building automation process leader

The Business Ontario College Diploma program provides you with a well-rounded foundation in management, human resources, operations, accounting, finance, marketing, international business, and supply chain management. Gain theoretical and applied knowledge to complete projects that reflect real business responsibilities. Develop essential business skills in communication, information technology, teamwork, problem solving, task management, and customer service.

You have the opportunity to collaborate with industry professionals to analyze and find solutions for real-world business issues. Your knowledge and skills come together as you create a professional business plan that mirrors what could be expected in industry.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Identify and discuss the impact of global issues on an organization`s business opportunities by using an environmental scan.
• Apply principles of corporate sustainability, corporate social responsibility and ethics to support an organization`s business initiatives.
• Use current concepts/systems and technologies to support an organization`s business initiatives.
• Apply basic research skills to support business decision making.
• Support the planning, implementation and monitoring of projects.
• Perform work in compliance with relevant statutes, regulations and business practices.
• Explain the role of the human resource function and its impact on an organization.
• Use accounting and financial principles to support the operations of an organization.
• Describe and apply marketing and sales concepts used to support the operations of an organization.
• Outline principles of supply chain management and operations management.
• Outline and assess the components of a business plan.
• Develop strategies for ongoing personal and professional development to enhance work performance in the business field.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.