General Certificate in General Arts and Science

at Durham College - Oshawa Campus Canada

The Esthetician – Spa Management program uses a holistic approach to teach students the skills required to build a career in the growing spa industry. If you love working with people and have a desire to help individuals boost their self-esteem, this program will provide you the skills, confidence and experience to hit the ground running. By focusing on techniques in the areas of manicure and pedicure technologies, waxing, facials, body treatments, as well as makeup corrective techniques, you will benefit from a hands-on learning approach, and have the opportunity to hone your skills in the fully operational DC Spa. Open to the public, the DC Spa features state-of-the-art learning facilities and equipment to provide you with real-life work experience.

Our Esthetician - Spa Management program provides vocational hands-on skills plus business management training so you can be job-ready upon graduation. Hands-on courses focus on manicure and pedicure technologies, waxing, body treatments and facial techniques, which include medical esthetic technologies.  Business training includes: retail operations and spa management, communications, spa marketing and client-care protocols.  You will gain real-world experience during your onsite Durham College Spa work placement, where you will deliver spa services to the public while planning, organizing, controlling and leading day-to-day retail operations, spa marketing strategies and managerial duties.

In order to participate in the lab component of the program uniforms must be worn at all times.  Students must meet the pre-lab requirements in order to receive their uniform.

This program will help you to develop the knowledge and skills required to effectively address two of Canada’s leading health care issues – mental health and addictive behaviours. You will gain both a theoretical understanding and the clinical skills required to help your clients successfully navigate their challenges with mental health and/or addictive behaviours as they begin their journey to wellness.

Designed for students with previous, relevant education, this highly specialized program was developed in consultation with recognized experts in the fields of addiction and mental health including Lakeridge Health Corporation.

Program highlights include the opportunity to:

• Expand the skills required to practice in addiction and mental health settings
• Gain experience with a broad spectrum of clinical settings where addiction/mental health related issues arise
• Develop an understanding of the particular needs of diverse populations
• Receive training in evidence-based approaches to counselling.

Please note: Some courses may be delivered in online or blended formats using the college's learning management system.C

From magazine ads and interactive graphics to book covers and digital signage, graphic designers have the power to express emotions, influence decisions and bring ideas to life. Students learn to design and produce logos, brochures, magazine layouts and annual reports. Graduates of this program create advertising and branding campaigns, corporate identity systems, and packaging prototypes. They develop two and three-dimensional illustrations and produce integrated media content for the web.

NOTE: Students enrolling in this program are required to purchase their own laptop.

This program prepares graduates for work as entry-level designers. Students learn skills required to solve specific visual problems through practical work that covers a broad spectrum of visual communication in corporate, editorial, advertising and package design. The program of studies in first year includes:

• Design concepts
• Digital technology
• Drawing
• Fundamentals of design
• Typography

Your second and third year will give you an opportunity to apply these principles to a variety of design problems.

Other areas of study include:

• Advertising
• Branding
• Editorial and corporate design
• History of art
• History of graphic design
• Packaging
• Photography

You will spend your sixth semester off campus as an intern at a design or in-house studio. As a graduating student, you will have the opportunity to display design projects from your Portfolio Studies course at an annual student spring exhibit in Toronto.

Career options:

• Art director
• Creative director
• Digital art director
• Digital production designer
• Freelance graphic designer
• Graphic designer
• Marketing co-ordinator
• Production artist
• Prepress technician
• Web designer

From recruitment and selection to training and development, a career in human resources (HR) requires a focus on both strategy and people. Skill, knowledge and ability in human resource planning, occupational health and safety, compensation, hiring, employee development, labour relations and managerial accounting enable HR professionals to contribute to business success in an increasingly competitive global marketplace while looking after the organization’s most important asset – its employees.

As a successful graduate of this program you will qualify for approved credit towards the academic component of the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation granted by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). Students who receive an average grade of 70 per cent in these courses and maintain a minimum grade of 65 per cent in each course meet the coursework requirements to write the Comprehensive Knowledge Exams – a significant step towards becoming a CHRP. Please visit www.hrpa.ca for full details.

This program was developed with input from veterans in the digital entertainment industry and continues to garner enthusiastic support from studios and professional artists across the country. Our industry trained professors are ready to share their knowledge and experience with you. The focus of this hands-on program is to develop and hone your skills as a digital artist through project-based learning and instruction.

You will explore environment and level design, employing modelling, surfacing, lighting techniques and special effects in industry leading real-time engines. All of your work will be supported by a strong foundation in animation for games, technical art, and concept art.

You will gain a solid base in the skills needed to explore new technology and software with confidence including courses in:

• Preproduction design
• Traditional drawing and digital illustration
• Game asset creation employing industry current techniques
• Demo reel production and online portfolio development

Industry context is also strongly emphasized though the use of production pipelines and studio simulation. As a graduate, you will enter the industry with strong technical and creative ability, a realistic understanding of the world of game production and a keen sense of professionalism.

The healthcare industry in Canada and around the world is growing rapidly. To help meet the demand, health care has turned to new and innovative medical technologies to improve diagnosis, monitoring and treatment. In doing so, healthcare providers have become dependent on the technology to function properly, to be available and to be managed in a cost-effective and efficient manner by qualified biomedical engineering technologists. As a graduate of this program, your skill set will include the ability to assess current and innovative medical technology, as well as purchase, install, calibrate, maintain and manage the life-cycle of critical medical equipment. Biomedical engineering technologists are essential members of any healthcare team because they have these skills.

Modern policing requires officers to possess highly developed social and communication skills, practical law enforcement knowledge, technical skills, and the ability to connect with the communities they serve and protect. In this program you will build these skill sets while gaining vital community outreach experience through a unique program that sees students work with youth from at-risk schools. Training also focuses on mental health strategies in policing related to community members and officers; students will earn their Mental Health First Aid certificate in their course of study.

This program will provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to pursue an entry-level policing position including a broad education in human relation skills and the interpretation of social interaction including the study of:

• Community policing
• Communication
• Investigation processes
• Police powers and procedures
• Professional ethics
• Race relations

You will be subject to all requirements of the Ontario constable selection process and local police requirements when applying for a position as a constable in Ontario. Please be aware that specific, minimum criteria such as vision and hearing standards will apply as will a clear Criminal Background Check (CBC).

The ability to resolve conflict is a 21st-century skill required for success in today’s workforce. Trained dispute resolution professionals are in demand across many careers. Students in this program develop a range of alternative dispute resolution, conflict analysis and conflict communication skills. Our graduates are prepared to negotiate and resolve conflict, in both formal and informal situations, within businesses, communities and families. This program has the unique advantage of providing a highly relevant experiential learning opportunity to students as they run their own conflict resolution service on campus. This hands-on practice can enhance on-the-job effectiveness and ensure our students are ready to handle diverse dispute scenarios, giving our graduates a competitive edge. This program is approved by ADRIO and OAFM, and 92 per cent of our students said the program gave them knowledge and skills that will be useful in their future career.

This program is approved by the ADR Institute of Ontario (ADRIO) and students in the program receive a 16-month student membership with ADRIO. This program is also approved by the Ontario Association for Family Mediation (OAFM).

This program is designed for students with previous education. Please see the entrance requirements section of this page for more detail.

If you are a university or college graduate or a  professional wishing to gain additional conflict resolution skills, as well as an Ontario college graduate certificate, this program will provide you with the tools, knowledge, and practice to effectively negotiate, analyse and resolve conflict in various settings such as:

• Workplace
• Family
• Community
• Education
• Health care
• Human resources
• Justice
• Advocacy

This program also offers an experiential learning component that enables you to participate in the operation of Campus Conflict Resolution Services.

The Pre-Health Sciences Pathway to Certificates and Diplomas (PHSC) is designed for individuals interested in pursuing a health sciences career. This two-semester program provides the foundation necessary for success in a college health sciences program such as Paramedic, Practical Nursing, Dental Assistant, Dental Hygiene, Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant. It is also designed for individuals who would like to strengthen their communication, mathematics, biology, chemistry and critical thinking or physics skills as well as familiarize themselves with college life and college workload.

In addition, the program provides students with the opportunity to learn about potential careers in the health sciences while earning post-secondary credits that can be transferred to other health sciences or science-related programs.

For those who are passionate about the environment and want to dedicate their work to preserving and protecting our earth, air and water, this program provides a diverse and rewarding career path. As an environmental technologist, you will spend your days outdoors conducting critical monitoring, sampling and surveying before returning to the lab to perform your analyses and the office to record and tabulate data. Whether advising organizations on best practices or holding them accountable for poor ones, your work will be vital to ensuring the health of our communities and planet.

If you are a domestic or internationally educated student with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree, you may be eligible for a compressed, fast-track opportunity to complete your advanced diploma requirements in two semesters.

The Environmental Technology program focuses on the chemical and biological sciences as they relate to environmental pollution. An emphasis is placed on ground and surface water quality, soil and waste management and recycling in urban and industrial settings. You will also examine environmental regulations and review their social and economic impacts on communities.

Training and experience in the handling, analysis and monitoring of a wide variety of biological and chemical parameters linked to pollution are at the heart of the program. First-hand field and laboratory experience is emphasized in areas such as:

• Analytical chemistry
• Data collection
• Environmental stewardship management
• Instrumental analysis
• Microbiology

Environmental problems and concerns are constantly changing and at Durham College we aim to adapt in order to stay at the leading edge of these changes. Statistics Canada has identified environmental technology as one of the top emerging employment sectors.

This fast-track option is designed for students with existing academic credentials and will provide you with the advanced skills necessary for employment in the environmental field. The program provides technical practice with many opportunities for hands-on experience and project-based learning.