Graduate Certificate in Public Relations

at Humber College - Lakeshore Campus Canada

Humber’s Bachelor of Child and Youth Care degree program provides you with the knowledge and skills required for in-depth work with children, youth and families. The program is based on the professional practice of child and youth care supported by the disciplines of psychology, sociology, community development, political science and education. The curriculum focuses on the theory and research of relational practice: building relationships to support children and youth in crisis or going through experiences of challenge and change.

You’ll learn from highly qualified professors, as well as from guest lecturers from the child and youth care practice field, youth in care and community representatives. You’ll have the unique opportunity to develop key skills under supervision in our state-of-the-art interview labs, therapeutic play laboratory setting, our family practice room and children’s activity room.

Your courses integrate the study of developmental, preventative and therapeutic approaches in child and youth care and will teach you direct methods such as interviewing and counselling, responding to abuse, therapeutic play, and other intervention modalities taught from a strength-based perspective and within a caring, anti-oppressive framework.

The first two years of the program provide you with a comprehensive understanding of child and youth development, as well as current methodologies in child and youth care professional practice. In the final two years, you will be able to engage in courses related to five areas of concentration in the program – youth justice and advocacy, social policy and research, approaches to care, community development and youth engagement, and international perspectives. The curriculum and work placement experiences throughout the program will support you to select a focus for your final thesis project in fourth year.

Learning outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

• Describe, analyze and evaluate key concepts, ethics, values and theoretical approaches (historical and contemporary) in child and youth care and related community development.
• Analyze issues of social diversity and equality and their effects in relation to child and youth care and community development.
• Plan, implement, assess and evaluate child-centred & family-centred programs to meet the needs of clients, staff, families and community.
• Identify the challenges and rewards of working with children and youth especially those with physical, behavioural, social, and developmental issues in independent, organizational, institutional and community settings.
• Identify and evaluate alternatives to the current child and youth intervention strategies, with a view to anticipating future directions.
• Advocate for the holistic development of children and youth.
• Develop and maintain constructive relationships and partnerships with clients, professionals and the community demonstrating effective conflict management skills.
• Describe and evaluate the complex role of the community in child and youth development.
• Identify and implement the process of program management, measuring the cost and effectiveness of child and youth care and development.
• Examine & apply various research methods assessing the appropriateness of their use.
• Adhere to the laws, codes, regulations, standards and practices to protect the health, safety and welfare of clients, the public and other professionals involved in child and youth care community development initiatives with children and youth.
• Identify and implement community development processes measuring the cost and effectiveness of child and youth community development programs.
• Analyze contemporary issues in child and youth care including nutrition, literacy, poverty, homelessness, addictions, violence, substance use, crime, resilience and determinants of health.
• Evaluate social justice and political issues in regards to child and youth care and community development practices at local, national and global levels.
• Develop curriculum, programs and strategies for children, youth and the community which reflect current educational theory and pedagogy.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, self-confidence, self-direction, self-management, self-reflection and self-care in one’s professional development

Work Placement
Beginning in the first semester, you will have the opportunity to participate in an introductory field placement preparation course that will enable you to become familiar with the field of child and youth care. In your second semester, you will prepare for your field placement in Semester 3, by participating in the Preparing for Professional Practice course. The field placement in Semester 3 is 200 hours and will support you to develop your skills working in the community with children, youth and families.    

In addition, you will be required to complete a 14-week typically unpaid field placement between third and fourth year.

The combination of field placements will enable you to build therapeutic relationships, role model your professional skills and link academic theory to child and youth care practice.

From resolving community disputes, labour grievances and employment-standards complaints to representing clients in the civil justice system, our well-rounded Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) graduate certificate program benefits those wanting to be better conflict resolution facilitators, as well as agents representing parties in various dispute resolution processes.

With a core curriculum spanning community mediation, administrative tribunals, labour law, family law, conflict resolution in healthcare and conflict management system design, the program uses intensive workshop training and community engagement to teach the core principles of negotiation, mediation and arbitration. Applying these principles, participants learn to resolve disputes between individuals, businesses, stakeholders in the health sector, government agencies and within families.

It is an ideal program for recent university graduates wanting to enhance their academic credentials, as well as those currently employed in areas such as law, human resources, healthcare, education, social work, real estate and government. Students have the opportunity to apply the theory and skills they’ve learned at Humber's on-campus Dispute Resolution Clinic. Students gain practical experience through a mandatory four-week work placement (160 hours).

Humber’s Developmental Services Worker (DSW) diploma program teaches you skills to effectively promote the physical, mental and emotional health of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Our faculty team consists of developmental services professionals who are active in the field, and our small class sizes allow for individualized attention. Our curriculum is designed with input from developmental services field experts, ensuring courses are current and relevant.

Your studies begin by learning the stages of human development, the types of developmental disabilities and the range of available community support services for this population. Next, you’ll learn intervention techniques, person-centered planning, abnormal psychology/dual diagnosis, basic pharmacology, supporting people with autism and other complex needs, augmentative forms of communication, and effective responses to people who have been abused. Finally, you’ll develop skills in building interpersonal relationships and counselling. 

You’ll also build your expertise in our counselling labs which provide an ideal setting to develop competencies for working with individuals with limited verbal skills.

Work Placement
Our program offers a rich diversity of innovative and traditional work-integrated learning opportunities. You will complete 568 hours of experiential education with three separate community partners over the duration of the program.

After consulting with you regarding your interests and preferences, your field placement co-ordinator will refer you to specific agencies for these unpaid work experiences.

Field placements run for 14 weeks in Semester 2 of the first year. Students are required to complete 168 hours in this time. Placements are two days per week. Internships take place during fourth semester of second year. Students are required to complete 400 hours with two different employers, four days per week for 14 weeks.

Humber’s Bachelor of Commerce – Management Studies degree program prepares you to take on a variety of managerial roles in many different types of business. The program is based on the seven traditional management functions (planning, organizing, staffing, directing, co-ordinating, reporting and budgeting) and gives you the necessary skills and knowledge to:

• Develop business strategies
• Analyze issues from various perspectives
• Apply classroom work to industry-connected projects
• Integrate transferable skills such as interpersonal interaction, communication and organization to all classroom and project work.

Our program starts with a foundation of business studies in areas such as organizational behaviour, law, economics, finance and accounting, marketing, and operations management. Specialization courses cover all seven management functions along with business research methods and strategic management. You’ll also get hands-on learning that provides both the education and the experience employers look for once you graduate. You’ll be taught by professors who are widely known for their real-world connections and background. Our industry-designed, project-based curriculum gives you the opportunity to take your ideas from concept to execution. In your final year, you will complete a senior-level project, giving you the opportunity to work on a team, problem solve, evaluate strengths and limitations, gather and synthesize data, and make appropriate decisions.

The program requires that you complete 14 weeks/420 hours of paid work in the summer between your sixth and seventh semesters. This gives you the hands-on, real-world experience that employers value. Your work placement will give you the opportunity to explore the field you’d like to work in when you graduate. We will work with employers and our industry partners to help you identify opportunities to pursue.

In every industry and every sector, there is a demand for qualified, effective managers – and that demand is growing. As a graduate of our program, your excellent managerial skills and strong understanding of the domestic business environment will make you a highly marketable employee. When you complete the program, you’ll have the knowledge, skills and hands-on experience necessary to take on an entry-level position in many fields including finance, human resources, marketing/sales and operations/logistics. Your degree will help accelerate your career advancement. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you’ll be well-positioned to start your own business. And if you want to explore further studies, you’ll be able to pursue graduate studies or industry designations.

Humber’s Art Foundation certificate program offers you the opportunity to investigate different areas of artistic media and develop portfolios for entry into further study. Expand your horizons with comprehensive training in the basics of current visual arts exploration within a diverse studio environment. Discover your strengths and creative options, and your future in the world of art.

This program integrates visual art skills across several media and is designed to encourage you to explore a wide range of techniques and concepts. You will work closely with experienced faculty from a variety of creative industries developing innovative approaches and building your strengths through a variety of painting, drawing, photography, digital design, video, animation and fine art classes, as you gain valuable insights about the art world. In just two semesters, you will gain a thorough understanding of many artistic disciplines and build well-developed visual literacy and creative skills. You will apply your acquired skills to create a portfolio that will support your personal work and/or prepare you to pursue related programs at Humber and beyond.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

• Analyze, simplify and deconstruct complex forms to solve artistic problems.
• Employ basic measurement systems to produce accurate proportional and perspective renderings.
• Create traditional and digital artwork which reflects adherence to accepted design principles.
• Apply basic principles of visual perception, simplification, organization and the nine-point value scale to create realistic images.
• Identify types and applications of drawing, painting and photographic tools and equipment used to produce original artworks.
• Apply basic principles of colour observation, colour and pigment mixing, and digital colorization to accurately depict value, hue and saturation.
• Create the illusion of three dimensions on a plane surface by applying techniques of texture, shading and linear perspective.
• Discuss and present a range of critical issues of visual culture, examining how images gain meaning in cultural arenas.
• Develop, refine and present drawings, digital images, animated images, video and photographs in professional portfolio format suitable for presentation to higher education admission panels or employers.
• Research and pursue opportunities for on-going artistic development.
• Define and use correct terminology to discuss and critique the impact of historical and contemporary visual, digital, animated, video and photographic images.
• Create photographic and video art for specific purposes using basic technical capabilities of cameras and computer imaging software.
• Plan and design animated sequences using basic classical animation.

If you define yourself as creative but can’t draw, Advertising Copywriting may be the right program for you. Not only that, you love to pursue creative writing and conceptual thinking, enjoy working in a high-intensity environment and are energized by collaborating with other creative minds.

Humber’s Advertising Copywriting graduate certificate program teaches the specialized skills necessary to create powerful and effective copy for all forms of printed advertising, radio and television commercials, web, mobile, and social media. Over two intense semesters, you will develop a wide variety of strategic, conceptual and practical skills. You will learn fundamental production, design and presentation skills, how to generate ideas in pictures and in words and how to focus your creativity using industry-standard techniques. You’ll also learn how to strategically engage with target audiences. 

You will create portfolio samples with industry-standard software such as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. Acquired skills will be demonstrated in a comprehensive portfolio of work which will be exhibited at a portfolio show at the end of the second semester. 

You will hone your already excellent editing and proofreading skills and apply them not only to your own copywriting but eventually to that of your corporate clients. 

Work Placement
Students will gain practical, hands-on experience in the industry by completing a mandatory work placement following their final semester of study

By combining the latest recording technologies and entrepreneurial business strategies with performance, production, songwriting and composition in jazz, pop, R&B, Latin and world music, you will be well equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for success in today’s music world.

Founded in 1972, the program has consistently produced many of the most successful commercial and jazz musicians in Canada and the world. With more than 350 students and a faculty of 18 full-time and 80 part-time teachers, our program is one of the largest, most diverse and highly regarded programs of its kind in the country. Long known for the strength of its professors, Humber offers you the opportunity to study privately, in classroom situations, and in several of the more than 50 ensembles directed by a who’s who of Canadian music. As Toronto is the centre of Canada’s entertainment industry, Humber attracts the top professionals in jazz, musical theatre, television, film, commercials and pop.

After two years of core music courses, you will continue with lessons on your major instrument, as well as take classes in music production and music business while also choosing from electives in arranging, composition, advanced improvisation, film scoring, music production techniques, songwriting, ethnomusicology or pedagogy.

You’ll develop musicianship and artistry by presenting your own recital, arranging and composing original material, and recording and marketing your own music.
In addition, you will take courses in music history, theory, aural training and improvisation, and have the opportunity to participate in a variety of ensembles.

All students complete a major recording project/portfolio in their fourth year. The assembled portfolio, which includes a complete press kit and professional-quality recording, as well as other promotional materials, functions as your calling card for entrance into the music industry upon graduation.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

• Perform, compose, produce music at a professional level for entry to the competitive, global music industry.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of diverse musical styles and contextualize themselves within contemporary music history: specifically defined as the idioms of African American musical genres, mainstream pop music, country/folk music, Latin music, music for musicals and film, art music and jazz.
• Demonstrate, through performance and composition, a technical and musical mastery of harmonic, melodic and rhythmic structures.
• Demonstrate, through performance, an extensive knowledge of contemporary musical repertoire and apply appropriate performance skills in diverse music contexts.
• Compose and arrange in a broad range of contemporary music styles.
• Prepare and present a portfolio of recorded material reflecting a broad range of styles.
• Record, edit and produce a broad range of contemporary music.
• Apply computer applications/music technology skills in composition, arranging and production.
• Critically analyze and evaluate sound recordings and describe their production characteristics.
• Demonstrate, through production and performance, organizational, project management, and implementation skills.
• Demonstrate leadership, teamwork, communication, critical thinking, research and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of contract law, copyright law, intellectual property rights, royalties, and rules of public domain.
• Make use of entrepreneurial music business skills to engage in the competitive contemporary music industry.
• Demonstrate professional “freelance” etiquette relating to job seeking and keeping skills.
• Demonstrate an ability to research and present findings from primary and secondary sources.
• Formulate, articulate and present their own ideas about music, art and society through discussion and writings.
• Demonstrate an artistic awareness and understanding of musical aesthetics.
• Assess personal strengths, musical and business skills, knowledge, artistic vision, interests, and abilities.

Work Placement

• You will participate in a work placement designed to mirror the professional music world, which is largely characterized by contract, freelance and part-time employment. You are responsible for accumulating the equivalent of 420 hours of experience which will allow you to establish contacts and relationships with key companies and industry professionals.

Humber’s Acting for Film and Television diploma program covers the full spectrum of training needed to succeed as a screen actor: acting, voice, movement, improvisation, screenwriting and script analysis. You’ll learn what it takes to express yourself through the art and craft of screen acting, gain on-camera confidence and learn how to shine at auditions. When you graduate, you’ll have a solid understanding of the craft and industry – its history, protocols and professional standards.

Our program has one of the most comprehensive curricula in Canada and is taught by respected professional actors. Workshop simulations, screen demos, voice-over demos and our spring motion picture showcase provide you with unequalled opportunities to experience the world of screen acting. You will review and discuss your work with some of the acting world’s most recognizable faces, as well as with key industry personnel.

Learning Outcomes:

• Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
• Describe the structure of the film and television industry.
• Perform to a professional standard in a range of roles recorded in a variety of media.
• Analyze and interpret scripts, screenplays, story boards and commercial copy.
• Summarize the different requirements and challenges of one-time versus series work.
• Explain the characteristics and requirements of different genres such as sitcoms, daytime TV, episodic TV and film.
• Prepare for and perform appropriately on camera for each genre.
• Convey character to the camera with appropriate emotional depth and clarity.
• Maintain a character’s physical and emotional continuity over the course of production.
• Work effectively with agents, casting directors, producers, directors and film crews.
• Respond to the improvisational demands of the media.
• Demonstrate individual creativity and imagination within a rigorous production structure.
• Evaluate his or her place within the entertainment industry and develop the appropriate career strategies and contacts.
• Develop team building and communication skills and engage in exercises that encourage self understanding, peer respect and professional behaviors.
• Outline the entrepreneurial skills needed by actors in the electronic media.
• Work effectively with the new technologies encountered in the industry.

Humber’s Bachelor of Paralegal Studies program is the only four-year degree program to receive accreditation by The Law Society of Ontario as an accredited paralegal education program. This program combines legal theory with practical applications in courses covering ethics and professional responsibility, negotiation and mediation, evidence, advocacy, tort law, contract law, insurance law, and employment law. Students are provided with the legal foundation needed to consider a career as a licensed paralegal.  

We believe that properly representing a client includes understanding the client’s background and motivation. As a result, our program has eight electives which provide students with the opportunity to study social science, humanities and science electives. 

Learning Outcomes

• Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
  • Explain the relationship between a wide range of legal concepts, values, principles, and rules of law related to paralegal practice within the Canadian legal system.
  • Outline relevant philosophical, historical, political, social, cultural, economic, and ethical contexts in which law operates.
  • Define legal terminology accurately and give appropriate, current examples of their use.
  • Research relevant information from a wide range of professional texts and legal data bases using sophisticated search methods and standard techniques of legal interpretation.
  • Use of methods of negotiation and advocacy in order to advance a client’s legal position in a contentious context.
  • Solve complex legal problems through selection of appropriate legal remedies for substantive issues and the related legal and procedural issues.
  • Develop a cogent legal argument based on an organized body of relevant facts verified through corroborating sources.
  • Present legal issues and solutions in client-centered plain language. 
  • Summarize the issues and arguments in a range of complex law cases.
  • Write a range of polished documents used in paralegal practice with accuracy, clarity, conciseness and organization.   
  • Evaluate issues to determine whether a case falls within the paralegal scope of practice and where appropriate, seek support and/or refer the case to a lawyer.  
  • Contribute effectively and professionally in a team environment to complete required tasks within set deadlines.
  • Take initiative to expand personal and professional competence in order to make on-going improvements in meeting client needs.

Work Placement

• Work placements offer on-the-job experience where you will use and sharpen the skills you’ve learned in class and apply them to real-world situations.
• The work placement is from May to August after Semester 6 and lasts 14 weeks/420 hours. You will work with your placement advisor to find a placement that fits your career goals. We provide placement support, such as working with the legal community, to identify work placement employment opportunities.

The Content Strategy graduate certificate program is designed to prepare students for the emerging and expanding field of content strategy. Content strategists help organizations and agencies establish and maintain credible, viable and trustworthy content - content that has value, content that is inherently inclusive and content that is purposeful. Content strategies are unified visions of digital and analog interactive systems and communications in a platform-agnostic system.

Content strategists oversee the publishing of content by providing advice and direction to improve brand awareness, internal communications, public relations and user experience. Strategists engage with all aspects of the content development lifecycle, from ideating and curating content to creating artifacts and deliverables that allow organizations to analyze content and make holistic, strategic recommendations for the development of content based on thorough analysis.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

• Develop carefully considered, holistic strategies and tactics for the establishment of a credible, viable and trustworthy online presence for an organization or agency in order to optimize web-based business assets.
• Conduct a qualitative and quantitative audit of existing content inventory in order to assess it for accuracy, currency, usefulness, usability and findability.
• Analyze internal and external factors and trends that impact the creation, delivery and governance of an organizations’ content in order to maintain relevancy, currency and alignment with business goals.
• Present clear recommendations for content creation, delivery and governance that meet business goals and user needs for current and relevant information, advice and direction, procedures to follow, and relationship building.
• Design and manage a workflow that defines the people, processes and timelines required for effective content creation, delivery and governance.
• Help online readers to find information, solve problems and complete tasks by publishing effectively written original content and sourcing relevant curated material.
• Deliver quality accessible, branded content consistently across selected digital channels that is appropriate for the target audience.
• Develop policies, standards and guidelines for the maintenance of content accuracy, consistent brand messaging and user engagement that complies with relevant law, industry standards and business best practices.
• Conduct a retrospective review using qualitative data and evidence from web analytics to measure the impact of a content strategy on business outcomes.
• Identify and address the implicit and explicit biases of self, team members and audience in order to curate socially, culturally and environmentally sensitive content that strengthens brand equity.

Work Placement - Students will participate in a mandatory work placement in their final semester of study.