Certificate in Design Foundation

at Humber College North Campus Canada

The graduates from the Wireless Telecommunications graduate certificate program are 5G ready. The 5G communications platform will support future innovations in the area of the Internet of Things, augumented reality, industrial automation and automated vehicles including drones. Our graduates build and maintain the infrastructure of communication systems. They learn what it takes to be successful in the communications industry. The wireless program focuses on three main outcomes: RF and Optical test and measurement, IP addressing and networking, and troubleshooting of a number of wireless protocols and systems. 

Our graduates understand the engineering tools and equipment for the testing of systems including drive test tools, RF and Optical test equipment, protocol analyzers, and virtualization and virtualized tools. Students will have access to learn on some of the best and latest equipment available. The curriculum is kept current with the collaboration of our industry partners in the wireless field. Students utilize the latest technologies and small classes taught by experienced faculty and industry leaders.

The Canadian wireless industry supports over 280,000 jobs with sector salary above the Canadian average. In addition, the international wireless telecommunications market is growing. There are numerous employment opportunities in the planning, developing, manufacturing, co-ordinating, implementing, maintaining and managing of telecommunications systems for businesses and government. As the rate of technology adoption increases in Canadian industry, the Wireless Telecommunications graduate certificate program is preparing graduates for these new markets. A 2015 - 2019 labour market report by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) indicates that by 2019, over 182,000 critical ICT positions will be left unfilled.

Graduates of the program work at cell phone service providers, equipment manufacturers, in-house information technology (IT) departments, sales departments, and specialized telecommunication and networking companies.

Hearing instrument specialists (HIS) are valued members of a hearing health-care team. They conduct comprehensive diagnostic hearing assessments, develop hearing health-care plans, dispense advanced digital assistive hearing devices and evaluate outcomes using evidence-based verification methods.   

In the Hearing Instrument Specialist diploma program, you develop the academic knowledge and hands-on, real-world experience required to become a valued hearing health professional.  We combine online and in-person learning models, work-integrated learning, exceptional faculty and state of the art facilities to prepare students to skillfully work within their scope of practice and collaborate effectively as part of an interdisciplinary health-care team. Graduates of our program develop the confidence to adapt to the evolving needs of today’s patient and the emerging technologies for patient care and hearing devices.   

This program develops holistic and critical thinkers, confident clinicians and compassionate communicators who will become outstanding professionals, effective practitioners and leading contributors in their field. 

Program Highlights
Experience a number of interesting and unique courses within the program such as:

• Fundamental Principles of Hearing Devices
• Learn the history of hearing aids, basic principles of electronics and circuitry, and how this relates to the circuitry of hearing devices and styles of hearing aids. Apply this knowledge to choose the appropriate hearing device for a patient profile, and how to compare the benefits and limitations of each hearing aid style.
• Patient Psychology and Counselling Skills
• Explore the individual, familial, and societal impacts of hearing loss on a psychological, emotional, and social level. Formulate the necessary skills to connect with patients on an empathetic, culturally sensitive, and professional level. Become adept at in-depth case history taking and having goal-oriented discussions to motivate patients in their hearing rehabilitation.
• Disorders
• Identify various pathologies within the peripheral and central auditory system. Collaborate confidently with other medical professionals if referral is warranted. Through this course, you will understand the pathologies behind different types of hearing loss such as hyperacusis, tinnitus, and noise induced hearing loss.

Humber’s Post-Production graduate certificate program will develop the technological skills, creative and critical abilities you will need to thrive in the post-production industry. You will gain a firm grounding in industry-standard, non-linear video editing software. Through lectures and hands-on work, you will learn the fundamentals of the technical and aesthetic creation of digital media content and get the opportunity to specialize and target specific post-production skills to maximize your marketability in a competitive industry.

You will learn how to collaborate with other departments in the production chain, and how to develop efficient broadcast standard workflows. You will be introduced to the theory and practice of picture and sound editing/mixing, VFX and motion graphics creation, and you will learn how to make professional contacts, engage with employers and guilds, and the basic business skills you will need as a freelancer. You will study the fundamentals of branding and graphic design and produce a marketable portfolio website.

With technology as its main focus, your sound, picture, and visual effects compositing skills will enable you to create content to the industry standards required in the competitive media environment.

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

• Prepare detailed post-production budgets using Movie Magic Budgeting programs.
• Evaluate documentaries, narrative films, TV series and music videos for creative features and technical aspects.
• Prepare and integrate 2-D and 3-D graphic and animation footage using post-production applications.
• Manage the editing process using an Edit Decision List.
• Complete picture editing projects using non-linear editing suites within specified time frames and budgets.
• Complete audio editing projects using non-linear editing suites within specified time frames and budgets.
• Design and build a network system for post-production applications.
• Manage post-production teams.
• Manage post-production projects.
• Distribute interactive content produced through the Web and DVD.
• Compile a portfolio of creative work for presentations to funding agencies and post-production facilities in order to secure employment.

Work Placement

• This program includes a mandatory work placement. We work with you to find a suitable placement in your chosen field of specialization, allowing you to apply the skills you’ve learned in a professional environment. Placements will take place in post-production houses and media companies in Toronto. Work placements are typically unpaid but provide you with the opportunity to further your knowledge in your chosen field and begin to build your resumé and network of professional contacts.

Industrial designers design products for consumers.  Examples include sports footwear, headphones, wearables and automobiles. Graduates of the program are in high demand for the practical skills gained through the program’s hands-on learning environment. These skills include sketching, digital graphic rendering, model-making and computer-aided design (CAD).  The program is project driven, and many of the design projects will involve industry collaboration to ensure real-world relevance.

Students elect a design specialization in Year 3 in one of:

• Automotive design
• Product design or
• Interaction design

Automotive designers design the appearance (styling) of motor vehicles including automobiles, motorcycles and off-road vehicles. Humber is the only industrial design program in Canada that offers an automotive design specialization. 
In product design, there is more emphasis on the method of finding a solution to a user’s problem in order to make doing a task easier or make the user experience with the product more satisfying.
Interaction design is a new offering in the program which recognizes that more and more physical products are integrating a digital component, including touch screens or voice activation.

Learning Outcomes

• Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
  • Meet the professional criteria as established by the ACIDO Charter (The Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of Ontario), demonstrating core competencies in skills, knowledge and design methodology in industrial design meeting.
  • Design, document and communicate high quality interior design propositions of varying size, scope and complexity employing principles of evidence-based design methodology.
  • Explain how products work; how products can be made to work better for people; what makes a product useful, usable, and desirable; and how products are manufactured and serviced.
  • Select and employ appropriate visual languages to investigate, analyze, interpret, develop and articulate ideas for two and three-dimensional projects.
  • Produce sophisticated design proposals emphasizing three-dimensional quality of space achieved through architectural detailing.
  • Communicate concepts and requirements to other designers and colleagues who work with them, and to clients and employers. This need to communicate draws upon: verbal and written forms, two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, and levels of detailing ranging from sketching to engineering drawings.
  • Employ computer-aided drafting (CAD), computer-aided industrial design (CAID), and appropriate 2D and 3D graphic software to create graphic presentations and marketing materials.
  • Integrate sustainable practices in the design process and demonstrate leadership by educating users in these principles.
  • Analyze the complexity of forces – economic, political, physiological, sociological and technological – which influence the design of the physical environment.
  • Incorporate principles of user-centered design, human factors and ergonomics in design solutions.
  • Select appropriate methods and materials to achieve the technical functionality and aesthetically pleasing built environment.
  • Select the appropriate process(es) and materials for manufacture for a given production volume.
  • Support the marketing function with design strategy supported by graphic/3D materials.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between human behaviour and the built environment and the implications in preparing design solutions.
  • Assess the implications for interior design presented by key developments in current and emerging materials, media and technologies and in interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary design practice.
  • Source information on copyright, mechanical patents, and protection of intellectual property, as applied and practiced in the professional field of industrial design.
  • Develop a business case for and present design solutions to a variety of stakeholder in keeping with professional standards and practices.
  • Employ effective and professional communication skills and techniques to interact, negotiate and undertake collaborative efforts including meaningful discussion of one’s work in an open studio environment, with audiences, clients, markets, end-users and team members.
  • Work collaboratively with clients to develop an understanding of the product requirements, leading to a design brief.
  • Confidently employ appropriate professional accountability, personal and business ethics demonstrating competency of industry practices.
  • Work in a team effectively, utilizing skills of collaboration, negotiation, compromise and conflict resolution.
  • Employ appropriate conventions of measurement, scale, site measuring, drafting and volumetric manipulation through a variety of manual and digital modeling techniques.
  • Design to exceed the minimum standards of applicable laws, codes, regulations, and practices that protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.
  • Speak clearly and persuasively for design concepts and resources.
  • Plan and manage projects, demonstrate good time management skills, be a self-starter, and show resourcefulness.
  • Employ both convergent and divergent thinking in the process of observation, investigation, speculative enquiry, ideation, rationalization and implementation of design solutions.
  • Source, navigate, select, retrieve, evaluate, manipulate and manage information from a variety of sources, both primary and secondary.
  • Conduct themselves with honesty and integrity, demonstrating professional accountability.
  • Employ a variety of methods of design to develop design solutions.
  • Analyze information and experiences in order to articulate an academically structured, sustained and well-supported argument supporting a design issue or creative interior design solution.
  • Identify and analyze the customer needs of an identified target market.
  • Find relevant information that informs the design process, employing a number of techniques and skills including: observation, expert interviews, market information, and various digital search techniques.
  • Employ a variety of ideation techniques, including: sketching, brainstorming, rapid sketching, analogy, metaphors, symbols, and form exploration/sketch modeling
  • Develop a design solution which meets users’ needs, derived from concept development, product aesthetics (form, color, texture, haptics) that reflects market trends, human factors (including ergonomics, user interaction, and safety), model making, materials and technology, sustainable design, manufacturing feasibility and design validation, and cost.
  • Demonstrate good problem solving abilities.
  • Develop creative and innovative solutions.
  • Demonstrate a strong aesthetic sensibility and style, resulting in design solutions with visual appeal.
  • Articulate a well-supported argument justifying a design concept or creative design solution.
  • Articulate the difference and relationship between a product’s form and function and the emotional and experiential needs it fulfills.
  • Articulate design strategy in the context of business strategy.

Work Placement

• This program includes a work placement of 420 hours in the summer between Year three and four.

The Industrial Woodworking Technician diploma program (located at the Humber Centre for Trades & Technology) provides you with the knowledge and skills to construct and install basic cabinets, as well as build traditional furniture using recognized trade practices. By completing a series of woodworking projects, students explore various types of joinery and construction techniques using hand tools, portable power tools, stationary machines, as well as computer-based technologies. Time management skills and the ability to work to a deadline are developed and stressed throughout the program. Graduates of the program will be able to produce shop drawings, calculate a list of materials, cut out and assemble basic cabinetry or furniture, and apply a finish. Graduates are able to safely operate most common stationary woodworking machinery, as well as program and run a number of CNC machines.

Employer interest in our graduates has grown steadily during the program’s history. We offer a comprehensive program that provides a solid grounding in woodworking and prepares a student for employment in a wide range of areas including store fixtures, architectural millwork (doors and windows), the kitchen cabinet industry, and furniture construction. Our advisory committee of industry professionals reviews our curriculum and ensure that students are receiving relevant training to prepare them for work in a range of woodworking related fields.

Computer Systems Technician - Information Technology Infrastructure and Services diploma program prepares you for careers in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). You will build a foundation in electrical and logic circuits, and programming. You will also learn about the main hardware and software components of your computer and different features to improve performance of computer systems. Curriculum in the program prepares you for the role of system administrator whose responsibilities include installation, configuration and managing various operating systems including Microsoft servers, different distributions of Linux supported by virtualization tools and network infrastructure, supporting data and network security. You will also learn about data centre technologies that support small- and medium-sized businesses. You will gain knowledge in supporting public, private, and hybrid cloud environments, and integrating cloud technologies and services. 

The program will give you hands-on experience with various hardware platforms, protocols and services with a strong emphasis on network and data systems security. You will have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure to deploy and support Linux and Microsoft operating systems, and administer web servers and applications using different scripting environments.

Our faculty collaborates very closely with industry partners to keep the program and curriculum current and relevant, so that you have the knowledge and skills to work in a cutting-edge high tech sector. You will learn from professors who are experienced industry professionals who have strong connections to companies in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Your group projects help you build essential customer service skills, and develop your interpersonal communications and teamwork skills. This, alongside your new comprehensive technical credentials, will give you a multi-dimensional background that employers want.

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

• Analyze and resolve information technology problems through the application of systematic approaches and diagnostic tools.
• Support the implementation and administration of computer systems.
• Support the implementation and administration of networking solutions.
• Install, configure, troubleshoot, maintain, and upgrade components of computer systems.
• Install, configure, troubleshoot, maintain and upgrade components of networks.
• Use a variety of scripting tools and languages to automate routine tasks.
• Follow, monitor, and document data storage procedures designed to ensure the integrity of information.
• Apply knowledge of security issues to implementation of information technology solutions.
• Provide efficient and effective technical support to clients in a manner that promotes safe computing practices and reduces the risk of issue recurring.
• Conform to workplace expectations found in Information Technology (IT) environments.

Optional Co-op

• This program offers a co-op option. Co-op work terms enable you to apply your skills and knowledge in a work environment and gain valuable, practical experience related to your program of study. You will learn new skills, learn about the world of work and meet people in your profession.
• For students who are accepted into the program, one co-op work terms will take place between Semesters 3 and 4.  There are limited spaces in the co-op option. Therefore, you will apply for the co-op option during Semester 1 and be informed of the process by which to apply.  While co-op work opportunities are not guaranteed, as students are in a competitive job placement market, participating students will receive a wide range of services to help them find a co-op opportunity.
• Contribute to the successful completion of the project applying the project management principles in use.

Humber’s Civil Engineering Technology advanced diploma program provides you with the skills needed for a career in the growing field of civil infrastructure. Infrastructure encompasses all of the essential elements necessary for society to operate including buildings, transportation (highways and transit), municipal services (water, wastewater) and green spaces.

The curriculum, designed in collaboration with industry, covers all aspects of infrastructure, from the inception of an idea to the completion of construction, and blends in-class academic learning with hands-on laboratory work. You will learn how to design structural steel, reinforced concrete and timber structures. Municipal services (water, wastewater) and water supply management will be explored. Transportation infrastructure and highway design will be studied using design codes and standards. Additionally, you will learn all the skills necessary to support design and construction including surveying, geomatics, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), drafting (AutoCAD and Building Information Modelling (BIM)), soils and materials testing, project administration and management, and environmental protection and remediation. Our courses are taught by experienced faculty and industry experts many of whom work with Greater Toronto Area construction and engineering firms. Humber’s strong reputation in the civil engineering industry can give graduates an edge in the employment market.

Humber’s Game Programming advanced diploma program is project-driven and focuses on programming and designing game engines for the purpose of game development, from indie to AAA. You will work on team projects using programming tools to develop, test and maintain game applications through the practice of theories of usability, information architectures, network architecture and industry standards of practice. Topics such as coding, game engine design, game production, artificial intelligence, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and platform-specific programming are all covered by a comprehensive set of courses.

Throughout your study, you will have access to peers in related programs such as Visual and Digital Arts and Animation - 3D which will allow you to participate in collaborative work, as well as the opportunity to build high-quality assets for use in the games you are developing as a student programmer.

You will graduate with a significant capstone project to demonstrate your coding talents, and a well-rounded skillset that combines high levels of mathematics, physics and visualization within the field of computer programming. With a high degree of game engine expertise, familiarity with 3D modelling, scripting, and technical direction, you will have the tools you need to compete and succeed in the rapidly expanding field of game development.

Humber’s Electrical Engineering Technology – Control Systems advanced diploma program blends in-class, academic learning with hands-on laboratory work to prepare you for a career in electrical power and control systems engineering. In the third year of this program, you’ll learn advanced skills for a thorough academic and practical approach to the control of electrical equipment and industrial process instrumentation in automated manufacturing, processing, power systems and utilities industries.

Our curriculum, designed in collaboration with industry, focuses on programming software, feed-back control system and motor control, instrumentation and programmable logic controllers (PLCs), power electronics, power generation, transmission and distribution, power system design, human machine interface (HMI) design, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA). Superior mathematics, physics and critical thinking skills will be es

Humber’s Electrical Engineering Technology – Control Systems advanced diploma program is designed in collaboration with an industry advisory panel ensuring you learn fundamental concepts and experience the latest technologies in this field. The program blends classroom theory with laboratory work on subjects such as electric devices, circuits, digital fundamentals, power generation and distribution, electrical computer-aided design (CAD), electrical codes, programming PLCs and industrial communications.

During the third year of this program, you’ll learn advanced skills to design, operate and maintain electrical equipment and instruments in automated manufacturing, environmental and power systems.

Our curriculum focuses on programming software, feed-back control systems, motor control, instrumentation, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), power electronics, power generation, transmission, distribution, power system design, human machine interface (HMI), and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). 

The program builds upon the solid technical foundation of our diploma program, providing broader career options. The skills learned in this program are enhanced through project-based learning in a hands-on teaching and learning environment.

Optional Co-op
This program offers an optional co-op opportunity. Co-op work terms enable you to apply your skills and knowledge in a work environment and gain valuable and practical experience related to your program of study. You will improve personal and technical skills while expanding your professional network.

For students who are accepted into the program, three co-op work terms will take place. The first four-month work term is between Semesters 2 and 3, and then two consecutive four-month work terms occur between Semesters 4 and 5. While co-op work opportunities are not guaranteed, participating students will receive a wide range of services to help them find a co-op placement.

sential to your success. The program builds upon the solid technical foundation of our technician program, ensuring wider career options. The skills learned in the technical program are enhanced through project-based learning and increased hands-on practice in the labs.

Humber’s Mechanical Engineering Technician diploma program gives you a thorough knowledge of materials and mechanical solutions for designing and manufacturing mechanical parts and assemblies. You will learn in Humber’s state-of-the-art labs, offering you the practical experience you need to succeed. Courses focus on:

• Engineering drawings/calculations
• Mechanical operations
• Programming of computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools using computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software – Mastercam
• Applying design principles and practices
• Design and manufacturing process problems
• Learning 2D computer-aided design (CAD) software – AutoCAD, 3D CAD software – SolidWorks

The curriculum includes courses in solids mechanics, mechanical design, hydraulics, pneumatics, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), manufacturing and management. You will be able to develop the manufacturing procedures to produce mechanical components.

Begin a career designing and manufacturing with our Mechanical Engineering Technician diploma. According to the Canadian Government’s Working in Canada website, the outlook for jobs in this field is positive. “Due to a concentration of employers such as power plants, large automotive manufacturers and other transportation and goods manufacturers, openings for mechanical engineers should remain steady,” says the report. “Job openings in this field should arise from the creation of new power facilities and production increases in the transportation equipment manufacturing, including aircraft.” Graduates find employment in areas related to mechanical design, production, testing, consulting and service industries, as well as in machine tool sales and service departments. Demand is growing for graduates in fields related to the sustainable economy and in consulting engineering particularly for companies engaged in infrastructure projects.