Graduate Certificate in Research Analyst

at Humber International Graduate School Canada

Today’s businesses know that it is critical to stay on top of what’s next in their industry: the next trend, the next tool, the next technology. They are developing capacity within their organizations to use big data to derive insights for a more profitable future. Businesses have a growing need for professionals who can use data, analytics and business acumen to improve ROI, streamline and expedite processes, drive down costs, create smart products, and build better customer experiences.
Humber’s Business Insights and Analytics graduate certificate program provides you with practical, in-demand skills in business; database management and programming; data analysis and interpretation; and decision-making and communications. It consists of a common platform of 21 core courses in business, database management, programming for machine learning and data analytics, plus three specialization stream courses in either Marketing or Operations.

Graduates of this program will:

• Develop effective business strategies, tactics and processes based on data-driven analytics
• Support business decision making with advanced statistical and quantitative analysis; and advanced data visualization and communications tools and techniques
• Generate business insights by developing and using databases, big data and machine learning

Learning Outcomes:

• Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
  • Design, develop and manage databases and big data using current IT technologies and tools to query, program, process and analyze open source structured and unstructured data.
  • Apply project management techniques, skills and software to scope, track and manage resources of business analytics projects.
  • Use established and current frameworks for business, economic and financial analyses to inform business decision-making and recommend appropriate business strategies and tactics.
  • Implement personal and professional development strategies to improve job performance and promote professional growth.
  • Collect, store, process, model, analyze, interpret and communicate data using advanced statistical and qualitative techniques and current information technology tools.
  • Provide insights to solve strategic business management challenges derived from a range of business intelligence metrics.
  • Prepare and communicate complex materials, verbally, in writing and digitally for a variety of audiences and purposes, clearly and effectively using, where appropriate, current technology.
  • Formulate and implement plans for the collection, storage, processing, modelling, analysis, interpretation and communication of data that meet the needs of the client.
  • Develop and implement machine learning algorithms and applications in order to capitalize on previously unrealized business opportunities.
  • Formulate and implement plans for managing the full data life cycle adhering to all theoretical, practical, ethical, legal, security, professional, and privacy guidelines, requirements and standards.
  • Present a persuasive and cogent argument and recommendations for actionable insights derived from sophisticated analysis of data from a wide variety of sources.
  • Ensure that all analysis of numerical and text data, and all data processing is conducted with a high degree of accuracy, and is consistent with the appropriate principles of data integrity and stability.

Work Placement:
Get the hands-on experience that industry demands with a 320-hour (minimum) work placement that will give you the opportunity to apply what you have learned in the classroom to the real world. Students initiate the placement with the aid of faculty, targeting companies in the Greater Toronto Area. Placements may be completed on a part-time basis throughout the academic year, or full time during the term immediately following the program.

Motivated. Creative. Innovative. If these words describe you, then our intensive Graphic Design for Print and Web certificate program is for you. You will learn industry-best practices and how to communicate effective design solutions using composition, typography, illustration, interactive media and web design. Throughout our program, you will work towards developing a cutting-edge portfolio filled with real-world projects that will help you stand out in the creative field of graphic and web design.

In order to achieve the best, you will learn from the best. This program offers you access to the latest industry standards in hardware, design applications and instruction. Our labs are equipped with the latest Apple workstations, up-to-date Adobe Creative Cloud software and our course instruction is facilitated by industry-leading working professionals in their field of practice and study. Over the course of the program, you will build connections with industry professionals, alumni and community partners to help prepare you for future career opportunities, through supportive mentorship and coaching.

SKILLS YOU'LL DEVELOP

• Learn design theory concepts
• Learn how to communicate design-thinking strategies
• Web Design
• Illustration
• Functional Composition
• Typography

Humber’s comprehensive Human Resources Management graduate certificate program covers all the key functions in this diverse field including employment law, labour relations, training and development, pension and benefits, occupational health and safety, compensation, performance management, recruitment and selection, and human resources planning. The expertise, knowledge and management skills you acquire can be applied to any organization. Humber’s faculty draw on their many years of hands-on human resources experience and expertise to successfully guide you through this program.

The first of its kind in Canada, our program is in high demand because it prepares you to work in all areas of human resources. Core concepts are studied in the classroom and applied in a work placement to help you gain a practical understanding of human resources.

You will gain the knowledge, skills, and experience to become a highly marketable and effective human resources professional. Our program offers a comprehensive exploration of all the core components of the field including its power to influence key business decisions.

Work Placement

• Get human resources management work experience with a short-term or long-term work placement (minimum 160 hours required).

Humber's 3D Modelling and Visual Effects Production certificate program focuses on both the conceptual and the technical, as you learn to master visual techniques to bring ideas to life. You will develop skills in modelling, texturing and lighting, as well as in visual effects, compositing and digital cinematography. We employ a teaching process and course structure that requires content created in one course to be used to complete assignments in other courses. This “pipeline” process mirrors that of industry, allowing students to make a seamless transition into a real production environment.

The program is designed by artists for experienced traditional artists and animators who want to either develop or transition their skill sets for employment in the 3D and visual effects industries. The faculty take their years of industry experience into the classroom, straight from the studio. Their collective experience and passion in the gaming, television and film industries is the driving force that ensures the program meets the current and future needs of the industry.

January intake scheduling: students will benefit from our streamlined flexible schedule, allowing them to work their day jobs while they study for their dream jobs. Our schedule will have students on campus and in classes on evenings and weekends. Students will study in our state-of-the-art labs equipped with Cintiq tablets and the latest tools and software.

The Humber Advantage

• Program Benefits:
  • Flexibility for industry professionals looking to develop new skills
  • Approved for second career candidates
  • Course curriculum taught and designed by industry professionals
  • Teaching process and course structure follows a “pipelines process,” mirroring the realities of a real-world production environment
• Our program allows you to:
  • Manage work, family and study in a flexible schedule
  • Work your day job as you learn during evenings and Saturdays
  • Expand your career possibilities by learning new skills
  • Finance your education as you study
  • Bring your ideas to life
• Skills You'll Develop
  • Modelling
  • Texturing
  • Lighting
  • Visual effects
  • Compositing
  • Digital cinematography

In the current knowledge economy and information age, and as organizations recognize the growing need for research on which key policy and strategic decisions are based, the demand for social, market, and marketing research has increased substantially. The Research Analyst graduate certificate program focuses on the theoretical, practical, and ethical underpinnings of research, while equipping you with the statistical, technical and professional skills necessary to do applied research in a variety of different settings throughout the public and private sectors.

In this program, you will focus on all of the major aspects of the research process including research design, information retrieval and evaluation, data collection, analysis and interpretation, and the preparation and presentation of research findings.

Special features of the program include an emphasis on professional, ethical and legal implications when designing research studies; new research technologies for data collection; analysis; presentation; proposal writing; research entrepreneurship; project management; and program evaluation.

Learning Outcomes

• Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
  • Interpret primary and secondary data applying principles of currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose.
  • Design and execute a marketing or social research project to provide recommendations and actionable insights.
  • Manage research projects with due consideration to budget, schedule, quality, scope, ethics, and data governance.
  • Prepare a variety of effective social and marketing research documents and deliverables using knowledge translation and mobilization practices.
  • Communicate results of research using effective and engaging written, oral, visual and multi-media modes, that are appropriate for diverse audience needs.
  • Respond to the evolving sensibilities/concepts of equity, diversity and cultural sensitivity in conducting research.
  • Mitigate risk by the detection of bias in research design and processes.
  • Collect data using varied robust, effective and appropriate quantitative and qualitative research methods.
  • Organize and analyze primary and secondary data using industry standard software tools.
  • Conduct research projects in accordance with legal, ethical and professional standards.
  • Develop a career ready profile through goal-setting, on-going professional learning and industry exposure.
  • Evaluate research evidence and findings for the identification of assumptions, soundness of logic and the veracity of claims.
  • Select and synthesize academic, trade, business, institutional, governmental, or non-governmental resources for appropriate research purposes.

Work Placement

• Students complete a twelve-week placement allowing them to gain valuable practical and professional experience.

Humber’s Financial Planning graduate certificate program provides a clear pathway to careers in the lucrative financial services industry including banks, investment firms, insurance companies, financial planning firms among others. Our program provides you with a broad range of financial services, business and soft skills plus the opportunity to earn the licences and designations that financial services institutions are looking for in the professionals they hire. 
Faculty are chosen for their expertise and experience in the financial services sector, and many continue to work in the industry.

Learning Outcomes

• Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
  • Adhere to the certified financial planner ethical code of conduct, standards of practice, regulatory, legal and taxation requirements.
  • Establish and manage the client-planner relationship.
  • Analyze and evaluate client financial data including investment goals, life and health insurance, retirement planning and estate planning, considering economic information.
  • Develop and present financial recommendations and/or alternatives regarding investments, retirement planning, estate planning, life and health insurance.
  • Implement financial recommendations and monitor clients’ accounts.
  • Market and promote financial products, services, solutions and strategies that meet client needs.
  • Provide investment advisory services, using current software and entrepreneurial skills.
  • Qualify to challenge the Certified Financial Planner (CFP™), the Life Insurance Licence (LLQP) examination and the Canadian Securities Course.

Work Placement

• Gain first-hand experience in the financial services industry with a four-week work placement taking place either part time during the program or full time at the end of the program. Placements provide the valuable work experience employers seek.

Insurance has become an integral part of virtually everything we do in life and business. Roles within the insurance industry are many and varied. Whether you enjoy working with numbers, doing research, solving problems or working with people, you can find your specialty in insurance.

Humber’s Insurance Management – Property and Casualty graduate certificate program prepares you for a variety of entry level management career paths in the large and growing property and casualty insurance industry. Learn the fundamentals of the industry and its three main functional areas – underwriting, loss adjusting and agency/brokerage – and gain transferable skills in business communications, computer applications, insurance accounting and metrics, marketing, sales and customer service, project management and leadership. Employment-focused experiential learning helps you consider a variety of options, as you launch your career. 

Learning Outcomes

• Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
  • Differentiate the functions of and the relationships between various elements within the structure of the insurance industry in Canadian and global contexts in order to identify business opportunities, challenges and solutions.
  • Use current and relevant insurance industry-specific terminology when communicating with stakeholders.
  • Assess and manage the four major categories of risk (hazard, operational, financial and strategic) to determine insurance needs associated with specific cases.
  • Apply best practices for risk management to finance the negative consequences of risk events in multifaceted situations.
  • Provide evidence-based recommendations for management of hazards and risks faced by an organization.
  • Evaluate the clauses, terms and conditions of various insurance policy wordings in order to determine the appropriate coverage according to defined risk tolerance levels.
  • Adjust, negotiate and settle insurance claims to satisfy needs of claimants and providers.
  • Provide rationale for the acceptance or rejection of an application for insurance to uphold efficacy of decision-making.
  • Evaluate the needs of a commercial and/or personal client in order to plan and recommend an insurance program that provides protection from identified exposures.
  • Select leadership and communication strategies necessary to manage others and accomplish organizational goals.
  • Prepare and deliver effective integrated marketing, customer service and sales plans to further organizational objectives.
  • Develop, interpret and present common property and casualty insurance industry metrics and financial statistics and data to support organizational decision-making.
  • Apply project management methodologies to identify, plan, and execute various property and casualty insurance managerial projects.
  • Develop strategic business plans in order to respond o changing opportunities and challenges within the property and casualty insurance business.

Work Placement

• Get hands-on experience in the industry with a 160-hour (minimum) work placement that will give you the opportunity to apply what you have learned in the classroom. Students initiate the placement with the aid of faculty, targeting companies in the Greater Toronto Area. Placements can be completed on a part-time basis throughout the academic year, or full time during the term immediately at the end of the program.

Humber’s Information Technology graduate certificate program is designed to support students without an information technology (IT) background. Our program’s first semester includes an introduction to software development, database concepts and web development. In subsequent semesters, students engage in advanced study of a variety of information technology topics in areas including database development, database administration, enterprise software development (.NET/Java), web development, and mobile application development (Android and/or iOS).

You will learn how to effectively control, maintain and develop information technology systems. Working in teams and individually, you will create commercial applications that apply acquired theories to the creation, administration and development of databases as well as database-driven mobile, web and desktop applications. Project management skills will prepare you to work effectively in large IT departments and tackle large projects efficiently. In addition to building your collaborative and teamwork skills, this program will teach you how to best market yourself to prospective employers in today's competitive job market.

The Usability Lab is a new facility for students in the School of Media Studies & Information Technology at Humber College. This “Live Lab” is a full-fledged usability lab where content creators can capture & assess the interaction between user and design. This Usability Lab is specialized, in that it was purposefully built for usability studies to ensure that the environment does not interfere with the testing. Designed with flexibility at its core, it has been equipped with a broad variety of technology, supporting usability testing at many different levels of sophistication. What makes this lab unique is the fact that it is mobile. This one-of-a-kind usability lab can be delivered to those who wish to use and evaluate our designs, as well as their own. For our students, they can participate in, and lead experiments that will truly test the designs they have developed, to make sure they work in the manner they have been designed to work.

Graduates may qualify for full-time and freelance employment as enterprise software developers; junior and intermediate software developers; enterprise programmers for e-commerce; web programmers; intranet, extranet and database developers; or database administrators in corporate, small- and medium-sized businesses, government, entertainment, education, healthcare and the not-for-profit sector.

If you describe yourself as creative, resourceful, detail-oriented and a problem solver, then Humber's Web Design and Development certificate program is for you. You will learn to critically analyze problems and apply best practices to plan, design and build websites/applications. You will build sites and apps from the ground up using the most up-to-date techniques and fundamental technologies. You will also learn to tackle technical challenges by developing strong troubleshooting and problem solving skills. The solutions you create along your journey will be curated into a captivating portfolio website at the end of the program.

Our unique project-based approach leads students in the program through the entire process of creating websites and web applications. You will build static and dynamic websites utilizing the most current versions of industry-standard applications and tools. Programming and design skills are taught with a focus on following best practices and established industry standards including designing websites that are mobile-ready, accessible and future-proof.

You will be constantly challenged to learn more through the escalating curriculum, while working in our dedicated computer lab. You will be guided by experienced faculty and industry professionals who are passionate about the web and related media in a practical, hands-on style of teaching. Opportunities to network with potential employers, alumni and other professionals will help you to build your own network of invaluable contacts to shape your future career.

The Humber Advantage
Program Benefits

• Become a career-ready web designer in 1 year
• Gain a comprehensive education from highly-talented and industry-experienced faculty
• Use various industry-standard software in our state-of-the-art labs 
• Graduate from the program with a captivating portfolio website to present to potential employers
• Make connections with industry professionals during networking opportunities

Skills You'll Develop:

• CSS and JavaScript Animation
• Scalable Vector Graphics
• Real-time 3D Imagery using WebGL
• Using open-source technologies, such as HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript/AJAX, PHP, MYSQL and Apache 
• Develop projects using frameworks such as jQuery, Bootstrap, Angular, ThreeJS, and A-Frame 

Humber’s Marketing Management graduate certificate program is a comprehensive program covering a wide range of topics relevant to today’s marketing professionals including digital marketing, branding, product development, advertising, distribution, sales, communications, planning, budgeting and strategy.

You will receive advanced training in a number of transferable skills that employers are looking for in their new hires, including creative problem solving, communications, decision-making, goal-setting and time management. With a highly practical focus, you will learn from a combination of real-world case studies and cutting-edge marketing techniques.

Work Placement
Gain hands-on industry experience with a 160-hour (minimum) work placement.  Here you will have the opportunity to apply what you have learned in the classroom in a real-world business environment. With our support, you will find your placement at any number of leading marketing or advertising firms, or directly within the marketing departments of local, national or international brands.  Placements can be completed on a part-time basis throughout the academic year or full time once your classes are complete.