Certificate in Office Assistant - Administrative

at MacEwan University Canada

The Bachelor of Social Work program provides 3rd and 4th year undergraduate degree studies and will be of interest to Alberta Social Work diploma graduates and other students who have completed 60 university level Arts and Science credits. The School of Social Work offers transformative, collaborative and supportive education to prepare students for leadership roles in meeting the social justice mandate of the profession of social work. As professionals in a country that upholds respect for diversity, and in keeping with democratic rights and freedoms, social workers respect the distinct systems of beliefs and lifestyles of individuals, families, groups, communities and nations without prejudice (United Nations Centre for Human Rights, 1992). Specifically, social workers do not tolerate discrimination based on age, abilities, ethnic background, gender, language, marital status, national ancestry, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or socio-economic status (CASW Code of Ethics, 2005).

Unique to this degree is the focus on sustainability — how social, environmental and economic issues interrelate, and how we fit into the larger community. Students have the opportunity to focus their studies around a number of themes, including working with children and families, working with Indigenous people, health and mental health, and community social work practice. Students learn from faculty who are engaged in research, blended learning and all areas of social work practice.

The Bachelor of Music focuses on the study of jazz and contemporary popular music, responds to the current demands of the industry and combines a high degree of professionalism along with the academic rigour required for further education at the graduate level. The opportunity to study with internationally renowned professionals while following a challenging academic curriculum will give you the skills, insights, competency and credentials to pursue a career as a performer, creator and leader in the evolving music industry.

All Bachelor of Music students share a common curriculum in the first year that focuses on individual study (voice, piano, guitar, bass, drums, winds, brass or violin), performance ensemble, theory (jazz and traditional), aural skills, and musicology. After successful completion of the first year, students pursue a major route (specialized program of study).

The Recording and Production major is unique in Canada because of its focus on jazz and contemporary popular music and its commitment to the tonmeister approach that holds musicianship and musical art central to the development of high-level music recording engineers and producers. Students in the Recording major take courses in recording studio and production techniques, acoustics and psychoacoustics, technical ear training, live sound reinforcement, digital/analog signal flow, applications in music technology, and mastering, and acquire professional-level skills in AVID Pro Tools and other essential industry-standard software. The program of study also includes core Bachelor of Music courses in performance, theory, aural skills, cultural studies of music, and the business of music.

Police professionals are quick thinkers, effective decision makers and can keep a level head in stressful situations. The police studies program teaches you to use these strengths to serve your community.

In this two-year diploma program, you learn about current theories of criminology, investigative techniques, law, psychology, evidence collection and forensics. You gain the knowledge, practical skills and field experience you need to prepare for a career in policing.    

The Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant (SLPA) major provides the theoretical knowledge, skill development and practical experience required to work as an SLPA. SLPAs primarily work with children and support the implementation of treatment for communication disorders.

Theatre Arts is an intense, two-year diploma with an emphasis on musical theatre actor training. The first year is spent in studio, private coaching, and classroom instruction, mastering the basics of all three disciplines while studying music theatre history, textual analysis, music theory and ear training.

The year culminates with workshop productions of a play and musical for invited audiences. In the second year, studio and laboratory courses continue while students apply their training in public productions in our new state of the art performance spaces.

To gain admission to this program, applicants must meet the academic admission requirements and be successful at an audition, demonstrating an aptitude in all three disciplines of acting, singing and dancing. A diagnostic will assess applicants’ basic skills in music theory and ear training.

In the increasingly complex field of emergency telecommunications, there is a need for personnel who have the ability to assess situations quickly and respond in an appropriate manner. Emergency communicators are the critical link between the public and those who provide police, fire and emergency medical assistance. As the field evolves, the need for highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals is critical. The field demands professionals who are able to multi-task, use high-tech equipment, think critically and quickly in a stressful setting, and respond to the challenges of the field.

The Emergency Communications and Response program develops the broad knowledge and skills required of call evaluators or dispatchers and the unique knowledge and skills in police, fire and emergency medical environments. The program is a full-time, eight-month certificate. Full-time program entry occurs each fall. The full-time program may be offered as a combination of day and evening courses. The students participate in a short field placement with a communication centre in the final month of the program.

The Administrative major provides you with the computer skills and business knowledge necessary to become an integral part of the business world. Technology is an essential part of this program. You are trained with current software programs to process and to manage information efficiently and perform many complex office functions.

The Office Assistant program of study consists solely of core courses; you do not take electives or options. The core courses must be completed in the order presented in the program of study; that is, term one courses are taken only in the first term, and so on.

One of the benefits of the Office Assistant program is its practicum component, which gives you hands-on experience in a real world setting. The practicum placement often helps you get your foot in the door and may even lead right to full-time work.

Students who have successfully completed their first and second terms and who are registered for Term III courses are eligible for a practicum placement.

When you take the administrative major, you are required to take a practicum with a duration of four weeks. We encourage you to take an active role in searching for your practicum placements—it is important practice for job searching after graduation.

You get a definite sense of accomplishment from overcoming obstacles. Discussions that revolve around differing ideas, opinions, perceptions and beliefs energize you. When you think about the future, you don't just want to be prepared for something, you want to be prepared for anything.
An arts degree says that you are a person who likes to challenge and be challenged. You will learn about human nature and the human mind as they are revealed through the arts, the languages and the politics of past and present cultures. By expanding your knowledge and becoming a critical thinker and good communicator, you will be equipped to adapt, learn, analyze, problem-solve and innovate.

What will I study?
A Bachelor of Arts emphasizes both breadth and depth of study and allows you exceptional flexibility and customization. You can complete a major and a minor, a double major, or a major and two minors. You can also adjust the size of your major and minor to explore subjects and disciplines to the extent you want.

Criminals are getting more sophisticated, the world is changing rapidly and technology is constantly evolving. All of this creates a strong demand for educated professionals in investigations and public/private security.

This two-year diploma program equips you with the knowledge and skills to investigate, analyze and act using a combination of intuition, expertise and communication skills. Field placements provide insight into professional security and investigative environments, and a crime lab allows you to practice the investigative techniques as you learn them.

In addition to the common core courses outlined in the Program of Study, the major in Professional Communication offers the opportunity for specialization in strategic communication, editing and publishing, or technical communication.

Bachelor of Communication Studies
In our fast-paced world of evolving and conventional media, communication is key to interpersonal, organizational and career success. The Bachelor of Communication Studies program provides students with a solid foundation in the fundamental skills of critical thinking, writing, editing, and research. Common coursework for professional communication and journalism majors builds a foundation in language, composition, visual communication, communication theory, communication law and research methods, supported by a liberal arts framework. The courses in the majors offer depth, specialization, and choice. The minors provide additional scope and depth to your studies. The program offers many opportunities to integrate what you have learned in the classroom with real-life projects that engage the community and provide students with an enhanced learning experience. The field is forward-looking, and so is this program of studies.

Years 1 and 2 include common coursework for both professional communication and journalism majors that builds a foundation in language, composition, visual communication, communication theory, communication law, and research methods. Years 3 and 4 provide specialization in editing, strategic communication, technical communication or film studies (in the professional communication major), or in news gathering, digital media production, or film studies (in the journalism major).