Certificate in Early Learning and Child Care

at Medicine Hat College Canada

One of the greatest rewards of working with children is learning how to see the world through their eyes. If you love caring for young children and working with families, our Early Learning and Child Care program will help prepare you for a fulfilling and playful career in this field.

Throughout the program, you will learn the importance of play in the lives of children, and our classes give you lots of hands-on learning opportunities. We play with art materials, story props, and science and math materials to better understand how children learn and how we can help teach them.  

Our program also gives you the opportunity to apply theory to practice every semester through a five-week practicum setting. You’ll be able to practice your communication skills, better understand child development, and provide developmentally appropriate programming for children in a variety of settings.

Gain the knowledge and abilities need to manage information, organize and maintain files, coordinate projects and learn bookkeeping and computer skills. This certificate program takes just eight months to complete and includes the full range of courses you need to succeed as an entry-level administrative professional in many different office environments.

As a student, you’ll form strong connections with faculty and classmates to support your college experience and build your network. You’ll also gain on-the-job experience through a work placement in both the fall and spring semesters. The ability to use your?Administrative Office Professional?certificate as a starting point for a business diploma or degree is one of the strengths of this program. You can focus on building the skills you need for work right away, but also think of a long-term career at the same time.

Power engineering is a challenging field of study that supports the supervision, operation and maintenance of machinery and systems.

From boilers and turbines to generators and pressure vessels, power engineers are responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the equipment and related controls that provide power, heat, refrigeration and other utility services to industrial and commercial facilities.  

If you enjoy controlling and operating manual and automated systems, analyzing information and solving problems, and having clear rules and organized methods for your work, power engineering may be a good fit for you. People drawn to this field tend to have a mechanical and electrical aptitude, good eye-hand co-ordination and an ability to work well with others in a team environment.

With MHC’s modern, state-of-the-art lab with an actual plant environment and small class sizes, you’ll gain ample operating time and relevant industry experience.  

Managing information has never been more important and information technology professionals are in demand,

• Installing applications,
• Designing complex computer networks,
• Developing information databases, and
• Managing systems.

Strong problem-solving and analytical skills are a must, as troubleshooting and helping others are vital aspects of the job. Additionally, since there is constant interaction with other computer personnel, customers, and employees on the job, IT specialists must be able to communicate effectively on paper, through email, and in person.

Complete the certificate in one year, or pursue the diploma, which has two majors:

• Software and Internet Development (two years)
• Technology Support (two years)

Our program is designed to be flexible. Students will select a major when they apply; however the first semester of the program is common to all so students have the opportunity to change their major at a later date.

A Co-op Program option enables highly motivated students to integrate their academic program with paid, relevant work experience in their chosen field. MHC’s IT programs incorporate all or part of the curriculum requirements for a number of industry certifications including

• A+,
• i-Net+,
• Network+, and
• various Microsoft Certifications.

The examinations for the respective certifications must still be written independently.

The path to recovery for those with compulsive behaviours such as substance abuse, gambling, sex addictions, and eating disorders requires trained professionals with theoretical knowledge and practical skills. This program prepares you for a variety of challenging and rewarding careers dealing with individuals with a variety of compulsive behaviours. If you are compassionate with a high level of self-awareness, Addictions Counselling may be a good fit for you.
This rigorous and unique diploma program is the only one of its kind in Canada, and prepares you with knowledge of a range of dependencies, while teaching multi-level intervention skills. 
Due to the nature and demands of the addictions counselling profession, the program invites both emotional involvement and an ongoing commitment to self-awareness as an integral component of becoming educated as a professional addictions counsellor.
Medicine Hat College Addictions Counselling graduates are eligible for certification with The Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation (CACCF) and The Addiction Professionals Association of Alberta (APAA).

When lives are on the line, the skills and knowledge of a paramedic can make the difference between life and death. The Bachelor of Applied Health Science – Paramedic degree program prepares learners to be an integral part of the health care team, primarily within the pre-hospital environment.

MHC’s (Paramedic) program has been created to meet the emerging needs of patients, practitioners and employers. It enables you to move seamlessly through the various levels of preparation for careers in Emergency Medical Services, ultimately allowing you to attain the Advanced Care Paramedic Diploma or to continue on to the Bachelor of Applied Health Science Paramedic Degree.

Prospective students must be mature and highly motivated to deal with the stress of emergency care, critical care and shift work. Paramedics must think independently, exercise good judgment, communicate effectively with others and work well in multidisciplinary environments. The training provided not only addresses the necessary skills of a paramedic but also the skills required to perform with confidence in a variety of situations, effectively interact with others and maintain professional decorum whether in simple or complex situations.

There is a high demand for paramedics who are employed by public and private ambulance services provincially, nationally and internationally. Paramedics also work in a variety of industrial and community-based emergency health settings.

Service Dog and Canine Studies Management is an exciting new opportunity that prepares students for a career in a wide range of canine-related fields. This program explores canine care and a variety of dog training techniques while having the student train a service dog for a specific disability that will be placed with an actual client at the end of their schooling. It is a two-year, five-semester, program including workplace integrated learning in both shelters/kennels and a two-month spring course in a service dog organization that will give the student a valuable professional experience as part of their education. The program is designed for the student who enjoys working with animals and working in a therapeutic and helping profession field.

An education in Humanities and Social Sciences (Arts) is often misunderstood and underrated. Some may take a look at the classes and claim that subjects like philosophy and history have little relevance in daily life. But when you consider the challenges we face as a society—war based on religious idealism, globalization, medical problems like HIV, and more—you will soon realize how relevant these topics are. If we fail to understand other cultures for example, how can we do business successfully overseas? How can our society address any complex problem without looking inward?
The courses you take in UT Arts will help you develop critical thinking skills to consider and interact with the vast amount of information available. The result can be creative approaches and problem-solving skills that you will need to make decisions and succeed in a complex world.
At MHC, you’ll have the advantage of building strong rapport with faculty who possess qualifications on par with university professors. The result is a high quality, yet personal learning experience. The range of courses available is broad, allowing you to build an individualized program that meets your interests and the degree you have in mind. The college helps you develop a suitable class schedule, as there is a very high degree of flexibility.
Medicine Hat College has transfer agreements with the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina, as well as an agreement with Athabasca University that allows you to complete a Bachelor of General Studies (Arts and Science) at Medicine Hat College.

A first of its kind in Canada, MHC's Sustainable Innovation diploma, with majors in Business or Science, provides students with the ability to develop, implement and lead sustainable innovation strategies in diverse industries. Students will acquire just-in-time experience learning to develop the skills and competencies needed to analyze and evaluate the detailed ecosystems that reinforce and support our built environment.

Offered in-person and HyFlex, this two-year program of five semesters includes an integrated workplace learning experience and is designed for change makers who are excited about challenging existing standards and propelling their ideas forward to positively impact our communities and society. This program trains the next generations of leaders to initiate effective, innovative and sustainable approaches to solving challenges that impact people, places and profits by looking at new and strategic ways of doing business.

The Sustainable Innovation diploma challenges learners to broaden their perspective and create new products, services, systems, and processes that develop long-term solutions and address the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The term sustainability focuses not only on climate change but recognizes that ending poverty and other hardships naturally coincides with strategies to improve health, education, social equality, and economic growth.

This two-year program provides learners with the ability to pursue flexible degree options and develop a variety of transferrable skills to support diverse career paths, while empowering them to think creatively and with an inquisitive mind.