Diploma in Baking and Pastry Arts

at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Canada

Mix creativity, strategic sales and business insight and you’ll get marketing as a result. Marketing requires imagination, keen knowledge of one’s audience and the ability to position products and services against the competition.

In NAIT’s marketing program, you’ll work on practical, hands-on assignments for real-world clients. After completion of our core business courses, you’ll be able to choose 2 electives from a list of 5 course options.

Our 2-year diploma program has been developed in consultation with industry partners and will immerse you in dynamic group-work on real world projects with real clients.

Pursue a field in marketing where ideas are king, and every day is different.

What You Will Learn
Hands-on, industry-relevant skills
In your first year of the program, you will take 10 common courses with other business students, in order to gain foundational core business knowledge. In the second year of studies, you’ll take the required courses to get a specialized marketing diploma upon graduation.

We immerse students in a combination of classroom teaching, industry-relevant case work, simulations and networking. You will develop an understanding of modern business dynamics and learn to work well within culturally diverse organizations

The Digital Media and IT (DMIT) program is multi-disciplinary in its approach. Spanning a range of career opportunities from business analyst to visual designer, this innovative program allows you the ability to meet industry demand while developing skills aligned with your individual talents and inclinations.

In the Visual Communications area of emphasis, learn how to create high-quality, eye-catching products by applying advanced design principles.

What You Will Learn
Hands-on, industry-relevant skills
The Visual Communications area of emphasis will give you the skills you need to be a professional graphic designer. Courses will focus on 2 core software tools that will help you accomplish this goal: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

Supplemental courses will teach you the practical and theoretical sides of visual design, such as colour theory, typographic history and the art of telling a story using characters and images. To round out the program, you will also take time developing a portfolio and learning the business side of this industry.

Petroleum Engineering Technology is a two-year diploma program that prepares the graduate for employment in the upstream petroleum industry. The expanding oil sands development sector also provides tremendous opportunities for Petroleum Engineering Technology graduates.

The Petroleum Engineering Technology program was profiled in Project President, where NAIT President Dr. Glenn Feltham was shown how to start up and operate the pilot plant, which resembles a real-life natural gas sweetening plan, typical activities that students will do.

As a registered medical laboratory technologist, you will assist in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. In this program the focus will be on the analysis of human blood and body fluids for microorganisms and cellular and chemical components. Compatibility testing of blood and blood products, plus preparation of tissue samples for microscopic examination.

What You Will Learn
Hands-on, industry-relevant training
Medical Laboratory Technology focuses on the analysis of human blood, body fluids and tissues, with students learning a variety of skills to become entry level professionals. This program includes general laboratory related courses with progression to discipline specific courses in Microbiology, Transfusion Science, Hematology, Clinical Chemistry, and Histotechnology.  Goals of the program include the following:

• Teaching students how to provide quality patient care by being introduced to:
  • How to work safely in a level II containment laboratory
  • How to collect and process specimens for analysis
  • How to analyze, interpret & report quality laboratory results
  • How to think critically and how to communicate and collaborate inter-professionally
• Teaching students the professional responsibility of a registered MLT, including scope of practice, ethics, accountability, and professional development.
• Preparing students for clinical training by providing theoretical knowledge and hands-on experiences
• Preparing students for the CSMLS national certification exam

The MLT program is divided into two phases where students will learn and practice the skills required to be a registered MLT 

Phase I of the Medical Laboratory Technology program begins every September and consists of 49 weeks of classroom instruction with related practical laboratory sessions on NAIT Main Campus. This includes (two) 15-week semesters, (one) 4-week intersession, followed by one additional 15-week semester.

Phase II consists of 38 weeks of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) at one of three affiliated training sites in Edmonton, Grande Prairie or Red Deer. WIL provides practical experience in a variety of clinical settings. Emphasis is placed on practical application of concepts studied at NAIT and on development of organizational, critical thinking, and professionalism skills.

Environmental Monitoring & Assessment students investigate the impact of human activities on air, water, soil and vegetation, and gain a solid foundation in environmental sampling, assessment and laboratory skills. Students learn how to monitor and assess environmental quality, apply principles of quality assurance/quality control, manage waste, and reclaim and remediate land. Graduates may conduct environmental site assessments, collect samples from surface and ground water, air, soil and waste, or analyze samples for pollutants in an environmental lab. They work with industry, consultants or government on land and water remediation and reclamation, and investigate environmental issues for various research groups.

Hands-on, industry-relevant skills
During the first semester, you'll acquire skills and knowledge in the general sciences of biology and chemistry, communications, ethics, botany, zoology, genetics, and lab techniques and calculations.

You'll then be trained in the following areas
Field Skills:

• Perform field analysis of soil, vegetation and water quality
• Monitor air pollutants
• Collect environmental samples from air, water, soil, plants and waste for further lab analysis
• Conduct environmental site assessments – ESA (Phase I - III)
• Maintain and calibrate field equipment for environmental sampling

Additional Skills:

• Design and manage group-based projects
• Measure effects of pollutants on the environment by studying toxicology
• Use current solid and hazardous waste treatment technologies and monitoring systems
• Use legislation and standards related to environmental issues
• Employ pollution prevention and pollution control technologies
• Use quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) principles to obtain accurate data
• Generate and keep detailed log books
• Compile and manage data using MS Office
• Write reports, perform literature reviews, and prepare and give presentations

The Baking and Pastry Arts diploma program focuses on the art and science of bread, cake and pastry making, including

• Cake design and decorating
• Confectionery training (chocolate and sugar)
• Artisan-style baking
• Frozen desserts

There is also a focus on culinary fundamentals, international and specialty baking, baking for alternative diets, business, customer service and showpiece making.

Using NAIT’s fully equipped bakery and pastry arts training lab, you will learn to safely operate and maintain the kinds of equipment used in a variety of bakery, pastry arts and confectionery operations.

What You Will Learn
Hands-on, industry-relevant skills
The 2-year Baking and Pastry Arts diploma will train you in traditional, contemporary and modern baking methods. The program provides hands-on experience in the art and science of bread, cake and pastry production, including cake design and decorating, confectionary training (chocolate and sugar), artisan-style baking and frozen desserts.

This practical knowledge is complemented by training in:

• Baking theory
• Nutrition
• Baking for alternative diets
• Showpiece making
• Trade calculations
• Sanitation
• Safety
• Business concepts
• Customer service

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) student with an emphasis in Finance, you learn about investment trading, mergers, valuation and acquisitions. You'll also develop a well-rounded basis of critical thinking. The BBA with Finance emphasis takes concepts beyond banking and money management to practice quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques, logic, and deductive reasoning vital to business decisions. Finance emphasis students in the BBA degree are shown how to make effective financial decisions in areas including law, economics and international finance. All finance-related courses have prerequisites, so it is important to carefully plan the order of studies.

This nationally recognized program provides a wide range of training and will give you the skills necessary to make full or partial dentures, repair crowns, bridges and orthodontic appliances. You’ll learn the art and science of creating corrective devices for natural teeth and tissues.

A dental technologist is a master of their craft and an essential member of the dental-health team. To be successful, you’ll need to display meticulous attention to detail and an equal combination of technical skills and artistry.

What You Will Learn
Hands-on, industry-relevant training 
Throughout the program, you’ll recreate the appearance of natural teeth in fixed restorations such as crowns and implant restorations using porcelain, metal alloys and ceramic materials. For corrective devices like orthodontic appliances, you’ll learn the physical and biological forces of handling waxes, wires and acrylic materials.

You’ll have an individual workstation in the dental lab, complete with the latest industry-standard equipment, like:

• press ceramic furnace
• digital laboratory scanner
• acrylic injection system
• pressure thermal-forming machine

You can expect to spend, on average

• 32 hours per week attending classes over the course of a semester
• 10-15 hours per week studying and completing class assignments

Interior Design Technologists translate designs concepts into technical drawings that ultimately result in the creation of the built environment.

In this program, you will learn the relationships between functional, technical and aesthetic elements in interior environments. You will be trained in products and materials, construction methods, building services and more. Most drawings will be completed on the computer but you will also learn free-hand sketching techniques to create construction drawings, floor plans and more.

If you have an interest in drawing, an aptitude for three dimensional thinking or a strong desire to learn how things are constructed this is the program for you.

Students in NAIT's renowned Culinary Arts program are introduced to the fundamental skills of cooking with an emphasis on safe food handling, sanitation and nutrition. These skills are enhanced by hands-on participation in advanced cooking practices including contemporary hot and cold presentation, pastry art and international cuisine.

The NAIT Culinary Arts program provides students with relevant, high-quality culinary training. Our grads are in demand for a variety of career opportunities in leading hotels, restaurants and catering facilities. Our students get real-world experience through

• Hands-on training in the state-of-the-art Hokanson Centre for Culinary Arts
• Preparing the dishes served in Ernest's, NAIT's acclaimed fine dining restaurant
• Participating in work experience placements

Culinary Arts students also have the opportunity to join Culinary Team NAIT, which competes in regional, national and international culinary competitions.

Chef in Residence Program
The Department of Culinary Arts and Professional Food Studies' unique Chef in Residence program provides students with the rare opportunity to learn first-hand from some of the best chefs in the world. This ongoing program will bring culinary authorities from around the world to NAIT to share their insights and expertise with students and faculty. The goal of the Chef in Residence program is to expose students to innovative cooking techniques and diverse culinary trends and styles.

Learn more about the Chef in Residence program