Diploma in Digital Media and IT - Game Design Concentration (Co-op Optional)

at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Canada

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.

The Animation area of emphasis prepares you for jobs in films, games, architectural visualization, industrial simulations, concept design and illustration.

Hands-on, industry-relevant skills
The DMIT - Animation area of emphasis will set you up with skills in all areas of the animation process, including story development, character design, drawing fundamentals, modeling, texturing, rigging, animating, special effects, lighting, rendering and editing.

First-year courses establish a solid foundation in classical drawing and 3D modelling. More advanced courses offer you experience with:

• Digital sculpting
• Rigging
• Character animation
• Video editing
• Motion graphics and compositing, including integrating 2D and 3D elements into live action footage

In this area of emphasis, you will learn using the most current techniques and tools from the industry today, and be well-prepared for a career in animation.

Co-op opportunities
As a result of DMIT's close connection with industry, various co-op opportunities exist for students in the DMIT program. Many companies offer our students paid co-op positions that provide direct experience in specific areas of study. Co-op is also seen as a staffing strategy for many organizations.

The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with Management emphasis equips students who want to lead in business, industry, government and not-for-profit sectors. Students in the Management degree emphasis are prepared for leadership roles where they can make a difference by advising on key business practices like revenue streams, resourcing and strategic planning. You'll be challenged through simulated business cases, sound reasoning, analytical thinking, and inductive thinking to make decisions moving organizations forward towards greater success. Much of the instruction in this emphasis is centered on real-world cases, and you'll be given opportunities to work directly with industry. All management-related courses have prerequisites, so it is important to carefully plan the order your studies.

Look around you – virtually every printed, silk screened and digitally-rendered display you see every day has moved through the hands of a graphic communications professional.

NAIT's intensive 1-year Graphic Communications certificate program will prepare you for entry into the creative and rapidly evolving digital, print and publishing industry. You'll take projects from the creative planning stage through graphic design, digital file creation, customer proofing and final output. You can also expect to gain practical, hands-on experience with industry-standard software and equipment, and get the opportunity to complete a wide range of projects you're likely to encounter in industry.

Before all this, you'll develop a firm understanding of theoretical concepts and methods that are critical in the various press, bindery and large-format processes that follow digital file creation. This technical knowledge is what sets NAIT's Graphic Communications program apart from other technical institutions.

What You Will Learn
Hands-on, industry-relevant skills
The program has an excellent reputation among the Capital Region’s business community; classroom projects often involve design assignments relevant to their current ventures. Direct industry experience is gained through the program’s two-week professional experience component, allowing eligible students the opportunity to apply their technical and interpersonal skills effectively within a workplace environment.

The graphics industry is constantly undergoing change, whether it is new software developments, updates in output equipment and technologies, or trends in design elements. The program is in constant contact with industry and supply representatives to be sure the training demands are being met and grads have the skills necessary for employment. Skills acquired in this program have allowed our graduates to seek employment opportunities all across North America.

An animal health technologist (Veterinary technologist) is a valuable member of the animal health-care team who performs a large range of tasks, such as nursing care, diagnostic procedures and client interactions, to assist veterinarians in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease in animals. The program focuses on practical skills used in both small and large animal practices, including lab work, radiographs and medical and surgical nursing.

What You Will Learn
Hands-on, industry-relevant training

You can expect to spend, on average:

•     30 hours per week attending classes over the course of a semester
•     8 to 10 hours per week studying and completing class assignments

You’ll train in NAIT’s Animal Health Clinic, which provides basic veterinary services for dogs and cats owned by NAIT staff and students. It’s here where you’ll receive hands-on experience in procedures that include spays and neuters, vaccinations and teeth cleaning.

As an Animal Health Technology student, you must handle ill or injured animals of all shapes and sizes. You’ll travel to farms and animal hospitals and treat more than just dogs and cats. To be successful in this program – and career – having a genuine interest in the treatment of all animals is a must!

The Personal Fitness Trainer program combines the hands-on practice of physical training and safe exercise with the knowledge of nutrition and lifestyle counselling to create one of the most in-demand fitness programs in Alberta.

NAIT’s Personal Fitness Trainer faculty have an average of 20 years of industry experience and the program incorporates business management and marketing practices for entrepreneurial graduates that want to start their own fitness empire.

The Personal Fitness Trainer program is offered online and in-class.

Cybersecurity is essential to protecting organizations, networks, applications and users from a world of online threats. You will gain advanced operational skills and security strategies to defend against attacks and manage risk. You will also learn about the technical, legal and political issues regarding cybersecurity.

What You Will Learn
Advanced cybersecurity skills
The Cybersecurity post-diploma certificate will establish you as a leader with essential skills in a high-demand field.

Through the course of this 10-course program, you can expect to learn how to:

• Operate cybersecurity services and defend against existing and emerging threats targeting organizations and their assets
• Adapt and align information security strategies to an organization’s goals
• Manage cybersecurity governance programs that meet organizational, regulatory and industry standards
• Demonstrate leadership through critical thinking, communication, ethics and ongoing professional development that supports an organization’s cybersecurity
• Interpret and apply cyber risk management at operational and strategic levels
• Apply forensic principles to investigate security incidents
• Use penetration testing techniques to simulate a cyber threat and identify vulnerabilities

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

Collect, distribute, treat and manage our most valuable resource
Freshwater is the planet's most important resource. It's necessary to sustain life, cultivate food and generate power. Although 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, less than 1% of it is freshwater. This natural scarcity, coupled with an increasingly environmentally-conscious society, has created a strong demand for highly skilled, well-trained professionals in the field of water management.
The NAIT Water and Wastewater Technician program – the only such program in Alberta – is designed to provide you with the important skills necessary for a rewarding career in this growing industry.

Hands-on, industry-relevant skills
In this program, you'll be instructed in the fields of water treatment, water distribution, wastewater collection and wastewater treatment. You'll experience a combination of traditional classroom delivery, self-study and tutor-supported activities.
Hands-on training in labs will help you develop the skills to maintain and operate mechanical equipment, treat water and enter the workforce prepared and ready to go.

By the time you graduate, you'll have a better understanding of:

• Basic chemistry, math and electricity
• Water and wastewater treatment processes
• The operation and maintenance of water distribution and wastewater collection systems
• Hydraulics
• Blueprint reading

Veterinary medical assistants provide support to clients, animal health technologists and veterinarians. Duties may include administration, animal handling and support with nutritional and pharmaceutical products. They also assist with record keeping and other clinical procedures and tasks.

This 1-year certificate program will provide you the skills and confidence you’ll need to work in a front-line position as a veterinary medical assistant in private veterinary clinics, livestock centres and animal shelters. In addition to classroom instruction, you’ll get in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience in animal clinics across Alberta.

Good attention to detail? Thrive on a fast pace and heavy workload? These are important traits of people interested in this program. If you are a people person and enjoy helping them with their animals, this program is a good fit for you.

What You Will LearnCareer 
Hands-on, industry-relevant training
To work as a veterinary medical assistant, you will need to have a genuine interest in animals and their welfare. It’s important to understand that you will need to be comfortable working with a variety of animals, both large and small.

After a year of classroom instruction, your clinical placement will give you hands-on experience at an animal clinic where you’ll get a taste of what your future career could look like. Travel may be necessary as some placements are outside of Edmonton.

You will also regularly support the animal health technologists at the NAIT Animal Clinic. 

As a student in the program, you can expect to spend on average:

• 26 hours per week attending classes over the course of a semester 
• 15 to 20 hours per week studying and completing class assignments

Learn how to recruit new employees, manage benefits and enhance work environments – Human Resource Management is essential to every organization.

Our dynamic 2-year program combines classroom theory with hands-on case studies and mock interview scenarios. We cover a wide range of topics including organizational change, diversity in the workplace, employment law, contract negotiations and professional culture.

Join a fascinating field powered by people. HR practitioners makes significant contributions to the success of every organization.

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

By the end of the program, you’ll be able to estimate, forecast and plan an organization’s human resource needs by recruiting talent, assessing risks and benefits of HR plans and setting strategic, achievable goals.