Certificate in Business

at Red Deer Polytechnic Canada

The objective in all programs is to provide you with the basis of a liberal arts education which will allow you to transfer to universities offering a Bachelor of Arts degree program.

In most cases, you will major in one of the subjects listed below. By declaring a major, you are simply stating your intent to pursue a comprehensive study of that subject area. Some university programs require you to declare a minor, which represents a second subject you will study in some depth as well.

The University Sciences Diploma at Red Deer College is a two-year diploma program emphasizing contemporary concepts and practical scientific skills applicable to both field and laboratory settings. With an initial specialization in Biological Sciences, students registered in this program will explore topics ranging from the level of molecules and cells to that of organisms, communities, and populations. The University Science Diploma will prepare graduates for transition into the final two years of a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences, for admission to professional schools requiring a minimum of two years of undergraduate studies, and for entry into the workforce in biology-related fields.

Program Outcomes

• Demonstrate competency in analytical methods.
• Identify one's own strengths and weaknesses in relation to areas of study and future growth.
• Develop basic scientific research projects using appropriate research methods and ethics.
• Communicate scientific knowledge clearly and succinctly through oral, visual, and written formats to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrate collaborative, independent, and inclusive attitudes and practices integrating multidisciplinary perspectives and approaches.
• Demonstrate professional conduct in all aspects of individual and team-based work.
• Describe creative solutions to problems that impact society by drawing from scientific theories.
• Explain natural principles and phenomena using knowledge from the biological sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences.
• Recognize the place of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in scientific study.

RDC offers courses that range from Shakespeare to Indigenous literature, expository to creative writing, national literatures to popular genres, allowing you to learn practical skills while acquiring cultural knowledge.

Students may apply for the program on a full or part-time basis, application requirements and the application process are the same for each stream. Program planning will take place with students during the registration process.

The mission of the Social Work Diploma Program at RDC is to prepare the student for employment as a social worker and to provide a foundation for further post-secondary education through the introduction and integration of: practice skills, theoretical knowledge, and application of social work ethics and values. The Program fulfills its mission by promoting of ethical practice, social and economic justice, respect for and acceptance of diversity among peoples, and relationship building.

Social workers are trained to 'help people help themselves'. The focus of social work is on the interactions between people and their social environment. The program examines how to help people meet the demands of daily life. It looks at how social work seeks to improve people's problem-solving and coping skills, and links them with systems that offer resources, services, and opportunities.

The one-year business certificate is designed for individuals looking to acquire introductory business skills to increase their employability or augment existing work experience. It also allows for budding entrepreneurs to gain a credential quickly while learning the key functional areas of business.

Students participate in our signature course, Business Topics and Skills. This course connects students to themselves, to learning, to the diverse Central Alberta community, and to career opportunities. Students are provided with networking opportunities in various courses.

Program Learning Outcome

• Collaboration: Practice collaborating in and with diverse teams.
• Communication: Communicate effectively utilizing oral, written, nonverbal, and media communication skills.
• Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving: Practice using critical and reflective skills and practices to analyze organizational challenges.
• Globalization: Recognize the impact of globalization across cultures and markets.
• Social and Cross Cultural Awareness: Recognize the value of diverse ideas, perspectives, and worldviews in a business environment.
• Information, Communication, Technology, and Financial Fluency: Apply information literacy, technology, research skills, and numerical and financial fluency to solve problems.
• Ethics: Employ ethical decision making and demonstrate professionalism.
• Business Acumen - Tools: Apply qualitative and quantitative methods to business scenarios.
• Business Acumen - Holistic: Explain holistic and entrepreneurial approaches for working in, and managing, socially responsible organizations.
• Lifelong Learning: Recognize the value of lifelong-learning and community engagement.
• Indigenous: Contribute to the advancement of reconciliation and apply principles of Indigenous knowledge including identifying and describing Indigenous cultural protocols, worldviews, and learning approaches in both a business and societal context.

The two-year University Arts Diploma offers students the opportunity to learn about the issues and people shaping their world through a holistic approach to knowledge that is interdisciplinary in emphasis and chronologically broad in its topics. Students are able to determine their futures through a focus on general University Arts, which allows students to concentrate on a particular area of interest within the Humanities (English, History/Classics, Philosophy) and Social Sciences (Anthropology, Communications, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology) or through one of three thematic specializations—Global Perspectives; Science and Society; Culture, Societies, and Gender—that centre on timely themes and subjects. With a choice of pathways, resulting in a University Arts Diploma, students are able to concentrate on what matters to them while gaining transferable knowledge and skills that will give them a leg up in an ever-uncertain future. In an age where intricate problems do not respond to traditional solutions, the ability to think beyond disciplinary boundaries, offer critical analysis, craft well-considered assessments, supported by adaptive thinking in pursuit of solutions, will be the foundation for students’ further educational goals or employment aspirations.

Please note: all students apply to the University Arts Diploma. Following Admission, students may, if they choose, declare a specialization in Year 1 or Year 2 prior to graduation. Specializations are noted on transcripts. Students who choose not to specialize, or who do not meet the requirements of a specialization, will graduate with the same University Arts Diploma (without a specialization noted on their transcripts).

Program Outcomes

• Recognize the provisional nature, inherent complexity, and ambiguity of knowledge.
• Acknowledge a variety of critical and theoretical approaches to local and global issues and identify the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches.
• Engage in scholarly inquiry, both independently and collaboratively, to identify and investigate questions of a theoretical and applied nature using appropriate disciplinary methodologies and sources.
• Integrate knowledge and perspectives across disciplinary boundaries.
• Demonstrate intellectual integrity and academic accountability.
• Recognize reasonable objections to positions one endorses and to the arguments one uses to support their own position when presenting oral and written arguments.
• Acknowledge the diverse social, cultural, and historical forces that shape identities and values and examine personal and cultural diversity.
• Analyse and interpret historical and contemporary events, texts, and data within disciplines.
• Demonstrate collaborative, independent, and inclusive attitudes and practices.

The demand for Information Technology professionals is rapidly increasing in all industries. Diversify your career options and transform your skillset to obtain your dream career!

Gain the expertise necessary for entry-level employment in Computer Networking with this brand new Career Development Diploma. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are well-prepared to enter into a career as an IT Technician, Network Administrator, Network Engineer, Network Support and many more! Kick-start your career in Information Technology and become a member of one of the most in-demand industries!

The importance of the early years in a child's development is well established. There is a critical need for a variety of programs for children and families and for trained staff to ensure children's developmental needs are being met. The Early Learning and Child Care Program trains professionals to work with children from birth to eight years, with some related preparation for working with children from eight to twelve years of age. Throughout the program, there is an emphasis on developing caring relationships with children and families.

RDC offers a two-year diploma program in Early Learning and Child Care. Each course you take focuses on a different topic important to those who work with young children - everything from child development, to guiding behavior, to planning snacks and bulletin boards, to planning and participating in play experiences, to interacting with children who have special needs.

RDC’s Health Care Aide program prepares students to be a part of a health-care team in a variety of different settings, providing high level of front-line care to clients in need of assistance.

As a Health Care Aide students may work in acute care facilities, continuing care facilities, hospitals, as well as in clients' homes. A Health Care Aide assists individuals needing care in a variety of ways including: assisting with eating, dressing, washing and moving.

The program uses a variety of learning approaches including online readings, assignments and lessons, in-person labs with a certified instructor, and in-person clinical placements. This program follows the Government of Alberta approved Health Care Aide 2020 curriculum and successful graduates are certified as Health Care Aides in Alberta.

Program Outcomes:
Health Care Aides must demonstrate competency as specified in the Alberta Health Care Aide Competency Profile.