Certificate of Pre-Health Sciences

at Red Deer Polytechnic Canada

This program is designed for students who work full-time and study part-time. The Certificate permits part-time students to earn a college credential. Students can also be admitted to the Management Certificate on a full-time basis. You must complete eight business courses as outlined below to be awarded the certificate. To meet graduation requirements, students must complete all courses with a minimum grade of "D" and a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 (62%).

Program Content

• One Accounting Course (except ACCT 075) ACCT 102 Recommended
• One Computing Course (3 or 4 credits) BADM 207 or BADM 210 Recommended
• BUS 303 - Organizational Behaviour
• One Economics Course ECON 101 Recommended
• Four Business Options

Courses are to be selected from those listed under "Business Options" under "Program Content" for the Business Administration Diploma.

RDC Continuing Education course work may be used for up to two-course equivalents. Generally, forty-five hours of approved Continuing Education courses will be considered equivalent to one three credit Business Option course. For students planning to ladder into the Business Administration Diploma, Continuing Education courses will not be accepted for credit. Exceptions to the above are to be approved by the Department.

Economics studies how households, businesses and governments make choices about how to allocate scarce resources in order to best satisfy individual and social wants. The tools of economics can be used to analyze issues as diverse as unemployment, inflation, globalization, discrimination, environmental issues, taxation, health care and professional sports. Each year courses are offered in microeconomics and macroeconomics, and in selected fields such as money and banking, labour economics, international economics, sports economics, development economics, and industrial organization.

A combined BEd/BSc program allows you to satisfy the minimum requirements of both degrees in five years. The program provides a broader science background while maintaining the teacher education component. Graduates of the combined degree are eligible to apply for Teacher Certification in the Province of Alberta and all other provinces. Red Deer College offers up to two years of these programs.

Program Content

Teaching science in secondary school requires studying a variety of subjects. For the University of Alberta, you will normally major in one of the following areas and minor in another:

1. Biological Sciences includes Biology, Botany, Entomology, Genetics, Immunology and Infection, Marine Science, Microbiology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Physiology, Zoology.
2. Mathematical Sciences includes Applied Probability, Computing Science, Mathematics, Statistics.
3. Physical Sciences includes Astronomy, Chemistry, Mathematical Physics, Physics.

Transfer to the University of Alberta after one year is required for all of these programs in order to meet the U of A Faculty of Science residency requirement.

The RDC program is a pre-professional year that prepares the student for admission to the degree program. Normally, three additional years of study are required.

Transfer Features
The courses in this program can be transferred in full to BSc Agricultural/Food Business Management at the University of Alberta. Refer to the University of Alberta calendar for the complete listing of courses under the Faculty of Agricultural, Life, and Environmental Sciences.

Instrumentation engineering and associated technologies are rapidly changing and expanding in virtually every industrial and commercial sector. Current and future demand for Instrumentation Engineering Technologists (IETs) in this multi-disciplinary field is exceptionally high. Instrumentation systems form the monitoring and control nervous system of a broad spectrum of industries and applications. Thanks to such systems, commodities like oil, gas, electric power, wood products, clean drinking water, food products, and a wide variety of consumer goods find their way to market.

Program Outcomes
Possessing a unique blend of focused theoretical and practical training, graduates of this program will be able to:

• Employ relevant industry, health and safety standards, codes, policies and procedures in accordance with current legislation, regulations and organizational policy;
• Analyze and troubleshoot instrumentation control systems, including electrical, electronic, electromechanical (pneumatic and hydraulic), analog, and digital systems;
• Design, analyze and maintain (specific configuration and modification of) computer-based systems and hardware including electronic and computer-based controllers, to optimize the performance of process control systems;
• Analyze and solve complex technical problems by applying principles of advanced mathematics and science;
• Evaluate wireless and wired control systems applying mathematical, scientific, electrical, electronic and digital principles;
• Demonstrate and apply the elements of leadership in a multidisciplinary engineering environment;
• Appraise the installation and deployment of a control system as a supervisory member of a multidisciplinary team;
• Assess the need for maintenance, reliability and life cycle management of equipment;
• Apply the principles and practices of project management;
• Research, analyze, prepare, author, and communicate in written, verbal, nonverbal, and presentation formats, technical documentation appropriate for a variety of audiences;
• Identify, develop, and demonstrate strategies for maintaining continuing competency and practice standards associated with global industry trends and practices in instrumentation.

The program persistently challenges students to critically think through planning and troubleshooting situations, apply methodologies to solve problems, and to communicate effectively (both oral and written) to any audience.

Are you interested in a career in a health or wellness related field, but not sure which program you would like to study? Or perhaps you are interested in one of the Certificate or Diploma programs in Health Sciences, but do  not meet the admission requirements. The Pre-Health Sciences Certificate program is a pathway designed to give students who are interested in a health career the opportunity to explore basic concepts related to health and health care. Students may do this while taking courses in Mathematics and Biology for Health Professions that can be used for admission. The relatively low credit load of the program (22 credits) allows students the opportunity to upgrade other high school courses required for admission while they are in the Certificate program.

Students who complete this one year Certificate program will have the opportunity to explore a variety of health related careers that require either a Certificate or Diploma. They will also develop strong study skills, and, upon completion of the program and fulfilment of additional admission requirements, will be eligible to apply to the following RDC School of Health Sciences programs:

• Kinesiology Diploma
• Medical Lab Assistant Certificate
• Occupational and Physical Therapist Assistant Diploma
• Pharmacy Technician Diploma
• Practical Nurse Diploma

Anthropology is the study of humankind and the human experience from its beginnings to the present day. RDC special interests include Archaeology, Cultural and Biological Anthropology, Human Evolution, Latin American Ethnography, Anthropology of Technology, Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Mesoamerica and Central America.

All of your visual art instructors are professional practicing artists. We offer state-of-the-art studio spaces, fully equipped for ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, and design. The program offers you a concentrated visual arts foundation in a two year time span.

The first year emphasizes experience in drawing, painting, design, ceramics, sculpture, art history, and English. A broad range of visual experiences will help you form a visual arts vocabulary and master skills in composition and technical areas. The second year of the program emphasizes creative growth, visual maturity in studio work as well as allowing you to experience open options to broaden your education.

The two-year diploma program provides a broad background into the functional areas of business. It provides a deeper dive compared to the certificate, for those who have a bit more time to gain further expertise. The program is designed for individuals wanting to quickly progress into management positions, manage their own location, or gain the skills, insight, and confidence to run a successful business. The business diploma enhances other existing credentials.

Students in the diploma will participate in a 90-hour work practicum, research project, or service learning opportunity. Students will survey the functional areas of business, develop an entrepreneurial mindset through creative and critical thinking, and choose from a selection of project based courses in human resources, marketing, accounting, financial services, entrepreneurship and small business, and corporate finance and economics.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Collaboration: Collaborate in and with diverse teams employing interpersonal communication, teamwork, and leadership skills.
• Communication: Communicate effectively utilizing oral, written, nonverbal, and media communication skills.
• Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving: Integrate creative, 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: Examine different ideas, perspectives, and worldviews in response to dynamic changing global, economic, political, social, and technological business environment.
• Information, Research, Technology, and Financial Fluency: Apply information literacy, technology, research skills, and numerical and financial fluency to solve problems and analyze business decisions.
• Ethics: Employ ethical decision making and demonstrate professionalism.
• Business Acumen - Tools: Apply qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze business decisions.
• Business Acumen - Analysis: Apply specific knowledge from the functional areas of business including terminology, business analytical tools, and techniques.
• Business Acumen - Holistic: Apply holistic and entrepreneurial approaches when 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 Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences at Red Deer College is a four-year degree program.  The program emphasizes contemporary concepts in biology and practical scientific skills applicable to both field and laboratory settings.  Students registered in this program will explore topics ranging from the level of molecules and cells to that of organisms, communities, and populations.  The Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences is intended to prepare graduates for employment in biology-related fields or for continued education within graduate programs or at professional schools.

Program Outcomes
At the end of this program, graduating students will be able to:

• Demonstrate competency in analytical methods.
• Assess critically one's own strengths and weaknesses in relation to areas of study and future growth.
• Develop and conduct a scientific research project using appropriate management tools, research tools, and methods.
• Communicate scientific knowledge and results 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.
• Construct and implement creative solutions to problems that impact society by drawing from scientific and multidisciplinary theories, principles, and methods.
• Evaluate scientific questions using the knowledge and skills from the biological sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences.
• Integrate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into scientific study with the recognition of indigenous histories, practices, and relationships.