Diploma in Business Information Systems

at Saskatchewan Polytechnic - Moose Jaw Campus Canada

Human resources offers the best of two career paths; working with people and working in a business environment. On a day-to-day basis, you might be dealing with benefits, payroll, labour relations or recruitment issues. But you'll also be involved in the bigger picture - designing competitive employee packages, supporting a productive work environment and creating a healthy organizational culture. Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Business human resources specialty provides the broad-based training you need to work in any sector.

This human resources specialty is available on campus in Moose Jaw or through flexible learning options (online and evening). You'll focus on in-depth training in the application of business management practices to employment situations, employee engagement, compensation and benefits, labour and employee relations, organizational effectiveness and behavior, recruitment and selection, training and development, and workplace wellness.

In addition to lecture material, you'll participate in class assignments, role-playing, demonstrations, and simulations. The emphasis on learning by doing will help you translate theory into real-life skills.

As a human resources student you have the option to spend a year taking three consecutive four-month paid co-operative education work terms. Work terms not only let you develop your skills on the job, they provide an excellent introduction to potential employers.

You can use your Business human resources specialty diploma for credit in degree programs at the University of Regina's Paul Hill School of Business, University of Saskatchewan's Edwards School of Business, Royal Roads University, University of Lethbridge or online degree programs at Athabasca University. Graduates of this specialty may also receive transfer credits towards the Certified in Management designation through the Canadian Institute of Management and the Certified Logistics Professional designation through the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation.

A Business diploma in human resources gives you a lot of choices. You could work in the HR department of a large multinational company, government agency or health organization. You could be part of a smaller team or even the only specialist in a small business. Where you work impacts what you do. In a smaller organization, you might be a generalist doing a wide variety of HR tasks. In a larger organization, you could be an HR manager, recruiter, labour relations assistant, compensation analyst, training coordinator or benefits administrator.

If you are looking for ways to leverage your engineering or information and communications technology degree to advance your career, consider Saskatchewan Polytechnic's new Project Management post-graduate certificate (PMPGC). The Project Management Institute (PMI) is predicting a 33% increase in project management jobs world-wide and Canada is expected to add an estimated 9,000 project management jobs every year for the next 10 years. These predictions present opportunities for those with the right training and skills.

The one-year Project Management post-graduate certificate program provides degree graduates with a strong foundation in essential project management skills. Our curriculum has been developed with input from industry stakeholders, which ensures students receive a relevant, work-focused learning experience.

You will study the fundamentals of project management, project initiation and planning, project scheduling and budgeting, directing and managing project work, procurement and contract management, alternative methodologies for project management, as well as project closing and evaluation. Several courses will help you prepare for Project Management Institute designation exams.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic gives you the opportunity to interact with industry through work-integrated learning opportunities, including course projects, and guest speakers. You will also build critical human skills through courses in leadership and professionalism, organizational behaviour and business communications.

Cooks in health care are in demand. The Health Care Cook program is designed to prepare cooks for work in health care settings, such as hospitals, long-term care homes, personal care homes and private care facilities. You will learn how to interact with patients and residents, modify diets to meet specific texture and nutritional requirements related to medical conditions, and work as part of an interdisciplinary team. You will combine hands-on cooking skills with online theoretical knowledge to flexibly gain valuable health care cooking experience.

The Health Care Cook program is an intensive 39-week certificate program offered through Saskatchewan Polytechnic Moose Jaw Campus and Prince Albert Campus. You will gain experience in:

• General cooking skills
• Menu planning
• Nutrition
• Special diets
• Special event planning
• Communication skills
• Kitchen operations
• Safety and sanitation
• Health care systems

Whether at urban power plants or remote mine sites, big machines are working 24/7. These machines are controlled by complex instruments… so complex it takes specialized technologists to look after them.

Instrumentation engineering technology is a specific skill set—you need to be comfortable with technology, good at visualizing how systems work and interested in troubleshooting solutions. It’s also a career with diverse job opportunities. Demand is especially high in heavy industry, mining, manufacturing and production.
Co-operative work terms are paid, so you'll earn while you learn. Saskatchewan Polytechnic arranges your interviews; it's up to you to shine. It's also a chance to develop important "soft skills" in job interviewing, professional attitude, interpersonal communication and more.

Many of our co-op employers require both a valid Saskatchewan Driver's License and a clean Driver's Abstract. For international students, it can take up to 12 months to obtain a Driver's license; therefore, it is to your advantage to come with a Driver's License from your home country if possible.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic offers the only accredited instrumentation engineering technology program in Saskatchewan. The three-year diploma is offered full time at Saskatchewan Polytechnic Moose Jaw campus. During five academic semesters and three Co-operative Education work terms, you’ll get practical training in:

• Analytical instruments
• Codes and standards
• Computer programming
• Data communications and networks
• Digital and linear circuits
• Digital logic
• Distributed systems
• Drafting
• Electronics
• Instrument measurement
• Machine shop
• Process applications
• Project management
• Relay and instrument controls

If you enjoy working on cars and trucks, Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Automotive Service Technician program can fast-track you into a career. In less than a year, you could be working as a technician in an automotive shop, car and truck dealership, specialty shop, service station or transportation company.

You’ll need good problem-solving skills, mechanical aptitude and manual dexterity. At the end of the program, you’ll have transferable skills you can apply to other trades, including agricultural machinery technician, heavy duty equipment technician, truck and transport mechanic.

Automotive Service Technician is a one-year certificate program offered in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon. You’ll learn how to diagnose, repair, service and maintain advanced mechanical and electrical systems in today’s vehicles. Get practical, hands-on training in:

• Body and trim
• Brakes and chassis
• Charging, ignition and starting systems
• Clutches and drive lines
• Electronics and electrical systems
• Engine repair and rebuilding
• Fuel and emission systems
• General shop procedures

If you want to study more than one post-graduate program at Sask Polytech, you have the option to apply for a post-graduate bundle. With one application you can apply and be accepted into both post-graduate programs.

Business Management
The Business Management post-graduate certificate is an eight-month program that provides a unique opportunity for professionals who want to advance their careers through the development of leadership and management knowledge and skills. The program will prepare students with an existing bachelor's or master's degree to assume leadership and managerial roles in Saskatchewan and Canadian public and private enterprise. Students will develop skills and knowledge in fields of management, accounting, marketing, leadership, business communications, and cross-cultural business practices.

You will apply theory to real-world situations in business simulations, case studies and group projects, and use industry standard software in your courses. Your combination of core and elective courses will prepare you for progression into career opportunities requiring strong leadership and management skills.

Students whose prior degrees are in non-business subjects may want to pursue additional business training at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Graduates from the Business Management post-graduate certificate may qualify for advanced standing in other Saskatchewan Polytechnic business certificate and diploma programs, including specialized training in Human Resources, Marketing, Accountancy, Insurance, Financial Services, and Management.

Technology Management
The post-graduate certificate in Technology Management will prepare you for the challenges of facilitating business operations and strategy through the provision of technology infrastructure and systems development. You will study the role technology plays in enabling business strategy and vision.

You will study the fundamentals of IT operations management and IT strategy, providing a high-level view of technology in an organization. You will also study agile project management and practical IT architecture in a hands-on setting, providing you with knowledge of how technology projects and initiatives are successfully executed. You will also learn about the technologies and techniques governing a business's critical data resources and how they support business decision making.

Engineering Design and Drafting Technologists participate in multi-discipline engineering projects. As technologists in this dynamic role, we use industry-standard software to collaborate, design, model, draft, coordinate and document projects in many disciplines, such as construction, mining and manufacturing.

The Engineering Design & Drafting Technology program is a three-year diploma offered full time at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Moose Jaw Campus. You’ll take five academic semesters and three Co-operative Education work terms. You’ll be trained in:

• computer aided drafting (CAD)
  • 2D drafting
  • 3D modeling
  • Cadastral survey drafting
  • Digital mapping
  • Civil, mechanical and structural drafting
• Building information modeling (BIM)
• Geographic information systems (GIS)
• Cadastral surveying
• Civil, mechanical and structural design
• Computer programming
• Engineering materials
• Applied mechanics
• Fluid mechanics applications
• Project management

Practical experience includes using current industry standard CAD software to design and produce engineering projects in 2D and 3D environments. You’ll complete a major project using Building Information Modeling (BIM) Technology by integrating civil, mechanical piping systems and structural design, applying the concepts of project management and carrying out an applied capstone research project.

Civil Engineering Technologies is a 27-month diploma program offered full-time at Saskatchewan Polytechnic Moose Jaw Campus. It includes five academic semesters and two four-month consecutive Co-operative Education work terms. The program offers two options; Construction and Water Resources. The first two semesters are common to both disciplines. You will build skills in:

• Surveying
• Computer applications and modelling
• Communications
• Materials analysis and testing procedures and protocols
• Hydraulics
• Project Management
• Municipal infrastructure

Students select their option after successfully completing the second semester. Thirty-six students will be accepted into the Construction option and twenty students will be accepted into the Water Resources option. If the number of students desiring either option is more than the available seats, a competitive entry process will be utilized based on student performance in the first two semesters.

In semesters three, four and five, you will focus on your chosen option. In Construction, you will develop well-rounded knowledge and skills in:

• Geotechnical Engineering (soils investigations and earthworks projects, etc.)
• Pavement design
• Structures (steel, timber, reinforced concrete)
• Transportation

In Water Resources, your studies will focus on:

• Meteorological and hydrometric data collection and analysis
• Water chemistry
• River engineering
• Hydrology
• Watershed Management
• Water supply and flood and drought management
• Water quality management

The emphasis on hands-on learning means you'll spend a lot of your time in labs and on field assignments. You will participate in field and survey camps, practical assignments, and carry out applied research and other projects.

The Co-op Work Term Advantage
Co-operative work terms are paid, so you'll earn while you learn. Saskatchewan Polytechnic arranges your interviews; it's up to you to shine. It's also a chance to develop important "soft skills" in job interviewing, professional attitude, interpersonal communication and more.

Many of our co-op employers require both a valid Saskatchewan Driver's Licence and a clean Driver's Abstract. For international students, it can take up to 12 months to obtain a Driver's licence; therefore, it is to your advantage to come with a Driver's Licence from your home country if possible.

If you like being part of decision-making processes and are interested in organizational culture and interpersonal dynamics, the Business management specialty will appeal to you. Business management is many things - efficient management of people, effective organization of resources, and strategic planning for growth. You could work in an administrative role in a wide range of public and privately owned enterprises, crown corporations and government organizations, or start your own business.

You'll develop knowledge and skills in interpersonal and organizational behavior, finance and managerial accounting, entrepreneurship, digital media, leadership and decision making, cross-cultural management, project management, and strategic management.

You can take a year to participate in the optional three consecutive four-month paid co-operative education work terms between semesters three and four. It's a chance to try different job areas in administration and discover the best fit for your career goals.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Business management specialty diploma is accredited by the Canadian Institute of Management (CIM). When you graduate, you'll have met the educational requirements for the Certified in Management (CIM) professional designation. After two years of managerial (or supervisory) work experience, you can apply for the right to put the highly respected "CIM" designation after your name.

You can also use your Business management specialty diploma for credit in degree programs at the University of Regina's Paul Hill School of Business, University of Saskatchewan's Edwards School of Business, Royal Roads University, University of Lethbridge or online degree programs at Athabasca University. Graduates of this specialty may also receive transfer credits towards the Certified Logistics Professional designation through the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation.

When you graduate, you will have the knowledge and practical skills for a wide variety of administrative and supervisory jobs in many types of organizations. Or you can apply what you have learned to grow your own business.

Western Canada is growing—our economy, our population, our demand for energy. Electrical engineering technologists are specialists in the generation, transmission, distribution and utilization of energy. It’s a powerful career choice that demands good problem-solving skills and an eye for detail. In return, you’ll enjoy good job prospects, excellent mobility and great earning potential.

The Electrical Engineering Technology program is a three-year diploma offered full time at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Moose Jaw Campus. There are five academic semesters and three Co-operative Education work terms.

You’ll study topics similar to Electronic Systems Engineering Technology students, including computer-aided drafting, computer applications and programming, digital logic circuits, basic electricity, semi-conductor electronics and AC circuits. Your knowledge and skills will become more focused as you advance. You’ll study:

• Electrical system design
• Lighting design
• Electrical power generation
• Relaying and protection
• Electrical systems and transmission design
• Electrical machines
• Industrial control systems
• Instrumentation

Lab work and projects provide a hands-on focus to learning. You’ll develop a technical proposal, apply research skills to a technical problem, design and build electrical systems and more.