General Associate of Arts

at Selkirk College - Castlegar Campus Canada

No matter what career path you choose in life, it always gives you a leading edge to have a solid education on your resume. With today’s job market becoming ever more competitive, employers are looking for viable candidates who show dedication and determination, especially to their academic background. Getting started on your associate or bachelor’s degree today, sets you up for future career—and life—success.

If you are not quite sure what you want to major in yet, but know you want to get your bachelor’s degree eventually, the associate of arts general degree is right for you. It gives you a well-rounded blend of arts courses designed to let you see some of the options you will have later, once you decide on a specialty to focus on.

Giving you a full two years of study, the general associate of arts degree fulfills most, if not all, course requirements for third-year entry into BC-approved bachelor of arts university degree programs. Mix and match your courses to suit your needs and interests, as long as they fulfill the specified requirements.

The world of science is diverse and expansive, touching almost every industry in today’s global economy, meaning you’ll be at the top of the list for high-demand and well-paying careers.

Get freedom of choice with your general associate of science degree. You won’t have to decide on which specialty you’d like right away, but you will open the doors of possibility and have plenty of career options, plus be prepped for further education. Choose this program if you love figuring out how things work and want to give yourself time to decide on the future path that’s right for you.

Designed to give you a balanced variety of courses, you’ll have your pick of biology and chemistry classes, including lab sessions. In addition, your associate degree lets you explore other subject areas like English, mathematics and general arts.

Our Business Administration diploma helps elevate and leverage your skills to compete in high-paying and dynamic careers. Choose a career path from either Accounting and Finance or Professional Management.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) students will study many facets of early learning and child development, focusing on the needs of children from birth through school age and their families.

ECCE students learn how to develop programs and create environments that are child-centred, nurturing and rich with potential for early development.

Learners will be prepared to work with young children and their families in a variety of exciting and rewarding roles. They will be able to participate in the planning and delivery of programs that focus upon healthy child development and develop relationships within the field of early care and learning.

With an emphasis on technologies and strategies, the Digital Fabrication & Design Program prepares students for employment or further education in the emerging fields of digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing. 

Cutting Edge Tech Education
Design and manufacturing are evolving industries. In Selkirk College's new Digital Fabrication & Design Program, gain broad entry-level skills or take your trade, craft or digital prowess in a new digital direction. This field combines the artistry of digital design with the skilled trades of making the physical form. Our training ensures your value in the increasingly digitally driven world of design, fabrication and manufacturing. 

The Digital Fabrication & Design Program teaches emerging hands-on computer skills for a wide variety of production facilities - from large-scale industrial operations to inventors needing prototypes. Learn how to design and build products from the bottom up. Or, create parts for a larger assembly. Learn more about career pathways...

Digital manufacturing skills are in demand as industries embrace improved technology allowing for more design choice, increased accuracy and a shorter design to manufacturing process. Among sectors, manufacturing recorded the highest rate of adoption of advanced design and fabrication technologies, with nearly six in 10 manufacturing enterprises using at least one such technology. 

Applied Skills and Experiential Learning
Our program instruction is primarily delivered in workgroups, with peers, mentors, and machines. Delivery uses a problem-solving based learning approach which reflects standard industry practice in the field of advanced manufacturing.

Giving students a full spectrum of digital fabrication implementations and opportunities, learning includes but is not limited to:

• 2D and 3D Design for Advanced Manufacturing (CAD/CAM)
• 3D Scanning and Reverse Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing (3D printing)
• Subtractive Manufacturing (CNC machining)
• Entrepreneurial Studies
• Automation and Robotics for Advanced Manufacturing
• Emerging Technologies

Real-world Projects Reinforce Learning
Students will experience the “design-to-part” process from the initial design concept to the finished product. Working in groups, students will identify the required deliverables, develop a timeline, assign and schedule project activities, identify/procure needed raw material and equipment, and determine a per unit production costs, for example.

This experiential approach encourages students to learn by doing and, thereby, develop the problem solving and teamwork-skills fundamental to industry practice.

Program Outcomes

• As a result of completing the Digital Fabrication & Design Program at Selkirk College, graduates will be able to demonstrate the following:
  • Apply efficient computer-aided design workflows.
  • Apply 3D scanning methods and processes for reverse engineering, quality control, and metrology.
  • Apply subtractive and additive manufacturing techniques and efficient workflows for rapid prototyping.
  • Use current and emerging technologies and recognized best practices.
  • Apply project planning and evaluation skills.
  • Operate shop tools and digital fabrication equipment.
  • Explain terms, concepts, and processes of digital fabrication.
  • Communicate effectively and efficiently in various formats to a variety of stakeholders, consistent with industry expectations.
  • Apply emerging problem-solving skills.
  • Demonstrate developing collaborative skills.
  • Demonstrate developing critical and creative thinking skills.
  • Conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner in academic and work-related environments.

Business specialists such as human resource managers, marketing professionals, accountants, and entrepreneurs are among Canada's top 10 highest-paid personnel. The Post-Graduate Business Management diploma offers international students the opportunity to complement and build on their previous education and work experience. The two-year Post-Graduate Business Management diploma will provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to launch your business career in Canada.

Our applied Business Management program provides the skills that can be immediately used in the workplace. Selkirk College is a Designated Learning Institution (a school approved by the government to host international students). Graduates from this program are eligible for a three-year post-graduate work permit in Canada. 

If you are an internationally educated nurse and interested in geriatrics, this Post Graduate Diploma will prepare you to effectively work with older adults, promoting wellness and enabling health.

The geriatric population is the fastest growing health cohort around the world. Currently 70 per cent of all patients in Canada are elderly. Registered nurses must have specialized knowledge and training to effectively educate, assess and care for these older people.

This Post Graduate Diploma in Gerontological Nursing will give you the tools and skills to meet the complex physical, social, environmental, cognitive and spiritual needs of the elderly. You will be given the chance to have intercultural exchange between graduate nurses from other countries and on-campus BSN students. This will promote rich dialogue about nursing approaches, philosophies and global health needs. 

Your sense of caring may have come naturally or perhaps your life has been touched by circumstances that kindle a sense of empathy and a desire to be of service.  If you have a desire to support people in times of need and crisis, a career in social services may be for you. Up to 90% of our Social Service Worker (SSW) graduates find stable, satisfying work. A shortage of workers is predicted over the next five years.

Social Work values form the foundation of this beneficial and rewarding program.

Program Benefits

• Practical interviewing and counselling skills
• Development of written and oral communication
• Promotion of self awareness, personal growth and readiness for practice
• Critical thinking, team building and problem solving skills
• Individual, group and family strategy skills
• Feminist and Indigenous approaches to practice are introduced
• Anti-oppressive perspectives are a foundation of the program

Are you considering a career in Finance, Accounting or as a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA)? Let us help you achieve your goal. Our Post-Graduate Accounting diploma is designed to enable you gain essential professional skills, strengthen your accounting knowledge and help you stand out from the crowd in the job market.

The Post-Graduate Accounting (PGA) diploma at Selkirk College will give you a solid financial accounting and management background to advance your career in this high-paying field.  As a student in our Post-Graduate Accounting diploma program, you will have the opportunity to complete the course requirements for the CPA qualification in a professional and supportive environment, and to learn from qualified and experienced accounting-accredited instructors. 

The course content provides you with valuable theoretical in accounting principles, and practical experience to guide you towards accreditation as a Chartered Professional Accountant.