Graduate Certificate in Paralegal

at Algonquin College - Ottawa Campus Canada

The two-year Journalism Ontario College Diploma program prepares you to report on all news delivery platforms, and helps you develop the online skills that have become vital in the industry.
Acquire leading-edge, relevant knowledge and skills in multi-platform and traditional journalism. Gain hands-on experience and expand your portfolio almost immediately upon starting the program, working for the award-winning Algonquin Times - named Canada`s top campus newspaper in 2015 and 2017 - as well as Glue, Ottawa`s student magazine.

Learn the core journalism skills to succeed in the industry. Study how to write factually, conduct interviews and filter information. Examine aspects of photo journalism, page layout, web and e-publishing, and online reporting/editing.
Your learning is expanded with workshops, guest speakers and field trips, offering exposure to a diversity of information and skills necessary for the modern journalist. To ensure you are comfortable with all journalistic platforms, you create photo and video journalism and produce newscasts for CKDJ 107.9 FM, Algonquin College`s radio station.

Expand your real-world experience with a six-week internship at a media outlet and learn to operate as a freelance journalist. You have the choice to work at a local company or agency, or complete the placement out of the region or country.

After you graduate, if you wish to further your education, you can apply to the University of Ottawa`s Honours Bachelor Degree in Digital Journalism program, in which you may be eligible for advanced standing.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Report on stories in an accurate, detailed, balanced, professional and timely manner.
• Apply computer and technical skills to designated production and research functions in journalism.
• Function both independently and as a member of editorial and/or production teams.
• Analyze knowledge from communities, current events and public affairs, and history to interpret and express the context for designated journalism publications and/or productions.
• Develop strategies for personal and professional development.
• Comply with relevant Canadian legislation, standards and the principles and practices of journalism.
• Write and edit content for the designated media platforms.
• Publish and/or broadcast content for the designated media platforms.
• Apply production skills and use production equipment in the preparation and distribution of content for the designated media platforms.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

The two-year Computer Programmer Ontario College Diploma program prepares you for a career in software development. The program also specializes in program development strategies (using object-oriented modelling), database design and database administration.

Use leading industry software products such as Oracle and CASE tools. Learn about programming languages such as Java, COBOL, SQL and PHP. Study object-oriented analysis and design, operating systems and coding in integrated environments, and learn how to debug, test, and maintain codes.

In your final semester, participate in a software development project working with external clients to gain real-world experience in the programming field.

Students also have the option to gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term (see Additional Information for more details). Please note that places in the co-op version of the program are subject to availability. Students who elect to apply to the non co-op version of the program may not have the opportunity to transfer to the co-op version at a later date.

Graduates may work in a variety of different fields, as almost all sectors of industry require programmers. You may be employed as:

• A software programmer
• A web programmer
• A business programmer
• An application programmer

Advance your skillsets for a career in construction and civil engineering

The Civil Engineering Technology Ontario College Advanced Diploma is a continuation of the Construction Engineering Technician program and is open to students who already have an Algonquin College Construction Engineering Technician Ontario College Diploma and meet the admission requirements. This third year of study explores in-depth areas of civil engineering technology such as:

• Project scheduling and cost control
• Surveying
• Design of steel structures
• Foundations
• Water and wastewater technology
• Soils analysis
• Reinforced concrete design 

Students also have the option to gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term (see Additional Information for more details). Please note that places in the co-op version of the program are subject to availability.

During the final two terms of the program you take on a year-long project in collaboration with external industry partners that gives you real-world experience and may help you develop networks within a specific industry. As part of a project team, you participate in leadership events, analyze and solve problems, create deliverables and present the results of your project to the college community and the industry through demonstrations and presentations.

OACETT (Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists) recognizes this program as meeting all of the academic requirements for certification in the Certified Engineering Technologist (CET) or Applied Science Technologist (AScT) category. Graduates and final-year students are immediately eligible to be registered as Associate members of OACETT upon submission of the Graduate Application form available through the Placement Office or OACETT.

Graduates may pursue careers in a number of sectors of the construction industry, including:

• Cost estimating for residential, commercial and civil projects
• Surveying
• Project management
• Building inspection
• Materials testing
• Quality control
• Construction

The one-year Marketing Management Ontario College Graduate Certificate prepares you to thrive in today`s marketing industry. Analyze consumer attitudes and behaviours in regards to products and services in our rapidly changing world. Through a creative, flexible and customer-focused approach, develop an understanding of both domestic and international marketing issues.

Among other topics, you develop a critical understanding of the competitive and customer-oriented demands of a business, its product and service operations and its marketing processes and resources. Acquire creative, procedural and critical marketing expertise to generate, implement and evaluate marketing programs that satisfy customer requirements.

Act as consultants and complete an industry project where you apply your knowledge and skills to a real-world situation by developing a marketing plan and strategy for a local organization.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Develop a promotion mix for marketing a product or service based on an identified target market within conventional and digital media spaces.
• Develop domestic and global pricing strategies which take into account perceived value, competitive environment, and corporate objectives.
• Develop strategies for efficient distribution of products and services.
• Design and modify strategies for developing a new brand or product portfolio or improvise an existing brand or product in the context of marketing objectives and evolving market trends.
• Analyze the Canadian and global marketing environment, segment and target markets, position products, develop lifecycles and evaluate marketing results with respect to costs, sales and profits.
• Formulate a comprehensive marketing plan including marketing research, competitive analysis, target market, marketing objectives, marketing mix, marketing strategies and evaluation criteria in both Canadian and International markets.
• Create and convey a marketing communications plan integrating various aspects of traditional and digital communications.
• Conduct primary and secondary research using both qualitative and quantitative methods on internal and external environmental factors in order to evaluate the current situation and draw a future marketing roadmap for an organization or a particular product or service.
• Create personal professional development strategies and plans to enhance leadership knowledge, human resource management skills, and marketing expertise in order to improve individual and team performance within the marketing function of an organization.
• Employ marketing management techniques in the planning, directing, and controlling of an enterprise.
• Develop strategies to establish, enhance and maintain working relationships with clients, consumers, customers and stakeholders within conventional and online domains.
• Recognize and address ethical dilemmas and corporate citizenship, applying ethical and organizational values to marketing situations.
• Apply the key constructs in consumer behaviour to marketing a product or service in Canadian and international markets.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

Define your interest in music, media and film production in the one-year Music, Media and Film Foundation Ontario College Certificate program. As a student, you explore career opportunities in the music, media and film industry, and develop foundational skills to prepare you for further post-secondary study in film, radio, television or music industry arts.

In this program, you build fundamental techniques in audio and video production, and apply them within a studio environment. You develop storytelling skills, allowing your message to reach audiences in an influential way. You plan and prepare for further education and the industry, focusing on the academic and professional skills that will help you get there. In this program, you work collaboratively to create media assets, learning the many roles that function together in the music, media and film industry.

This foundational program allows you to build a portfolio that demonstrates your readiness for several related programs, acting as a starting point for further education. These foundations provide students with an introduction to more advanced music-, media- and film-related programs including but not limited to:

• Music Industry Arts
• Broadcasting - Television
• Broadcasting - Radio
• Film and Media Production

The program lasts for two years and is delivered over 62 consecutive weeks and offers the students with the required technical skills and knowledge to carry out diagnostic procedures in the role of a Canadian and/or American Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer and produce sonographic images.

The theoretical courses, the practical exposure, extensive clinical experience and simulation allows the students to acquire the ability to produce quality images of the internal structures of a human like the pelvic and abdominal organs, carotid arteries, superficial structures, fetal imaging and lower extremity venous imaging of the human body. The students work within an inter-professional healthcare team to deliver diagnostic and therapeutic skills and safe patient assessment consistent with best practice standards for diagnostic medical sonography.

The Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is fully accredited, and on the successful completion of the national certification exams, a student is credentialed as an American Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer and/or Canadian Generalist Sonographer 

All the international applicants who are eligible for the program need to complete preparatory courses (4-months in duration): Introduction to Canadian Health Studies (ICHS) and the students who complete the induction will then proceed to the original health program. Algonquin’s Introduction to Canadian Health Studies (ICHS) is curated to assist the international students in integrating into Canadian health studies as well as be successful in their future employment. 

The language skills you need for the life you want

The General Arts and Science - English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Ontario College Certificate program is an academically-oriented English as a Second Language (ESL) Program designed for International and Domestic students whose first language is not English.

Improve your academic English language skills for college and job success in a dynamic multicultural setting. Upon successful completion of the program, you obtain an Ontario College Certificate, which provides a pathway into post-secondary studies by satisfying the language requirements for entry into most programs offered at Algonquin College.

The EAP Placement Test determines your starting point in the program, ranging from low-intermediate to low-advanced language skills. As you move through the program, you actively participate in a variety of large and small group activities that provide engaging opportunities to practice the four language skills of:

• Reading
• Writing
• Listening
• Speaking

The one-year Accounting and Financial Practice Ontario College Graduate Certificate provides you with the required knowledge and skills essential to begin and advance in the field of accounting. With a wide range of accounting and financial responsibilities present in the financial sector, there is a continuous demand for junior and intermediate accounting personnel.

In this program, you focus on accounting practices that incorporate technology used in a variety of business environments. With the use of financial accounting software and spreadsheet applications, you gather and analyze financial information and prepare financial reports.

Through financial scenarios and practical exercises, you develop in-depth knowledge of financial accounting, managerial accounting, taxation, audit and finance, and acquire the skills, terminology, concepts and tools required in the field of accounting. The program concludes with a capstone business case that gives you the opportunity to consolidate the knowledge and skills applied and practiced throughout the program.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Integrate ethical decision-making processes into accounting practices to establish and maintain transparency and fairness.
• Apply recognized accounting principles to the systematic recording of transactions to provide consistency in the reporting of financial information.
• Prepare accurate, relevant and timely financial statements for users of financial information that meet respective needs.
• Analyze financial and managerial accounting information to support decision-making.
• Use accounting software and relevant technology to produce accurate and timely financial information.
• Prepare effective budgets to support business operations.
• Research and discuss statistical techniques that safeguard data integrity and facilitate data interpretation.
• Select and recommend information systems that support effective business planning.
• Recognize legal implications arising in business situations to mitigate risks.
• Produce effective business communications to convey pertinent information.
• Examine and monitor current financial operations and provide suggestions to increase operational effectiveness.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

Using a combination of applied learning and theory, this one-year Baking and Pastry Arts Ontario College Certificate program gives you a strong foundation in baking and pastry arts. Gain hands-on experience in baking, cake decorating and shop management in our industry-standard baking and pastry labs - learning from professional chefs.

As a student, you get to show your creative side in the labs. You learn essential techniques such as mixing dough, weighing ingredients, preparing batters and icings, and cake decorating. To expand your job options, you learn skills related to the daily operation of a bakery, such as inventory control and food cost percentages.

At the end of the program, you apply your skills and knowledge in the real world with a 40-hour field industry placement. You also participate in a variety of events and baking competitions within the community, so that upon graduation, you have career-ready skills and relevant industry contacts.

This one-year Ontario College Graduate Certificate program prepares students for a career in design research and strategy. Professionals in this field examine the intersection of research, technology, business and design to apply a human-centred approach to solving problems. These professionals work in a variety of fields, including private, public and government organizations, to provide strategic direction for system, product, policy and/or service design. The skills gained in this program complement a myriad of professional backgrounds, from designers, computer programmers and engineers looking to update their skillset to public servants and social scientists looking for new ways to draft policies and model services.

Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Apply a universal, interdisciplinary design approach to overcome complex problems and create intelligent solutions that address social, technological and economic challenges.
• Manage a holistic, human-centred process to deliver design strategies, products, systems and services for government, corporations and non-profit organizations.
• Design collaboratively in an interdisciplinary studio environment to produce communication, products, systems and service projects for a variety of media.
• Apply primary and secondary research methodologies to the design process using a think/make practice model to achieve project outcomes that meet user needs and adhere to industry standards.
• Adhere to the professional practices of a design studio to facilitate and manage the success of design teams in achieving project goals.
• Participate in an iterative, multi-phase design process in order to create testable prototypes and realized products.
• Liaise and negotiate project direction and process with stakeholders to produce strategies and outcomes that align with business objectives.
• Present and defend research results and design outcomes to a diverse audience using effective communication strategies.
• Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.