Advanced Diploma in Product Design and Development

at Centennial College - Story Arts Centre Campus Canada

The Digital Visual Effects program is the only two-year college diploma offering of its kind in Ontario. Facilitated at Centennial College's Story Arts Centre, it provides you with the opportunity to learn the industry-standard techniques required to produce the photo-realistic visual effects seen in films that would be impossible to capture with a live-action camera.

In this diploma program's courses, you learn to work with the various aspects of the film-making process and bring them together into a seamless final product, while also developing your skills in industry-standard software. The Digital Visual Effects program focuses on the core skills needed to make you employable in the VFX industry and gives you the ability to explain how visual effects contribute to the entire process of storytelling in motion pictures.

You channel your efforts into demonstrating these concepts and core skills through a unique final project, for which you produce a demo reel suitable for job application in the visual effects field.

Program Highlights

• You learn industry-standard techniques in image processing, editing, lighting, rendering, matte painting, set extension, compositing and post VFX that employers are looking for.
• During the program, you produce a marketable demo and self-promotional package suitable for the VFX industry.
• A field placement in the final semester provides a valuable opportunity to work in the visual effects industry.
• You attend Digital Visual Effects courses at Centennial College's Story Arts Centre, located close to Toronto's downtown core and the major VFX studios.
• During your time in the program, you study and work in labs that are equipped with the latest tools and industry-standard software.
• The program provides a practical, hands-on and entrepreneurial approach that prepares you for sustainable VFX-related careers.
• Opportunities exist to collaborate with students in the digital animation, game design, photography, broadcasting, music, art and theatre programs at the Story Arts Centre. This is a unique opportunity to network, learn and work with industry professionals.

Film and Television – Business is a unique program offered by the School of Communication, Media, Arts and Design that will prepare you to take on the business aspects of the television and film production industry. Today's film and television producers need more than just good ideas and a crew to get their projects off the ground. They need people with the skills to handle the financing, management, legal, distribution and business affairs. That's where you'll come in.

The two-semester – Television and Film - Business graduate certificate program will emphasize the importance of an entrepreneurial spirit and a global outlook. You'll explore the industry's legal, financial and regulatory frameworks and develop skills necessary for producing in the current Canadian and international market. To round out your training, you'll complete a field placement that will allow you to gain experience in the industry prior to graduation.

This program is unique in Canada, and it will:

• Combine knowledge of the film and television industry with the principles and practices of accounting and business;
• Focus on developing strategies and plans for various business aspects of the film and television industry (e.g., project financing, program sales and marketing plans, and business plans for launching and operating an independent production company);
• Integrate knowledge of the global marketplace, distribution models and additional revenue sources;
• Provide opportunities to learn production techniques — in both crew and leadership positions — through the various stages of pre-production, production and post-production.

You’re sitting at home, flipping through the channels on a lazy Sunday morning. You pause on a commercial for a new cartoon that will be premiering the following week and a smile creeps across your face. As you continue to watch the commercial, your smile gets wider as a sense of pride puffs your chest out a little. The commercial ends and you turn off the TV to take in the moment.

You just witnessed the very first commercial for a show you helped to produce, and you can’t help but feel elated.

Children’s media is a key component to the Canadian entertainment industry. With rapid growth of the market, the demand for trained professionals is growing with it. Luckily, Centennial College offers a one-of-a-kind program that allows you to build and develop just the right skills to enter this line of work. The Children’s Media program provides you with hands-on experience, and prepares you for various career paths in the industry.

In only 3 semesters, you will build the capabilities to create content for children’s media, as well as learn how to manage and market various products. You’ll learn and master the true art of storytelling and put it to work with script writing. Video production and project coordination will come by as second nature after you complete your first two semesters at Centennial College.

Your final semester is where all your skills get to shine during your work-placement period. This is your opportunity to find the area of children’s media that speaks to you! Whether it be in licensing and merchandising, or in the writer’s room, the Centennial College Children’s Media program will put you on the right path to getting there.

• While in the program, you will receive front line experience in:
• Creating a brand plan
• Starting and developing content for a YouTube channel
• Working alongside a client relevant to the industry – Scholastics Canada being just one of the clients who partner with the students
• And so much more!

This will allow you to enter the workplace with a variety of experience in different sectors and completely understanding what to do in any situation. Graduates of this program have been known to be hired into the field within six months to a year of graduation, and two alumni received daytime Emmy nominations in 2018!

That moment you felt earlier after watching your first tv commercial will become a daily experience, and that experience will lead to so many more magical moments. With the Centennial College Children’s Media program, there are endless possible ways of how you can create the best moments for someone’s childhood.

The Art and Design Fundamentals program nurtures your artistic talents, and develops your creative, practical and entrepreneurial skills in visual art and design — whatever your level of expertise.

The studio-based, hands-on curriculum of the Art and Design Fundamentals courses is taught by practicing artists and designers who help you to develop traditional, digital and multimedia skills. The program's goal is to help you prepare a successful portfolio of artwork required for admission to specialized programs and to open up new possibilities and career choices in the diverse visual arts industry.

In this art program, you:

• Get hands-on exposure to drawing, design, colour, 3D modelling and design, visual culture, video making, digital illustration, photography and rapid prototyping.
• Build a comprehensive portfolio of artwork while working one-on-one with faculty.

Once you complete the program, you will be prepared to succeed in a variety of post-secondary communication arts and design diploma and degree areas, including animation, game arts, digital visual effects, product design, industrial design, architecture, interior design, fashion design, illustration, graphic design, digital media art, art direction, art management, creative advertising and fine arts.

Program Highlights

• Leading practicing artists, designers and educators have crafted the Art and Design Fundamentals program at Centennial College.
• Small class sizes and a dynamic working relationship between faculty and students allows for lots of one-on-one instruction and feedback.
• The Portfolio Development course sees you work on self-directed projects that focus your future career, with individual guidance from instructors.
• The Professional Practice course offers client-based community projects that emphasize experiential learning and allow you to develop your entrepreneurial skills.
• Throughout the Collaboration Studio Course, you have the opportunity to work on collaborative projects with other students at the Story Arts Centre to gain real-world experience.
• Artists and professionals who need to improve or update their skills in art, design and digital multimedia are offered a flexible curriculum, if class size allows.
• Faculty members help each student individually to take the next step in their career path.

Centennial College's Graphic Design program prepares you for a multidisciplinary design career, and has a graduate employment rate that exceeds 80 per cent. Facilitated at the Story Arts Centre, the courses in this advanced diploma program take a hands-on approach in an intimate studio environment, rather than having you sit passively in large lecture halls. With small class sizes, you have lots of opportunities to work one-on-one with your professors.

In this college graphic design program, you:

•  Master industry-standard Adobe software including Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign
•  Learn creative problem solving and design thinking
•  Design for print, including advertisements, magazines, books and packaging
•  Design responsive websites, mobile apps and create exciting motion graphics
•  Explore drawing, photography, illustration and type design
•  Learn professional practice skills to land a great job or start your own design business
•  Contribute something unique and innovative to the design community in a thesis course
•  Learn on the job and get course credits through an industry field placement in your final semester
•  Interact with industry professionals
•  Become a student member of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario (RDG Ontario)
•  Learn from professors who are current and professionally active in the design industry

Please note:This program requires you to have and use a mobile computing device that meets or exceeds the recommended hardware and software requirements. 

Program Highlights

• The Centennial College Graphic Design program is formally recognized by RGD Ontario, which represents more than 3,000 graphic designers, managers, educators and students across Ontario.
• A combination of multidisciplinary design skills and practical experience sets you apart from the competition.
• You will be more flexible in your design solutions and more desirable in the marketplace.

The Graphic Design program will develop your abilities to:

• Think creatively and design effectively for print, motion, and interactive media.
• Execute your ideas professionally in any medium.
• Communicate effectively with employers and clients.
• Start your career in any facet of the design industry.
• Market yourself as a freelancer or start your own business.
• Affect social change through your design problem-solving skills.
• Understand all aspects of industry standard workflow, from initial creative, through to print production or interactive prototyping.

Centennial College's Arts Management program prepares you for a career in the evolving arts and cultural industry. The Arts Management courses in this two-semester Graduate Certificate program focus on developing the knowledge and skills needed to work in the performing arts sector (theatres, dance companies, music organizations and presenting facilities), the exhibiting arts sector (galleries, museum) and many other cultural and arts-related areas such as arts and film festivals.

The program explores the current issues and practices that allow cultural organizations to build audiences and flourish today — and in the years to come. Facilitated at the Story Arts Centre, Centennial College's School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design, the program combines business management, marketing and planning with the tools required to connect art, artists and audiences through fundraising, education and volunteerism.

The extensive experiential learning opportunities in the program connect principles with practice, actively engaging you with the arts management profession throughout your studies. You also have the opportunity to apply your learning in the industry as part of an eight-week field placement.

As an Arts Management program graduate, you will have a thorough understanding of the political, economic, social, ethical, technological and managerial issues facing this sector.

Please note: This program requires you to have and use a mobile computing device that meets or exceeds the recommended hardware and software requirements.

Program Highlights

• The Arts Management program emphasizes professional-quality work to ensure you graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to manage and lead in the industry.
• Through mentorships and partnerships with the arts sector, a number of career options can be explored.
• A well-designed and well-implemented fieldwork component that can be undertaken in any location in your final semester provides you with an opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience in the industry.

Arts Education and Community Engagement is a two-semester Graduate Certificate program designed to ladder students into careers in arts education and community arts.

Students will learn how to design arts educational programming that is pedagogically sound and that meets the needs of diverse communities.  Students will apply best practices of community arts work and will be trained to facilitate arts-based social justice initiatives. Students will also learn about a variety of careers in arts education and community development through research, mentorship, and field placements.  Graduates of this program will be equipped to manage a professional career in arts and learning, and to incorporate community-engaged arts work into their existing creative practice. 

By modelling innovative pedagogy, this program teaches students to innovate for themselves. By partnering with leading arts organizations, this program facilitates connections and opportunities within the sector. By emphasizing global citizenship, social justice, and cultural competency, this program helps students locate these concerns at the heart of their creative and educational practice.

Program Highlights:-

• Learn to plan and implement arts education and community programming that responds to the needs of a group of learners, in multiple settings, and in collaboration with other artists or organizations.
• Participate in a seven-week field placement where you will directly support the programming of a partnering organization or artist in a supervised community environment.
• Attend classes close to downtown near the creative, cultural heart of Toronto at our Story Arts Centre campus and in the Performing Arts Commons at Daniels Spectrum.
• Opportunities to collaborate with the other students in photography, film and television, music, art, theatre and dance programs at the Story Arts Centre
• Unique opportunity to network, learn and work with industry professionals

Interactive Media Management at Centennial College prepares students for various user experience design, project management and communications roles in a wide range of industries. Graduates possess the ability to develop digital strategy, create effective content, design intuitive interfaces, conduct user research and execute digital projects. 

You'll find this graduate certificate program, facilitated through the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design at the Story Arts Centre. The program aims to create exemplary professionals with interpersonal and ethical decision-making skills. Interactive Media Management alumni excel in diversified industries including mass media, digital entertainment, creative agencies, corporate communications, game studios, marketing and advertising firms, non-profit, education, health, government organizations and software design firms. Moreover, freelancing and creating small business opportunities are also successfully pursued by graduates.

Your courses will teach you how to plan all elements of an effective interactive digital experience, starting with assessing what your audience needs to accommodating their needs through the interface, its design and the words it contains. By the end of the program, students work on two real-world client-driven projects and publish their digital portfolios.

The interactive digital media industry is booming and the demand for interactive media management experts continues to grow. To help meet this demand this collaborative and project-driven program will emphasize:

• Digital Strategy
• UX Design
• Content Strategy and planning
• Interactive storytelling
• Analytics
• Digital project management (gant charts, budgets, project management, agile methodology)
• Researching and surveying the interactive media management landscape

Contemporary Journalism is a three-semester graduate certificate program that will explore new tools, trends and directions in journalism while maintaining an emphasis on sourced, credible and verifiable storytelling. You'll learn in an interactive environment with courses covering news reporting, writing, editing and visual storytelling while also exploring social media, mobile and emerging technologies (virtual reality), and delving into multimedia storytelling and data journalism. 

In a digital world, the smartphone is increasingly the newsroom for journalists and the living room for the audience. The Contemporary Journalism program will emphasize the use of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, to source, produce and share credible multimedia journalism.
The program will culminate with entrepreneurial and professional practice elements, including a seven-week field placement, during which you'll demonstrate and refine your skills in today’s rapidly evolving media environment. 

Program Highlights

• Develop new multiplatform, digital and social media skills for the evolving world of reporting and sharing;
• Learn to write, produce and share stories in an energetic, dynamic and hands-on environment, led by a faculty of seasoned professionals and educators drawn from all sectors of the industry;
• Gain entrepreneurial skills along with personal branding abilities to help you stand out in the industry;
• Collaborate with the other students enrolled in programs such as photography, public relations, film and television, music, art, theatre and interactive media management;
• Participate in client-focused projects.

The Public Relations – Corporate Communications program takes just two semesters to complete and is one of the most highly regarded Public Relations (PR) programs in Toronto.
The courses in this Public Relations Graduate Certificate program, which is based at the Story Arts Centre campus, reflect the thinking that no two days in PR are alike. The industry experts who teach the courses ensure you:

• Learn to research, write, plan, edit, design and implement everything from strategic communications plans and employee newsletters to gala dinners for hundreds of people.
• Gain an understanding of how communications strategies influence employee attitudes, shift stakeholders' opinions and tell an organization's story to the media.
• Connect with the PR industry.

You may want to consider this School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design program if you have previously completed post-secondary education, possess strong writing skills and have the ability to manage various projects at the same time.

Please note: This program requires you to have and use a mobile computing device (i.e. laptop, tablet) that meets or exceeds the recommended hardware requirements.

Program Highlights:-

• This Public Relations program's curriculum highlights learning by doing while emphasizing employability skills and landing a job.
• The offering leads the way in social media and PR content.
• Because the program is facilitated from Centennial College's Story Arts Centre in Toronto, you are close to the heart of Toronto's PR industry.
• You complete a full-time, eight-week field placement in the industry.
• Student membership in one of the following associations is included in your tuition and fees: The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) or the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).