Advanced Diploma in Public Relations and Strategic Communications

at Durham College - Oshawa Campus Canada

The ability to resolve conflict is a 21st-century skill required for success in today’s workforce. Trained dispute resolution professionals are in demand across many careers. Students in this program develop a range of alternative dispute resolution, conflict analysis and conflict communication skills. Our graduates are prepared to negotiate and resolve conflict, in both formal and informal situations, within businesses, communities and families. This program has the unique advantage of providing a highly relevant experiential learning opportunity to students as they run their own conflict resolution service on campus. This hands-on practice can enhance on-the-job effectiveness and ensure our students are ready to handle diverse dispute scenarios, giving our graduates a competitive edge. This program is approved by ADRIO and OAFM, and 92 per cent of our students said the program gave them knowledge and skills that will be useful in their future career.

This program is approved by the ADR Institute of Ontario (ADRIO) and students in the program receive a 16-month student membership with ADRIO. This program is also approved by the Ontario Association for Family Mediation (OAFM).

This program is designed for students with previous education. Please see the entrance requirements section of this page for more detail.

If you are a university or college graduate or a  professional wishing to gain additional conflict resolution skills, as well as an Ontario college graduate certificate, this program will provide you with the tools, knowledge, and practice to effectively negotiate, analyse and resolve conflict in various settings such as:

• Workplace
• Family
• Community
• Education
• Health care
• Human resources
• Justice
• Advocacy

This program also offers an experiential learning component that enables you to participate in the operation of Campus Conflict Resolution Services.

Developed in response to the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on business processes globally, the Honours Bachelor of Artificial Intelligence program will teach you skills, tools, and techniques to design AI solutions.

A comprehensive mix of courses, that not only focus on technical theory but also on topics including legal, social, and corporate responsibility, as well as a field placement and capstone project, will teach you project management, as well as critical and analytical thinking skills.

Most consumer products are created in a laboratory or industrial setting where the quality of the raw materials is monitored. Chemical laboratory technicians work in a supporting role using testing methodologies to assure quality with chemical manufacturers, pharmaceutical and food ingredient companies, energy producers and the emerging green product sector. One of the few two-year science-based diploma programs at Ontario colleges, the Chemical Laboratory Technician program will provide you with foundational knowledge in many different disciplines to open the door to the career of your dreams.

Students spend almost half of their course time in the laboratories, learning to operate state-of-the-art analytical instruments such as gas chromatographs, atomic absorption spectrometers and fluorometers, while building core wet chemistry skills. Once you have successfully completed the first year, or the entire two-year diploma, there is also the opportunity to specialize towards a specific industry by completing the remaining coursework for some of our three-year advanced diplomas.

Accounting is often referred to as the universal language of business. Durham College’s Accounting – Business program is the next step towards a career in the field of accounting. Learning from industry-connected professors, you will develop your knowledge of accounting using the latest tools and technology in order to gain the skills employers need. You will be exposed to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Sage 50 and Profile. You will also have the opportunity to earn Microsoft Office specialist certifications

Used in a wide variety of organizations, accounting involves measuring business activities; processing information into financial reports and statements; and communicating information to the appropriate decision-makers. To meet the wide range of accounting employment opportunities, Durham College incorporates a variety of simulations into the courses to help prepare students for the workplace. Students will be exposed to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Sage 50, Profile and will have the opportunity to receive Microsoft Office specialist certifications. Courses include:

• Business Mathematics
• Communication
• Computerized Accounting and Excel
• Managerial Accounting
• Financial Accounting
• Personal Taxation

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Record financial transactions in compliance with Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for sole proprietorships, partnerships, private enterprises, publicly accountable enterprises, and non-profit organizations.
• Prepare and present financial statements, reports, and other documents in compliance with Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for sole proprietorships, partnerships, and private enterprises.
• Contribute to recurring decision-making by applying fundamental management accounting concepts.
• Prepare individuals’ income tax returns and basic tax planning in compliance with relevant legislation and regulations.
• Analyze organizational structures, the interdependence of functional areas, and the impact those relationships can have on financial performance.
• Analyze, within a Canadian content, the impact of economic variables, legislation, ethics, technological advances, and the environment on an organization’s operations.
• Outline the elements of an organization’s internal control system and risk management.
• Contribute to recurring decision-making by applying fundamental financial management concepts

Web developers act as a vital bridge between the design of a website and back-end coding to create a seamless user interface by applying traditional design methods to emerging technologies while being flexible, creative and quick to respond to the design challenges of the ever-changing digital landscape.

Building on the fundamentals of interactive media design, this program prepares students for an exciting career in the field of web design and web development. Delivered by the School of Media, Art & Design, students will have access to the latest software and web technologies in studios built specifically for interaction and web design. Unlike other web development programs, students will approach interactive elements through a creative lens to develop the graphic and technical skills to become highly competent designers and deliver dynamic, cross-media content in a complex and competitive business environment. With the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to design and develop web content for all digital platforms, graduates will be familiar with the latest trends and techniques when entering the workforce.

An education in journalism provides excellent training in critical thinking, writing and presenting ideas while preparing students for one of the most interesting careers imaginable. Armed with very transferable knowledge, skills and experience, journalism graduates go on to write and deliver stories on all written and broadcast platforms. Students also develop an array of social media skills and undergo experiential learning through the program’s ‘working newsroom’, before moving on to a seven-week field placement, applying their skills in a professional environment. Students taking the Journalism advanced diploma program will have an additional four-week field placement at the end of the sixth semester.

This program embraces the broad changes occurring in the media landscape and offers a progressive curriculum that will allow you to focus on development of journalism, social media skills and content creation on all platforms – online, print and broadcast. Students in the Journalism – Mass Media program will develop the essential skills, knowledge, and behaviours required to work in this progressive, critical profession. In their first year, students are introduced to the core journalism skills and learn how society functions both locally and globally. In their second year, students focus on creating content for all media platforms and undergoing experiential learning through our ‘working newsroom’'.

Due to the constant evolution of technology and the increasing development of new platforms of communication, traditional media professions such as journalism are facing new opportunities, as well as new challenges. Changes in the delivery methods of traditional news have forced journalists and others within the journalism industry to change how they do their jobs. For instance, journalists can now collect information with their phones and deliver stories directly to multiple platforms.

Graduates will have developed skills in: broadcasting, reporting, interviewing, editing, writing, content creation and media production, teamwork and critical thinking. You will have knowledge of applicable legislation, standards and professional ethics, and recognize the importance of continuous learning. More specifically, you will gain a clear understanding of the impact of digital technology on journalism and will be able to respond and adapt effectively and efficiently to technological changes.

Upon successful completion of this program you will have opportunities at an entry-level in a wide variety of news organizations and as content creators for a variety of private companies and public organizations, such as school boards, hospitals and governments. Graduates will have the skills to perform a range of tasks, including:
Writing local, national and international news through interviews and research

• Writing news stories for publication and/or broadcast
• Editing, analyzing and verifying information for accuracy
• Researching and conducting interviews for broadcast, online and print
• Applying production skills and using equipment to create content for a range of platforms
• Using social media platforms to engage audiences
• Planning and designing editorial content to meet a mass communications strategy for a client

Durham’s Journalism – Mass Media program has successfully covered the campus and community since 1974. It has an ongoing history of excellence, winning Ontario Community Newspaper Association honours on a regular basis. Our graduates have a track record of producing quality work across Canada – for news organizations such as CBC, CTV and TSN and in communities from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. Grads have also earned careers as content creators and social media coordinators for companies, agencies and institutions.

If you want to create award-winning advertising and marketing campaigns, this program is for you. We live in an age of digital disruption. In order for advertisers to compete for ‘screen-time’ they must develop engaging content that harnesses the power to connect with consumers. As marketers strive to increase their share of consumer attention, they must research how people are spending time across multiple devices and platforms. When you understand consumer markets and behaviour, you can create great advertising campaigns.

The Advertising and Marketing Communications program prepares you with the knowledge, skills and experience for an exciting career in the advertising industry. You can work at an agency, research or production firm, or within a media company; we will help you choose the path that best suits your skill-set. You will gain experience as an account manager and production artist working for campus media, and have the opportunity to participate in the college advertising agency – ‘collaboragency’. Our students manage real accounts and deliver both strategic and creative recommendations to achieve client goals.

In an economy that depends on finding new ways to use technology to make it easier for us to live, work and play, electronics engineering technicians maintain, operate, test, install and service electronic equipment in the fields of telecommunication, data communications and the Internet of Things (IoT), computing, industrial automation, test and measurement, power generation and distribution, health care and consumer products. The Electronics Engineering Technician program covers theory with hands-on practical experience and project-based learning of analog and digital electronic circuits and systems.

In an economy that depends on finding new ways to use technology to make it easier for us to live, work and play, Electronics is the forefront. Electronics engineering technicians maintain, operate, test, install and service electronic equipment in the fields of:

• Telecommunications
• Data Commu­nications and the Internet of Things (IoT)
• Computing hardware and software
• Industrial Automation
• Test and Measurement
• Power Genera­tion and Distribution
• Medical Equipment
• Consumer Products.

The Electronics Engineering Technician program is two years in duration, covering theory with hands-on practical experience, project-based learning of analog and digital electronic circuits and systems. Energy conservation, environmental awareness, and the global environmental movement will have an impact on you as you train to become part of the green workforce. We promote job-ready skills through leading edge instruction and hands-on practical labs that are available to you in and outside of regular class hours.

Are you looking to start your own business? Entrepreneurship and small business development are vital components of economic growth in Canada with 75 per cent of all new jobs being created in the small business sector. You will learn and work with industry-experienced professors and business professionals as your mentors who have started and run successful businesses. This program will help prepare you to launch your business with business industry connections and a complete business plan the day you finish.

In this program designed specifically for applicants with existing academic credentials, students with a degree in science can expand their knowledge of the biotechnology industry and complete their Biotechnology advanced diploma in fewer semesters. Biotechnology touches a broad range of industries including health, pharmaceuticals, food production and agriculture. The discipline has created knowledge and products essential to our continued livelihood such as vaccines to prevent disease, pest-resistant plants, environmentally friendly biofuels and improved detection of diseases.

Graduates of the Biotechnology – Advanced program are competitively qualified to work in a range of industries including those focused on food, the environment, pharmaceuticals, natural health products and cannabis. Learning within state-of-the-art labs using industry-grade equipment, students learn how living organisms or parts of living organisms can provide new methods of production and development of new products in a range of industries as well as the regulations which govern the use of these techniques. Our courses are rooted in real-world applications and our extensive analytical instrumentation lab provides practical, hands-on training. Students graduate with a strong base of theoretical knowledge and practical skills to draw from in their future careers.