General Certificate in General Arts and Science

at Durham College - Oshawa Campus Canada

Do you have a passion for the beauty industry and possess a creative, artistic spirit? The Cosmetic Techniques and Management program will prepare you to be a leader in the cosmetics, personal care and fragrance industries, giving you the competitive edge you need to launch a successful career.

Experience weekly hands-on instruction in state-of-the-art lab facilities, where students learn practical make-up application techniques using a comprehensive professional student kit. Working alongside experienced faculty, you will create a range of cosmetic applications, including make-up for special events, media, photography, as well as period, airbrushing, creative and special effects application techniques.

Foundational concepts are also at the core of the program to develop as an industry professional, where students experience training in areas ranging from colour theory and skincare analysis to communication and client consultations. Recognizing that cosmetics is an ever-growing billion-dollar industry, the program takes a holistic approach that emphasizes important business skills and entrepreneurial training. A strong focus is placed on meeting industry professional standards, including teaching best practices and protocols in infection control. Students also have the opportunity to collaborate with a professional photographer in their final semester and develop their portfolio of work to assist with obtaining future job opportunities.

Our expert faculty and program team have diverse training and industry experience, ranging from fashion, beauty, fine arts, fragrance, and creative special effects, as well as cosmetics retail and event management. Faculty have represented prominent luxury cosmetics brands and have also had their special effects work featured on Breakfast Television for Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland.

You will complete a field placement to complement your in-class learning as well as gain hands-on experience overseen by expert faculty and the Spa Manager, while working in the fully operational Durham College Spa.

Human resources (HR) professionals work in partnership with business managers to take care of the company’s largest asset – its employees. To help a business run, HR staff provide advice to department supervisors on a range of employee relations issues; design and deliver a range of programs and services focused on individual and team needs; and create company policies that support and promote a workplace culture based on fairness, equity and personal growth. You will acquire skills in the effective use of industry-standard software and learn from professors who are connected to industry. As a student, you will have the opportunity to interact directly with industry professionals and to participate in hands-on learning opportunities.

This two-year diploma program includes courses that qualify towards the academic component of either the Certified Human Resources Professional Designation (CHRP) designation granted by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). Additional courses are required to meet the full academic component of these professional certifications.

Human resources (HR) professionals serve as strategic partners in today’s business environment. They work closely with management colleagues at all levels of a company on a variety of project-based and proactive initiatives. Many roles are performed by HR professionals including the following:

• Advocating on a variety of staff issues
• Developing and implementing company policies, procedures, programs and services
• Giving advice and counsel to corporate executives, line managers and employees

This program will develop your skills, knowledge and abilities in the following areas:

• Compensation management
• Computer applications for HR professionals
• Intro to HR management
• Organizational behaviour for HR professionals
• Recruitment and selection
• Training and development

This two-year diploma program includes courses that qualify towards the academic component of the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation.  Additional courses are required to meet the full academic component of this professional certification.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Participate in the recruitment, selection, and retention of employees.
2. Participate in performance management processes.
3. Participate in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of employee orientation, training, and development programs.
4. Contribute to an organisation's success through effective employee relations.
5. Assist with the administration and communication of the organisation's total compensation plan.
6. Participate in organisational health and safety policies and practices.
7. Apply current and emerging information technologies to support the human resources function.
8. Implement organisational development strategies aimed at promoting organisational effectiveness.
9. Communicate human resources information accurately and credibly in oral, written, and graphic form.
10. Plan and act on personal professional development plans to achieve ongoing competence in human resources professional practice.
11. Identify the human resources component of a business plan.
12. Assist in the collection and analysis of human resources data.

It is estimated that about one per cent of Canada’s population has a developmental disability, requiring support from people who are interested in making a difference in the lives of others through advocacy and education. Developmental service workers are fully committed to ensuring that people with developmental disabilities receive the support they need to lead fulfilling lives as active members of their communities.
A developmental service worker (DSW) supports people in all stages of life who have a developmental disability. They focus on helping people experience satisfying and rich quality of lives as active and valued members of their communities. DSWs have core values which focus on social justice, empowerment, dignity, self-worth, human relationships and integrity.As a student in this program, you will learn how to develop and implement support plans that encourage the development of meaningful and relevant skills, self determination, full community participation and healthy lifestyles. You will also learn how to support families in which a member has a development disability. Finally you will learn the skills necessary to advocate with and for people with developmental disabilities.

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.

NOTE: Students enrolling in this program are required to purchase their own laptop. 

Find a way to make a difference with your creativity. The Fine Arts – Advanced program will push you along the path you have chosen, challenging you through critical discussions, pointing you to artists with similar concerns and aesthetics, and encouraging you to grow and achieve the potential evident in your preliminary explorations. This program will prepare you to address the complex challenges of the 21st century and promotes citizenship by educating you not only for careers and jobs in the visual arts, but also for your role as an active and engaged practicing artist in your community.

NOTE: Students enrolling in this program are required to purchase their own laptop. For specific laptop and software requirements for this program click here. 

The healthcare industry in Canada and around the world is growing rapidly. To help meet the demand, health care has turned to new and innovative medical technologies to improve diagnosis, monitoring and treatment. In doing so, healthcare providers have become dependent on the technology to function properly, to be available and to be managed in a cost-effective and efficient manner by qualified biomedical engineering technologists. As a graduate of this program, your skill set will include the ability to assess current and innovative medical technology, as well as purchase, install, calibrate, maintain and manage the life-cycle of critical medical equipment. Biomedical engineering technologists are essential members of any healthcare team because they have these skills.

As one of the top ten in demand professions in Canada, public relations professionals, including communications and media relations specialists, share vital messages through attention-grabbing writing, video, social media, special events and fundraising campaigns. Regardless of the field – sports, fashion, music, television or health-care – a creative PR professional is an essential part of any successful business or non-profit organization. In this growing industry our graduates are highly sought after and enjoy a wide range of career opportunities. The hands-on curriculum includes two unique field placements. Durham College is the only compressed program in Ontario, which allows graduates to enter the workforce in just two calendar years.

If you see yourself in a career that involves the design, testing, installation and maintenance of computer hardware and software systems, the Computer Systems Technology program is for you. This program is built on partnerships with some of the most influential names in networking today, including Cisco, IBM and Microsoft. With additional education in systems analysis, database administration and system and network security, this program creates multi-skilled graduates who can respond flexibly to the complex hardware, software and application needs and problems in today’s information technology environment. You will learn in new state-of-the-art labs and work with professors who are connected to industry.

NOTE: Students enrolling in this program are required to purchase their own laptop. For specific hardware and software requirements for this program click here.

Graduates of the three-year Computer Systems Technology program are ready to meet the information technology (IT) needs of the business, industry, service and government sectors. You will be trained to plan, implement and analyze IT solutions based on various operating systems, networking technologies and computer programming languages.

The curriculum addresses:

• Advanced topics in network management
• Communication protocols
• CISCO switches and networks
• Microsoft Servers and applications.
• Mail servers
• Security
• Unified Communications enterprise-level management of server platforms

As a graduate, you will have the skills and expertise required to be an active participant in the planning and implementation of the information security programs and procedures required by modern organizations due to increasingly stringent reporting and privacy regulations. You will also be able to deploy Internet servers for the web, email and network services.

The multiple skills you will gain through this program will enable you to challenge for industry-recognized certifications including Cisco (e.g. CCNA, CCNP and CCNA Security); Microsoft (e.g. MCP and MCSE); and CompTIA (e.g. A+, Network+ and Linux+).

Note: To ensure you make an informed decision about your IT career path, a common first semester is offered for the Computer Systems Technician, Computer Systems Technology, Computer Programmer and Computer Programmer Analyst programs. This approach will give you an opportunity to explore the systems/programming applications and networking/hardware applications of the IT sector.

Co-operative education (co-op):

For students starting the program as of September 2019, entrance into the co-op option is competitive. Students will be invited to apply to the co-op option during their first year of study. Students who qualify for co-op will be eligible to complete a four-month, paid work term between the second and third years of their program.

Chemical Engineering Technology is at the core of our ever-evolving world - innovative products, processes and materials are a constant in our time. To support these changes, this program puts a focus on material science, nuclear physics and instrumentation. Renewable fuels, process simulation and analysis and development of chemical products all have one thing in common - the chemical engineering technologist.

Chemical engineering technology is about creating value through chemical conversions, all the way from lab-scale processes to optimizing full plant operations, and this program provides training to enable graduates to do this. Applications include manufacturing of high-tech polymers, water treatment operations, catalytic conversions, nuclear power and sustainable fuel sources. . Chemical engineering technologists play a role in each of these areas.

This program will provide you with hands-on experience and a solid background in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, nuclear physics and instrumental analysis including chromatography and spectroscopy, as well as process control and sustainability. Working alone and in teams, first-hand experience is emphasized through our fully equipped Analytical Instrumentation laboratory. The core of the program will give you training and experience in the handling, analyzing, monitoring, processing and properties of a wide variety of chemicals.

Safety and environmental compliance are both emphasized in the program as chemical engineering technologists take processes from “cradle to cradle”. The field placement component of the program provides valuable contacts and experience.

This joint Durham College (DC) and Ontario Tech University (Ontario Tech) diploma-to-degree program will enable you to earn two credentials in only four years. Experience the best of both learning environments while on the journey to a rewarding career in finance. Build a solid foundation in business as well as training in various areas of financial planning, investments, and life and health insurance, using the latest technology in combination with the most current business and IT trends.

Students will be prepared to write the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI) Global Education Inc. exam, the professional designation of Chartered Financial Analysts, the Canadian Investment Funds Course (CIFC)® exam to be eligible for mutual fund licensing, as well as the Canadian Securities Course (CSC)® exams to be eligible for a securities license. The external industry licencing exams, fees and the requirements for each designation/certification are set by the granting body, not DC or Ontario Tech. In order to qualify for any of these designations/certifications, students need to follow and meet the required processes.