Postgraduate Certificate in Design Management

at George Brown College - St. James Campus Canada

The Consulting postgraduate program prepares students for a career in consulting that could include working for a consulting firm, independently creating their own employment, or securing a business development role within an organization. Digital Transformation and the theories behind Digital Transformation are core frameworks for the first academic semester of the program. The second semester is a mix of client consulting project work and workshops further exploring consulting in a world continuously undergoing digital transformation. Students develop knowledge and skills by working individually and/or in teams, doing research, analyzing client problems and providing recommendations to real clients through our Consulting Hub.

Your Field Education Options

• Students will engage in various consulting projects in their second semester to gain experience and demonstrate:
  • Development of parameters of a consulting project and building a client/consultant relationship
  • Creation and implementation of a project plan for the term of a consulting engagement
  • Preparation and implementation of the terms of reference and contracts for the term of the consulting engagement, including billing and payment schedules
  • Performing an environmental audit (external and internal) and conducting market research to diagnose the client problem(s)
  • Use of a range of consulting tools and techniques including: interviewing, research, and collaborative problem solving during the consulting process
  • Development and modelling of soft skills such as teamwork, customer service, communications and problem solving during the consulting process
  • Assessing the change readiness of the client’s organization through the use of change management skills and processes
  • Completing a client consulting project including contracting, data collection and analysis, recommendations and, as appropriate, implementation to the satisfaction of the client

George Brown College endeavours to provide field education opportunities with real-world challenges and clients. Find out more about field education at the Centre for Business.

Program Learning Outcomes

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • Establish the parameters of a consulting project and build a client/consultant relationship.
  • Create and implement a project plan for the term of a consulting engagement.
  • Prepare and implement terms of reference and contracts for the term of the consulting engagement, including billing and payment schedules.
  • Perform an environmental audit (internal and external) and conduct market research to diagnose the client problem(s)
  • Use a range of consulting tools and techniques including: interviewing, research, collaborative problem solving during the consulting process.
  • Develop and model soft skills such as teamwork, customer service, communications and problem solving during the consulting process.
  • Assess the change readiness of the client’s organization through the use of change management skills and processes.
  • Complete a client consulting project including contracting, data collection and analysis and recommendations and as appropriate implementation to the satisfaction of the client.

The Business Administration advanced diploma is designed to offer the widest range of possible career choices and opportunities in a variety of business disciplines. Graduates are prepared to work in diverse team settings and lead projects with relevant and practical skills.

This learning experience will enable you to:

• Conduct and present research to support business decision making
• Assess and use current concepts/systems and technologies to support an organization's business initiatives
• Develop a business plan to formulate the strategic direction of an organization
• Apply human resource practices to support management objectives and the organization's goals

PROGRAM STANDARDS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • Evaluate the impact of global issues on an organization’s business opportunities by using an environmental scan.
  • Apply principles of corporate sustainability, corporate social responsibility and ethics to support an organization’s business initiatives.
  • Assess and use current concepts/systems and technologies to support an organization's business initiatives.
  • Conduct and present research to support business decision making.
  • Plan, implement and evaluate projects by applying project management principles.
  • Perform work in compliance with relevant statutes, regulations and business practices.
  • Apply human resource practices to support management objectives and the organization’s goals.
  • Use accounting and financial principles to support the management and operations of an organization.
  • Assess marketing and sales concepts and strategies and apply them to the needs of an organization.
  • Outline principles of supply chain management and operations management and assess their impact on the operations of an organization.
  • Participate in the development of a business plan.
  • Develop strategies for ongoing personal and professional development to enhance work performance in the business field.
  • Outline strategies used to manage risks in an organization's business activities.

This program (B145) is also offered with work experience. Students who wish to apply for Business Administration with Work Experience should apply to B155.

This program is your passport to grow and enhance your culinary skill set with a specialization in international cuisine. Demonstrations, lectures and hands-on practice will teach you the fundamental skills for a successful career that allows you to work in a wide variety of today’s leading culinary establishments. You will explore culinary skills related to appetizers, entrees, snacks and desserts from India, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East.

Throughout this program you will:

• Experience hands-on learning, participate in field trips to spice markets, learn about international beverages, build your knowledge in international cuisine and learn how culture influences cuisine.
• Have the opportunity to complete a unique international placement.
• Build and display a comprehensive portfolio that showcases the knowledge you have learned throughout the program.

Build a portfolio of your experience in Canada and internationally with specialized skills and knowledge that differentiates you from others in the industry.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate demonstrates the ability to:

• Plan and prepare authentic menus and food by using culinary techniques indigenous to international regions of focus.
• Communicate in an international culinary environment using appropriate terminology and customs in order to integrate as a member of the team.
• Interpret nuances in gastronomic regionality through research and field experience.
• Execute culinary dishes that reflect regional and cultural authenticity using alternative, locally-sourced ingredients.
• Comply with Canadian health, safety and nutrition regulations, standards, guidelines and processes.
• Develop a marketing plan for a regionally specific food service operation or product concept that reflects relevant cultural norms.

The Screenwriting & Narrative Design program educates students on the challenge of writing a well-structured story within linear and nonlinear contexts. The elements of character, dialogue, scene, setting, texture, style and tone are rigorously explored. Students master the subtle variances of language employed through structured and open-world storytelling as they create memorable stories and scripts for film, TV, games and interactive media. Opportunities will be provided to work with fellow students (directors, actors and designers) on student-led projects as well as potential research projects.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Produce linear and non-linear narrative content to industry standards using current and relevant software.
• Create content employing traditional and non?traditional dramatic narratives with advanced application for entertainment writing within linear and non?linear mediums.
• Articulate the differences between the varying mediums’ production processes and how the writer integrates into each process.
• Investigate the varying guilds, associations, agencies, and groups and how they interact with relevance to the different industries.
• Differentiate the history of film, television, video game and interactive media from other media as well as the intersections between them.
• Analyze the evolving landscapes for production, distribution and content creation in order to anticipate challenges and opportunities arising from technological change and consumer demand.
• Prepare for employment in the field by evaluating the present business climate of the relevant film, television, video game, online, mobile and interactive industries, and using interview and presentation skills, resume writing skills, proposal and pitch development skills, and portfolio preparation.
• Conduct research using a variety of relevant research methods, including online and library resources to do effective world building and character creation.
• Engage and invoke an emotional response from an audience, recognizing and using relevant style and narrative structures including plot analysis, characterization, setting, dialogue, point of view, structure, length and originality.
• Evaluate personal and recognized works of entertainment writing for traditional composition techniques including “unity of effect” as these apply to both traditional rhetorical structures and narratives with branching structures and/or multiple narratively coherent conclusions.
• Manipulate point of view to develop narratives, analyze form and structure to apply evolving techniques, and compare setting and atmosphere to adjusting narrative time within linear and non-linear narrative.
• Assess personal and recognized works of traditional and interactive narratives for techniques in character development exploring limitations presented by traditional techniques in character development for non-linear and participatory character creation.

The Theatre Arts – Performance program at George Brown's School of Media and Performing Arts offers you vigorously concentrated, career-oriented training in the fundamental skills, practicalities, traditions and professionalism needed to work as a professional actor in theatre, television and film.

The conservatory, hands-on training is an integrated curriculum in which almost all subjects are related directly to the acting profession. Five skill courses form the core of our classical approach to training the actor: voice, speech, movement, music and dance. The acting curriculum features improvisation, contact improvisation, storytelling, poetry, text analysis, contemporary and classical scene studies, neutral mask, character mask, clowning, commedia dell’arte, television and film technique, and audition preparation. Further classes include: stage combat, dialectology, theatre history, the business of acting, and the Alexander Technique.

Besides great partnerships with Soulpepper Theatre Company, Tarragon Theatre and Theatre by the Bay, George Brown has run a successful mentorship program for a number of years. In the final year, students will be paired with a successful theatre practitioner. This partnership starts in the students’ final semester and continues for roughly a yearlong period. Mentors will meet with the student at a minimum three times as the student graduates and begins to transition out into the field. This program has been not only a success for the students but mentors have also expressed how great the experience has been and how rewarding it is to be there for the students as they graduate.

Program Learning Outcome

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • Perform in a variety of theatrical contexts by applying acting, movement, and voice techniques as required.
  • Develop and present strategies for personal, career and professional development within the performing arts industry.
  • Apply and analyze theatre traditions and current trends from a variety of historical and cultural contexts to enhance personal creativity and theatrical performance.
  • Investigate and articulate personal reasons for pursuing creative work in the theatre.
  • Complete all work in compliance with industry standards and policies and professional ethics.
  • Use entrepreneurial and project planning skills to develop production and administrative aspects of professional theatre.
  • Perform vocal material – solo and choral – and execute staging and choreography as required by a theatrical performance.
  • Create and devise original works of theatre individually and collectively to perform in front of an audience.

In the Digital Media Marketing graduate certificate, students will develop the foundational knowledge and applied skills that employers value in digital marketing. Key areas covered in the program include social media marketing, mobile marketing, search marketing, content marketing, owned media marketing, paid media marketing along with marketing analytics. In the final semester, students work on a capstone project.

The Digital Media Marketing program is offered in Toronto through a combination of in-class courses and hybrid courses (which combines online delivery with in-class instruction), with approximately 40% of teaching delivered online, thus students will require a laptop computer. 

Your Field Education Options
WORK EXPERIENCE (CO-OP OR INTERNSHIP WORK TERM)
This program requires the successful completion of a one-semester work experience term to graduate. This work experience is either co-op (paid) or internship (unpaid). Either one will give you the practical experience employers value. The work term occurs after the end of the second academic semester.

George Brown works with employers and industry partners to identify potential work experience opportunities. Students then apply for these opportunities and go through a competitive interview process. Students are also strongly encouraged to pursue self-directed industry work experience opportunities they believe will provide the learning experiences they value and meet the learning outcomes of the program. This valuable work experience can in turn be added to your resumé.

The Strategic Relationship Marketing program responds to the growing need within the marketing industry for a new skill set – one that places the customer at the centre of business decisions. This skill set is critical since modern marketing success depends on targeting and attracting new customers while retaining and strengthening relationships with current customers at all points during their journey.

This one-year graduate certificate program provides students with a foundation in marketing, with a focus on the examination and application of Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) and Customer Experience (CX) best practices, strategies, tactics, tools, and techniques. Students will have an opportunity to apply industry-standard marketing analytics and CRM platforms and technologies to marketing processes and create a comprehensive marketing plan.

Key areas covered in the program include database marketing strategy, loyalty marketing, marketing research, omnichannel marketing, marketing automation of email, social media and online content for personalized customer journeys, and marketing analytics and measurement. In the final semester, students work on a capstone project based on a real business situation.

Program Learning Outcomes

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • Create a professional marketing plan using standard marketing planning processes and tools.
  • Develop a comprehensive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) marketing plan that uses a client’s current database strategy that is personalized and scalable.
  • Apply strategic communication planning processes and tools to generate leads and improve customer retention, satisfaction and profitability.
  • Evaluate data extracted from a variety of marketing technology platforms to support problem-solving and decision-making processes in marketing.
  • Apply Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Customer Experience (CX) best practices, strategies, tactics, and techniques to strengthen customer relationships for both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) markets.
  • Design customer experience journey mapping to identify areas to improve customer experiences and automate personalized digital marketing.
  • Apply industry standard marketing analytics and CRM platforms to sales and marketing processes.
  • Gather and analyze primary and secondary marketing research in order to support sound marketing decisions that improve customer experiences.
  • Communicate complex marketing material verbally, in writing, and digitally for a variety of audiences and purposes.
  • Model professional standards to provide reliable and actionable analysis while respecting Canadian regulation and practice related to data privacy and security.

Your Field Education Options

• WORK EXPERIENCE (CO-OP OR INTERNSHIP WORK TERM)
  • This program requires the successful completion of a one-semester work experience to graduate. This work experience is either co-op (paid) or internship (unpaid). Either one will give you the practical experience employers value. The work term occurs after the end of the second academic semester.
  • George Brown works with employers and industry partners to identify potential work experience opportunities. Students then apply for these opportunities and go through a competitive interview process. Students are also strongly encouraged to pursue self-directed industry work experience opportunities they believe would provide the learning experiences they value and meet the learning outcomes of the program. This valuable work experience can in turn be added to your resume.

In this three-semester Visual Effects graduate certificate program, you will expand upon concepts and techniques in 3D animation, motion graphics or audio/video editing for film and television. Preparing for a career in the post-production industry, visual effects artists combine the skills of a programmer with the creativity of a designer. As members of film and television production teams, visual effects artists turn concepts into visual representation.

Visual effects artists hone their visual storytelling capabilities through the use of elements such as digital lighting, surface attribute design and camera composition. While learning the procedures for planning visual effects for film, you will cover the techniques of procedural modeling and animation used in visual effects films.

Program Learning Outcomes
The graduate demonstrates the ability to:

• Design visual effects sequences using storyboarding and pre-visualization that meet production requirements.
• Use filmmaking and game terminology to communicate effectively throughout all stages of production.
• Complete the production of live action plates for use in visual effects.
• Manage the production of visual effects projects to meet production schedules.
• Identify hardware and software protocols specific to the field of visual effects.
• Analyze images and physical sets to digitally re-create lights, cameras, locations and objects.
• Create photo-real images to match live action footage.
• Recreate natural phenomena by using appropriate particle or dynamic effects.
• Integrate 2D and/or 3D computer generated imagery and live action elements.
• Create customized tools through software or scripting to allow for more advanced application of visual effects techniques.
• Work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams on the production of visual effects.

Welcome to Canada's centre for education in Food and Restaurant Management.
Take your career to the next level with an education that combines hands-on, experiential learning with exposure to today’s Food & Restaurant Management leaders.

In this four-semester diploma program, you will build knowledge in the areas of wine, beer, cocktails and the art of eating and dining. You will expand on these fundamentals with an understanding of food and beverage cost control, financial success, service leadership and human resources management – all the areas of successful restaurant management.

During your studies, you will apply your understanding of theory through unique learning techniques and invaluable practical experience. You will have the opportunity to:

• Take over The Chefs’ House, our state-of-the-art restaurant and learning facility, where you will manage all aspects of operations including designing and selling tickets, working with industry partners, performing cost analysis and designing the food and beverage menu in partnership with our culinary students.
• Embark on an educational, virtual adventure via our Restaurant Simulation, where you will revitalize and transform a failing restaurant into a profitable enterprise by using decision making, management and financial planning skills.
• Brew your own beer and learn about the brewing process through our hands-on Beer Tasting, Brewing and Theory course.
• Join a European Travel Tour (optional) with your peers and experience unique cultures, cuisine, languages and history while learning from our international industry partners.
• Gain real-world food and restaurant management experience through a 14-week, local or international field placement in your final semester.

To further develop your network and connection to the industry, you will have the opportunity to interact with industry leaders from the Hospitality and Culinary sectors via our:

• Annual Student/Industry Networking Events.
• Annual Career Fair for both permanent and temporary career opportunities.
• Local tours of Food & Restaurant Management leaders in the heart of downtown Toronto.

The Pre-Business program provides academic strengthening and exposure to a broad cross-section of business fields. This unique program offers a strong foundation in business, marketing, accounting, math and English. Many credits earned through this program can be used toward diploma-level programs at the college. Upon graduation, you are given advanced standing in the Centre for Business diploma programs. Graduates are well-prepared to continue on to further education in the Centre for Business or to pursue other career paths.