Advanced Diploma in Architectural Technology

at Humber College North Campus Canada

In Humber’s Radio and Media Production graduate certificate program, students develop the skills to make entertaining and engaging broadcasts and podcasts. Imagine combining the experience of your degree or diploma with new skills in audio storytelling and broadcasting. Graduates of our program are working in all aspects of radio and podcast production across Canada. Many are instrumental in some of Canada's most popular podcasts, and some have been recognized at the 2019 Canadian Podcasting Awards.
Students get hands-on experience in radio and audio production studio techniques; on-air announcing, newscast performance and sports reporting; hosting live music and public affairs programs; writing stories, shows, commercials and scripts, radio programming and promotions; interviewing techniques and more. They produce exciting audio and visual content including video and podcasts in Humber’s leading-edge production studios.
Students learn about the latest trends and developments in broadcasting and podcasting, and prepare for careers in media production including on-air, on-camera, online and social media.  They create original digital audio content and experience the thrill of having their work distributed by broadcast on the radio, podcast streaming or other means including social media.
Students take intensive classes and workshops with expert faculty where they apply their new skills to studio and broadcast operations.  By second semester, students can choose to perform live in our streaming or broadcast radio stations as a music host, newscaster or announcer. Hands-on training in on-air performance is provided through Humber’s student radio station, on 96.9FM, which is also streamed online and through various listening apps. Alternatively, students can choose to focus on creative studio production techniques and on-air operations.
Work Placement
This program includes a work placement component to give students an opportunity to gain valuable practical experience in their area of interest in the radio and audio production industries. The 160 hour placement is done in the summer semester after two semesters of study and practice. 

Humber’s Graphic Design advanced diploma program develops creative and strategic designers who execute for a wide range of interactive media such as web and screen, user interaction, motion design and also traditional print products. While learning and mastering design concepts, you will generate creative solutions and produce visuals for effective multimedia communication. As you gain desirable knowledge and skills, you will be exposed to the many topics and tasks required in contemporary design work. You will become strategically and typographically skilled and master digital, editorial, interactive, information, motion and web design techniques. Additionally, relevant programming and entrepreneurship knowledge will round out a comprehensive skillset.

As part of our interaction and design common platform cluster, this program will expose you to many aspects of design and allow you to collaborate with students in related fields. The first semester is shared with the Multimedia Design and Development program, and the first year of this program is shared with the Web Design and Interactive Media program. Your exposure to different types of design work and common programming elements will enable you to investigate your options and choose a focus prior to your second year of study.

You will explore the many facets of graphic design and be instructed and trained on industry-based technology and software. Cross-disciplinary projects will allow you to develop collaborative and teamwork skills while preparing you for workplace environments. This program includes the unique opportunity to work with BuildingF, our in-house creative & business communications hub, working on real projects for clients while building your portfolio and professional contacts.

Humber’s Cabinet Making certificate program, located at the Humber Centre for Trades & Technology, provides you with the knowledge and skills to construct and install basic cabinets, as well as build traditional furniture using recognized trade practices. By completing a series of woodworking projects, you will explore various types of joinery and construction techniques using hand tools, portable power tools, stationary machines, as well as computer-based technologies. Time management skills and the ability to work to a deadline are developed and stressed throughout the program.

Graduates of the program will be able to produce shop drawings, calculate a list of materials, cut out and assemble basic cabinetry or furniture and also apply a finish. Graduates are able to safely operate most common stationary woodworking machinery, as well as run a number of CNC machines in a limited capacity.

Learn about the inner workings of Canada’s dynamic business scene and develop the critical expertise to ignite your career within it. Humber’s Business Management diploma program gets down to business with a practical, skills-based approach that teaches you everything you need to know to achieve your goals and make a difference in organizations. Our curriculum gets you up to speed on the essential aspects of business including marketing, e-commerce, accounting, business writing and communications. Through individual and group assignments in courses taught by experienced professionals and entrepreneurs, you’ll build your business management knowledge and gain first-hand insights into current business practices, trends and opportunities.

In the first year, you will be introduced to an overview of fundamental business disciplines including the mathematics of finance, PC essentials, marketing, microeconomics, business law, services marketing and the principles of management. In the second year, the focus includes business computer applications, accounting, e-commerce, human resources administration, operations management, business finance, leadership and entrepreneurship.

Work Placement

In Semester 4, you will be assisted in finding a paid or unpaid business work placement, where you will practice your skills during an 84-hour assignment. This adds valuable hands-on experience to your resumé and provides excellent networking opportunities.

Humber’s Computer Programmer diploma program is designed to prepare students for a wide variety of employment opportunities within the dynamic and ever-growing field of programming. In addition to learning programming in a variety of languages, from ASP.NET to XML, you will gain an in-depth understanding of industry-standard operating systems and how to use them. You will learn everything from C programming and shell scripts, to back end web design and Java. Upon graduation, you will be equipped with the up-to-date skills you need for success.

Our programming courses are designed to give you a thorough grounding in theory and practice including web development and design, distributed computing, database management and administration, project management, technical writing, information technology, and all facets of information systems. You will also learn about software development applications and follow the standards of planning, developing, testing and supporting software.

Canada has approximately 675,000 people working in information and communications technology (ICT), and about half of that workforce is in Ontario where the ICT industry accounts for over $30 billion in sales. Help satisfy the continuing demand for skilled IT professionals. Our graduates are able to work as computer programmers, junior web developers, junior database designers, junior software testers, customer support analysts, system co-ordinators, technical sales co-ordinators or technical support representatives.

Humber’s Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician diploma program prepares you for a career as a technician capable of designing, installing and servicing many different types of energy systems. As you progress through the program, you will become familiar with the design, installation and service techniques of heating and air conditioning systems in residential and small commercial buildings. As well, you will learn to size, select and maintain equipment for building comfort according to various industry standards.
Today’s residential central air conditioning and heating systems are more energy efficient than those that were typically installed in the past. As this sector continues to address Canadians’ concerns about rising energy prices and the environment, there will be ongoing opportunities for you to work with design contractors in installing, servicing and retrofitting heating, ventilation and air conditioning and refrigeration (HRAC) equipment. As well, you could choose to work as a sales representative, specifications writer or service representative. With further experience, you could become an estimator, working with plans and specifications to determine material and labour requirements in preparation of contract bids.

Industrial designers design products for consumers.  Examples include sports footwear, headphones, wearables and automobiles. Graduates of the program are in high demand for the practical skills gained through the program’s hands-on learning environment. These skills include sketching, digital graphic rendering, model-making and computer-aided design (CAD).  The program is project driven, and many of the design projects will involve industry collaboration to ensure real-world relevance.

Students elect a design specialization in Year 3 in one of:

• Automotive design
• Product design or
• Interaction design

Automotive designers design the appearance (styling) of motor vehicles including automobiles, motorcycles and off-road vehicles. Humber is the only industrial design program in Canada that offers an automotive design specialization. 
In product design, there is more emphasis on the method of finding a solution to a user’s problem in order to make doing a task easier or make the user experience with the product more satisfying.
Interaction design is a new offering in the program which recognizes that more and more physical products are integrating a digital component, including touch screens or voice activation.

Learning Outcomes

• Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
  • Meet the professional criteria as established by the ACIDO Charter (The Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of Ontario), demonstrating core competencies in skills, knowledge and design methodology in industrial design meeting.
  • Design, document and communicate high quality interior design propositions of varying size, scope and complexity employing principles of evidence-based design methodology.
  • Explain how products work; how products can be made to work better for people; what makes a product useful, usable, and desirable; and how products are manufactured and serviced.
  • Select and employ appropriate visual languages to investigate, analyze, interpret, develop and articulate ideas for two and three-dimensional projects.
  • Produce sophisticated design proposals emphasizing three-dimensional quality of space achieved through architectural detailing.
  • Communicate concepts and requirements to other designers and colleagues who work with them, and to clients and employers. This need to communicate draws upon: verbal and written forms, two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, and levels of detailing ranging from sketching to engineering drawings.
  • Employ computer-aided drafting (CAD), computer-aided industrial design (CAID), and appropriate 2D and 3D graphic software to create graphic presentations and marketing materials.
  • Integrate sustainable practices in the design process and demonstrate leadership by educating users in these principles.
  • Analyze the complexity of forces – economic, political, physiological, sociological and technological – which influence the design of the physical environment.
  • Incorporate principles of user-centered design, human factors and ergonomics in design solutions.
  • Select appropriate methods and materials to achieve the technical functionality and aesthetically pleasing built environment.
  • Select the appropriate process(es) and materials for manufacture for a given production volume.
  • Support the marketing function with design strategy supported by graphic/3D materials.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between human behaviour and the built environment and the implications in preparing design solutions.
  • Assess the implications for interior design presented by key developments in current and emerging materials, media and technologies and in interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary design practice.
  • Source information on copyright, mechanical patents, and protection of intellectual property, as applied and practiced in the professional field of industrial design.
  • Develop a business case for and present design solutions to a variety of stakeholder in keeping with professional standards and practices.
  • Employ effective and professional communication skills and techniques to interact, negotiate and undertake collaborative efforts including meaningful discussion of one’s work in an open studio environment, with audiences, clients, markets, end-users and team members.
  • Work collaboratively with clients to develop an understanding of the product requirements, leading to a design brief.
  • Confidently employ appropriate professional accountability, personal and business ethics demonstrating competency of industry practices.
  • Work in a team effectively, utilizing skills of collaboration, negotiation, compromise and conflict resolution.
  • Employ appropriate conventions of measurement, scale, site measuring, drafting and volumetric manipulation through a variety of manual and digital modeling techniques.
  • Design to exceed the minimum standards of applicable laws, codes, regulations, and practices that protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.
  • Speak clearly and persuasively for design concepts and resources.
  • Plan and manage projects, demonstrate good time management skills, be a self-starter, and show resourcefulness.
  • Employ both convergent and divergent thinking in the process of observation, investigation, speculative enquiry, ideation, rationalization and implementation of design solutions.
  • Source, navigate, select, retrieve, evaluate, manipulate and manage information from a variety of sources, both primary and secondary.
  • Conduct themselves with honesty and integrity, demonstrating professional accountability.
  • Employ a variety of methods of design to develop design solutions.
  • Analyze information and experiences in order to articulate an academically structured, sustained and well-supported argument supporting a design issue or creative interior design solution.
  • Identify and analyze the customer needs of an identified target market.
  • Find relevant information that informs the design process, employing a number of techniques and skills including: observation, expert interviews, market information, and various digital search techniques.
  • Employ a variety of ideation techniques, including: sketching, brainstorming, rapid sketching, analogy, metaphors, symbols, and form exploration/sketch modeling
  • Develop a design solution which meets users’ needs, derived from concept development, product aesthetics (form, color, texture, haptics) that reflects market trends, human factors (including ergonomics, user interaction, and safety), model making, materials and technology, sustainable design, manufacturing feasibility and design validation, and cost.
  • Demonstrate good problem solving abilities.
  • Develop creative and innovative solutions.
  • Demonstrate a strong aesthetic sensibility and style, resulting in design solutions with visual appeal.
  • Articulate a well-supported argument justifying a design concept or creative design solution.
  • Articulate the difference and relationship between a product’s form and function and the emotional and experiential needs it fulfills.
  • Articulate design strategy in the context of business strategy.

Work Placement

• This program includes a work placement of 420 hours in the summer between Year three and four.

Society faces significant population growth challenges while we seek to decarbonize, adapt to climate change and manage resources in a more sustainable manner. Meeting these challenges means buildings, energy systems and infrastructure must evolve – yesterday’s solutions are being replaced by new approaches. Our Sustainability Energy and Building Technology advanced diploma program positions graduates with a portfolio of skills that are in high demand.

Our unique program prepares graduates to examine, model and improve the energy and environmental performance of existing buildings; to support the design, construction and operation of new, sustainable buildings being built to increasingly stringent performance standards; to implement renewable energy technologies; and to support new approaches to understanding and managing energy use and building resilience into campuses, neighbourhoods or whole cities. At one time we paid little attention to the cost, availability or environmental impact of energy use – today, these are issues of growing importance to individuals, business and government.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

• Perform a land site assessment to determine potential for renewable energy harvesting, optimum placement of wind, solar and earth energy technologies and building orientation for passive solar gain and protection from the elements.
• Perform an energy needs analysis for residential or small-scale commercial or industrial structures, designated under Section 9 of the Ontario Building Code, and identify building system components that save energy.
• Perform an energy audit on residential, small-scale commercial and industrial buildings, designated under Section 9 of the Ontario Building Code, to determine energy efficiency, problem areas and energy loss and advise on corrective actions.
• Design and propose a grid-tied or off-grid renewable energy system for a residential or small-scale commercial or industrial structure, designated under Section 9 of the Ontario Building Code, based on an energy needs analysis.
• Adhere to legal, regulatory and health and safety codes and guidelines in sustainable energy and building technology practice.
• Estimate the costs and time schedule of implementing a renewable energy/energy efficiency system, including annual running costs and return on investment.
• Assist in land development, regulatory and stakeholder processes regarding the placement of renewable energy/energy efficiency technologies during the planning/approval phase.
• Assist in the selection of heating, cooling, hot water and electrical systems and equipment during the building specification phase in a new structure or retrofit to ensure high energy efficiency.
• Assist in the delivery, handling, installation and testing of renewable energy/energy efficiency technologies during the construction phase
• Prepare a viable business plan for a new energy business venture.
• Assist in the development of sales and marketing strategies for energy products and services.
• Promote an integrated or whole building approach with clients, industry professionals and associations.

Work Placement

• Our program features an optional work placement of 400 hours (minimum). This offers practical experience in the energy efficiency, green building or sustainable energy industry sectors following Semester 4. We work with business, industry and government to identify work placement opportunities.

Humber’s Carpentry and Renovation Techniques certificate is one of three stackable programs within the Carpentry-Construction group. Along with the Building Construction Technician diploma and the Construction Engineering Technology advanced diploma, the program introduces students to the carpentry trade, gives practical experience with trade regulations and with best practices. Students will be able to move from this certificate program into the diploma and advanced diploma programs. Additionally, Humber’s Carpentry and Renovation Technician diploma and Industrial Woodworking Technician diploma offer additional pathways.

The Carpentry and Renovation certificate program is designed to introduce you to both the practical experience necessary for trade regulations and the academic requirements of carpentry trade certification. You will gain a solid understanding of the fundamental technical elements of the carpentry trade.

You will learn health and safety practices and perform building construction and renovation tasks in compliance with contracts, building code, laws and ethical practices. These practices will be taught in light of established sustainability practices. You will learn to safely operate tools and assist in the preparation of estimations. Essential learnings also include time management, team work and problem solving.

Humber’s Welding Techniques certificate program is designed to help introduce prospective welders to the trade. The program aims to facilitate employment and entry into the apprenticeship program by giving you practical experience with trade regulations and practices. You will gain a solid understanding of the various technical theory and elements of the welding trade. You will be exposed to topics including health and safety, blueprint reading and sketching, applied math, communication, shielded metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, introduction to computers, and all position structural welding. You will learn valuable skills by using the latest industry software programs and working in fully equipped up-to-date labs and shops. At Humber, skilled instructors highlight current trends within the industry and strive to duplicate situations that apprentices and skilled tradespeople will see in their everyday working life.