Advanced Diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology

at Humber College North Campus Canada

Humber’s Mechanical Engineering Technician diploma program gives you a thorough knowledge of materials and mechanical solutions for designing and manufacturing mechanical parts and assemblies. You will learn in Humber’s state-of-the-art labs, offering you the practical experience you need to succeed. Courses focus on:

• Engineering drawings/calculations
• Mechanical operations
• Programming of computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools using computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software – Mastercam
• Applying design principles and practices
• Design and manufacturing process problems
• Learning 2D computer-aided design (CAD) software – AutoCAD, 3D CAD software – SolidWorks

The curriculum includes courses in solids mechanics, mechanical design, hydraulics, pneumatics, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), manufacturing and management. You will be able to develop the manufacturing procedures to produce mechanical components.

Begin a career designing and manufacturing with our Mechanical Engineering Technician diploma. According to the Canadian Government’s Working in Canada website, the outlook for jobs in this field is positive. “Due to a concentration of employers such as power plants, large automotive manufacturers and other transportation and goods manufacturers, openings for mechanical engineers should remain steady,” says the report. “Job openings in this field should arise from the creation of new power facilities and production increases in the transportation equipment manufacturing, including aircraft.” Graduates find employment in areas related to mechanical design, production, testing, consulting and service industries, as well as in machine tool sales and service departments. Demand is growing for graduates in fields related to the sustainable economy and in consulting engineering particularly for companies engaged in infrastructure projects.

Humber’s Regulatory Affairs graduate certificate program focuses on developing the concepts, skills and techniques required to work in regulatory affairs in the pharmaceutical, medical device or biotechnology industries. You will gain knowledge of the regulatory system, legislation, procedures and practices which relate to the development, manufacture, quality assurance and marketing of health-related products. 

The importance of internationally harmonized regulations and future trends in the industry will be examined by analyzing relevant international and Canadian legislation and regulations. You will study a wide range of regulations and standards including good manufacturing practices, good laboratory practices, good clinical practices, good documentation practices, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the Canadian Food and Drugs Act, the Environmental Protection Act, principles of regulatory compliance and inspections, drug establishment licensing, and related standards and guidelines. Teamwork and communication skills are emphasized and you will acquire information technology skills that assist communication and data management specific to regulatory affairs.

You will become familiar with the steps necessary for product submission; how to assemble documents and statistical evidence; the complexity of product registration, negotiation and follow-up; and how these are linked to the federal government and provincial formularies.

Following two academic course-based semesters, students complete a three-month placement that provides opportunities to apply and integrate theoretical knowledge and skills into real-world work settings. Most placements are in the following sectors: pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device organizations, government agencies or food industries.

The pharmaceutical industry is facing constant development. As society is aging more focus is being given to the development of new drugs and the improvement of health care. The comprehensive training we provide, combined with previous degrees and work experience, make our students highly marketable. Our graduates work in a spectrum of fields such as pharmaceutics, biotechnology, medical devices, natural health product industries or in government.

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 Web Development graduate certificate program focuses on the development of websites and web services for multiple environments including database-driven programming, content management and mobile services. A combination of conceptual and practical training will prepare you to execute effective, efficient website design.

Work completed individually and in teams will simulate the real-world work environment and hone collaborative and teamwork skills. You will create commercial websites that apply theories of user-centered design, security, information architecture, quality assurance testing and responsive design. This program will help you master the project management and presentation skills that are key to success in the workplace.

You will be working on websites that meet strict business and development requirements. By the end of your final semester of study, you will have developed a comprehensive personal portfolio of your competencies, and you will be able to promote your skills at a portfolio show.

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

• Explain the types of business transactions conducted on a commercial website and the process for development of such transactions.
• Prepare and present a proposal and a business plan for a commercial website.
• Implement a website solution based on a set of business requirements or client specifications.
• Create a complete content management system using a database and scripting language.
• Develop data-driven websites for multiple platforms in accordance with best practices, industry standards in content management, security, database design, interface design, usability, accessibility and personalization.
• Design and develop web services for a website using software programs.
• Design a full featured functioning commercial website using software programs, including a defined information architecture that is supported by navigation, layout, text and graphics.
• Manage web development projects using project management practices, documentation and software.
• Test, troubleshoot and debug software created in the web projects.
• Develop web projects as a leader or member of a web development team.

Work Placement

• Students will participate in a mandatory work placement which follows the last semester of study.

Humber’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) diploma prepares you to work with children (birth to 12 years) and their families. Students can expect to attain and exceed the practice-ready knowledge, skills and attitudes employers are seeking from ECE graduates in supporting children, families and the community by engaging in innovative learning and simulation experiences. These experiences take place within Humber's Carol Reid Early Childhood Education Lab, as well as within the Humber Child Development Centre - interacting with our scenic arboretum and nature-inspired playground and exploring responsive inclusive teaching methods and leading edge curriculum.

You will learn about:

• How children learn
• The importance of responsive relationships
• The image of the child and the significance of viewing children from a wide variety of lenses
• How to create responsive, inclusive play-based learning environments and natural play spaces for children, families and the community
• Human development
• Observation and reflection, and the preparation of pedagogical documentation by children, families and the community
• Social justice, advocacy, leadership and the role of the ECE professional
• The importance of collaborating with relevant community agencies
• How ministry and government legislation and guidelines inform practice

The Humber Advantage
Humber’s Early Childhood Education diploma program is a recognized leader in preparing registered early childhood educators who see themselves as global citizens. Students and graduates advocate for the holistic health and well-being of all children, supported by a connection to nature and a stand for social justice.

Global Citizens and Social Justice

• We provide our students with:
  • Experiences and resources that reflect and promote diversity and inclusion
  • Opportunities to develop an understanding and appreciation of all nations and cultures, and a commitment to contributing to the global community
  • Ongoing initiatives guided by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as outlined in the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, in consultation with Humber’s Aboriginal Resource Centre.

Work Placement

• We believe it is necessary for our students to have extensive experience in the profession in order to be successful as registered early childhood educators. Students can expect to have work placement experiences within the program and will be required to complete approximately 450-600 work placement hours over three semesters. During these three semesters, students may have field practicums such as working with families and children (various age groups) in licensed child care or preschool settings, EarlyON Child and Family Centres, various community programs, full day kindergarten, or home based child care programs. A different placement for Semesters 2, 3, and 4 ensures a range of experiences prior to graduation and equips students with a range of networks within the community to explore employment in the future.
• In the ECE program, Field Practicum 1 and Field Seminar 1 begin in Semester 2. Students should plan to complete their prerequisite requirements accordingly. Visit the Work-Integrated Learning web pages > to learn more about placements and requirements. 

Humber’s Plumbing Techniques certificate program is a comprehensive introduction to the trade. You will learn the basics of plumbing including theory, code and blueprints, as well as gain significant hands-on experience. Upon completion of this program, you will have the skills necessary to pursue a career in the plumbing trade.

Water, waste and sewage systems – hallmarks of urban living – require high-level skills to design, install and maintain. In the Plumbing Techniques certificate program, you’ll be introduced to the skills necessary to begin your career as a plumber. Graduates of this program may find a range of career opportunities including apprenticeship, construction industry work, green energy initiatives, and municipal water and sewage treatment. According to BuildForce Canada, an estimated 248,000 construction workers are expected to retire over the next decade. This demographic trend represents as significant loss of skilled workers that will require new workers to replace them. Given this potential shortage, as well as the boom in construction across the country, individuals with plumbing skills are projected to have an advantage in the job market.

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.

The Systems Navigator graduate certificate program will prepare you to work in an emerging profession helping individuals manage and co-ordinate their care within the health and social services fields. Systems navigators assist with navigating complicated and interrelated systems and are the primary source of communication between the inter-disciplinary team and individuals, acting as an advocate and guide.

You will acquire skills to assess diverse clients’ service priorities and to develop personalized care plans. Building on your current professional knowledge and practice, you will learn about the complex systems in which support services are provided to patients and clients. In addition, you will learn the business and economics of service delivery systems and how professionals’ roles and responsibilities intersect.

This program will prepare you for an exciting career in the emerging field of systems navigation. Graduates will be prepared to work across various health and community service systems and will also have the skills to take on client leadership roles specific to seamless service delivery for patients and clients, often acting as the single point of contact. Career opportunities exist in the fields of nursing, occupational/physical therapy, social services, mental health and addictions, and child and youth care. 

Humber’s User Experience (UX) Design graduate certificate simulates the interdisciplinary approaches needed to achieve an innovation process with a focus on design desirability, technological feasibility and business viability. In two semesters, you will be prepared to innovate by problem finding through design research, problem understanding through synthesis, and problem solving through design and prototyping experiences. You will learn how to create valuable courses of action by generating design problem hypotheses, structured design process plans, compelling UX deliverables and persuasive arguments.

You will learn human-centered design methods and rhetoric that ground your design in the needs of the public. In addition, you will learn how to use interaction design and design systems through industry-standard quality assurance methods, and how to design and implement user interfaces to follow corporate strategies. A variety of conceptual and practical work will help you develop effective UX design skills.

As a user experience designer, you will employ the work-practice of prototyping concepts in order to describe ways to integrate digital services with material products and environments. As a UX researcher, you will discover insights through usability testing and apply them to create value for corporate clients and their customers. Toward the conclusion of this program, you will convert your acquired skills and achievements into a portfolio of design products that will help you launch a career as a UX design professional. This program fosters the practical discipline, relevance and currency essential in the contemporary, ever-growing UX job market.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

• Facilitate team processes towards effective completion of user experience design projects.
• Represent a linked sequence of observed evidence, collected data, qualitative research findings, interpretations and proposed design solutions to stakeholders to solicit support and commitment.
• Assess requirements of a user experience design project, in order to increase corporate acceptance, usability and effectiveness.
• Present persuasive arguments in support of user experience projects which balance user needs with business objectives.
• Design a complex user experience project which considers a business uncertainty and plans for multiple outcomes.
• Manage projects using current and proven methodologies to coordinate the work of a multi-disciplinary user experience design team.
• Adapt recommendations and courses of action in accordance with explicit and implicit cultural, professional and ethical constructs involved in solving user experience design problems.
• Factor and refactor research methods and insight-generating frameworks in order to facilitate, inform and guide team problem-solving.
• Resolve uncertainties and create shared purpose with stakeholders using iterative prototyping.
• Evaluate, adjust and communicate design decisions in alignment with financial, technical, and usability factors.

Humber’s Bachelor of Engineering program begins with a common platform of first year courses which provide foundational engineering knowledge and skills. Following the first year, the curriculum branches into three different discipline areas: Information Systems Engineering, Mechatronics, and The Built Environment.  

The Bachelor of Engineering - Information Systems Engineering discipline prepares you for an interdisciplinary field of study that encompasses rapidly changing, evolving and converging areas of computer, software, networking, telecommunications, mobile applications, internet and cyber security. Following the first year, the curriculum covers the core courses in various subjects such as digital systems, operating systems, embedded systems, communication engineering, software engineering, mobile applications and systems, and more. In the third year, the program branches out to two specializations, Internet of Things (IoT), and Data Network and Security, with eight specialization courses in each. 

The program also provides project-based learning, experiential learning with hands-on and practical training, applied research opportunities, and work-integrated learning activities. Students will have opportunities to solve real-world problems while developing professional skills such as teamwork, communication, presentation and project management. 

Work Placement
A co-op work program (three consecutive work terms, 420 hour each) ensures that work-integrated learning experiences are woven into the curriculum. This provides students with a contextual understanding of the industry and specific sectors they are training for, as well as recognition of the importance of hands-on experience.