Diploma in Visual and Digital Arts

at Humber College North Campus Canada

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.

Humber’s Landscape Technician diploma program is based on the principles of sustainability, conservation and environmental sensitivity. You’ll learn about landscape design and development, site construction, general horticulture, grounds maintenance, and related technologies through a combination of in-class studies and hands-on landscape training.

At Humber, we have exceptional facilities for landscape education. The Humber Arboretum, for example, is a 250-acre botanical garden centred on the west branch of the Humber River, surrounding Humber’s North Campus. It includes ornamental, woodland and wildlife gardens serving as a unique living classroom for plant studies, construction, arboricultural and horticultural skills. Our construction lab is housed in a weather-protected 8,000-square-foot facility which allows you to build full-scale structures such as decks, gazebos and retaining walls. Our computer labs use the latest in computer-aided design (CAD) software which enables you to prepare professional construction documents.

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 Sport Management advanced diploma program prepares you to manage the business of sport. You will develop a thorough knowledge of the structure and functionality of the Canadian sport industry including specific responsibilities and governance structure of organizations; rules and regulations governing sport; coaching standards; tournament hosting and scheduling; and sport sponsorship development. You will also learn the practical, organizational, business, human resources and administrative skills needed to pursue a career in the industry.

A three-day leadership camp at the OELC (Ontario Educational Leadership Centre) helps build communication and leadership skills while guest speakers, practical training and field trips provide added benefits in preparing you for the workplace.

Courses are designed with industry collaboration, ensuring the program is current and relevant. You will learn from full-time professors, managers and directors of sport organizations. Classes are diverse and include guest speakers from organizations such as Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, Tennis Canada, the Ontario Basketball Association and various games organizing committees. The program also includes field trips and practical training.

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

• Assess the socio-cultural parameters that influence sport.
• Identify and work within legal, ethical and moral issues related to sport.
• Complete all work within the governance of agencies, authorities, organizational structure, and functions of governing bodies.
• Provide leadership in a variety of settings.
• Apply, analyze and communicate concepts of sport management.
• Articulate and track changes in marketing concepts, the uniqueness of sport marketing, and sport consumerism.
• Use appropriate information technology including a variety of software programs relevant to the business world.
• Apply, analyze and communicate accounting, economics and finance concepts pertinent to the operation of any organization.
• Apply knowledge of the HR function to the operation of a sport organization.
• Develop customer service strategies to meet the needs of internal and external customers.
• Plan, design and deliver sport and recreation programs.

Work Placement

• Our program includes two work placements in Semesters 5 and 6. Placements occur across industry sectors including professional sport associations, community and amateur sport governing bodies, and private sector sport organizations. These placements provide valuable experience and industry contacts.

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.

Humber’s Exercise Science and Lifestyle Management graduate certificate program is designed to build on the knowledge you have acquired in your undergraduate degree by providing in-depth, hands-on instruction in the areas of fitness assessment, health and lifestyle counselling, exercise prescription and delivery, health promotion, group exercise leadership, health and fitness management, marketing and entrepreneurship, ergonomic assessment, and functional abilities assessment. Students learn in small groups instructed by expert faculty currently employed in the fitness and health industry.
Our advisory committee provides regular review and input into our curriculum, ensuring our program is always on the cutting edge of industry developments.
Please note that certain courses in the Exercise Science and Lifestyle Management program require students to participate in fitness classes that will involve physical activity, which may at times be vigorous. Questions about fitness classes and accomodations may be directed to the program co-ordinator at [email protected] or at 416.675.6622 ext. 5188.

Work Placement
Experiential learning is an integral part of this program. The program features three unpaid internship courses, two of which take place on campus and the third of which takes place off campus. During the on-campus courses, students provide fitness assessments and testing, physical activity counselling and prescription services to Humber and partner employees as part of the Humber Centre for Healthy Living (Humber CHL). Students have the opportunity to run workshops for the Humber CHL and its partners, as well as providing healthy tips and videos for the Humber CHL website. Throughout the on-campus internship courses, students participate in seminars with their professors and classmates to critically analyze their experiences and develop the skills required for professional work.
The final work placement is a four-week block placement off campus with one of Humber’s industry partners.

Humber’s advanced diploma program in Electronics Engineering Technology consistently ranks among our most employable programs. This program builds on skills learned in the Electronics Engineering Technician diploma program and will prepare you to work in all fields where electric circuits and systems are found. You will acquire strong fundamental knowledge to help you build a career in all new and emerging technologies manufactured here in North America like photonics, laser technology, medical imaging, new electronic materials and devices, intelligent systems, entertainment, and broadcasting systems. The program takes a system design and integration approach to electronic applications, and you will gain in-depth knowledge and hands-on training in:

• Electronic circuits: analog, digital, radio-frequency and programmable circuits
• Connectivity and interface design, embedded microcontrollers, IoT integration
• The full skill set of computer networking including wireless networks
• Wireless telecommunications, antennas, waveguides and transmission lines
• Telecommunication electronics such as photonics, fibre optics and microwaves
• Signal acquisition and signal processing
• Image processing including high-definition television (HDTV) and medical imaging
• Control systems both embedded and computer-based
• Instrumentation used in industrial, scientific and medical applications

We have designed the curriculum in collaboration with an advisory panel comprising highly successful industry experts in order to ensure you are learning the most up-to-date, relevant material. You will spend approximately half your time in labs working with electronic, analog, digital and programmable circuits and learning how to embed these circuits into cell phones, audio equipment, high-definition (HD) video systems, robots, computers and advanced instruments.

This program offers a co-op option. Co-op work terms enable you to apply your skills and knowledge in a work environment and gain valuable, practical experience related to your program of study. You will learn new skills, learn about the world of work and meet people in your profession. For students who are accepted into the program, three co-op work terms will take place. The first four-month work term is between Semesters 2 and 3, and then two consecutive four-month work terms between Semesters 4 and 5. There are limited spaces in the co-op option. Therefore, you will apply for the co-op option during Semester 1 and be informed of the process by which to apply.  While co-op work opportunities are not guaranteed, as students are in a competitive job placement market, participating students will receive a wide range of services to help them find a co-op opportunity.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) reports that 75 per cent of the new jobs created between 2009 and 2018 are in high-skill, high-tech occupations. This demand will only grow as technology continues to advance and change the way we live and work especially in industrially dynamic regions such as the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Our graduates work at major organizations such as CTV and CBC, Ontario Power Generation, Hydro One, Rogers, Telus and Bell, as well as BlackBerry, Celestica, and GE Canada, to mention just a few. They put the skills to work in research and development where they build prototypes and test new devices. They are manufacturers’ representatives, technical salespeople, managers and entrepreneurs. They manufacture electronic systems and install, maintain and troubleshoot such systems through their lifecycle. Some of our graduates choose to strike out on their own and launch their own businesses.

Humber’s Occupational Therapist Assistant/Physiotherapist Assistant (OTA/PTA) diploma program was the first in Ontario to provide formal educational preparation for occupational therapist assistants (OTAs) and physiotherapist assistants (PTAs) and continues to provide quality education. You will learn to assist in the implementation of rehabilitation treatment plans and programs developed to promote clients’ independence, activities and function. Areas of focus include restoring and maximizing physical function and occupational performance, ultimately enabling clients to effectively utilize their abilities in movement, daily functioning and activity while promoting overall well-being.

Practise your skills and acquire hands-on experience during over 600 hours (16 weeks) of unpaid work placements. These placements are arranged by the program fieldwork placement advisor during Semester 2, Semester 3 and Semester 4. You will have the opportunity to be exposed to leading-edge therapeutic skills, equipment and health-care facilities. This program offers the privilege of participating in clinical placements in occupational therapy and physiotherapy at some of the top teaching hospitals in Canada.

There are many reasons why a person may require occupational therapy and/or physiotherapy rehabilitation services. In addition to health and wellness promotion, individuals may require assistance returning to their activities of daily living and regular work due to falls, motor vehicle accidents,  sports injuries, spinal cord injuries, stroke, mental health conditions and chronic illnesses such as cystic fibrosis and diabetes. If you relish the challenges of creative problem solving and critical thinking; have good physical health; and enjoy meeting people while wishing to work with those who are physically, developmentally, and/or emotionally challenged, a career as an OTA/PTA is for you. You will have the opportunity to work in a variety of environments such as acute care and community hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, long-term care facilities, private practice, and retail.

Work Placement
Practise your skills and acquire hands-on experience during over 500 hours of unpaid work placements. These placements are arranged by the program fieldwork placement advisor during Semester 2, 3 and 4.

You will have the opportunity to be exposed to leading-edge therapeutic skills, equipment and health-care facilities. This program offers the privilege of participating in clinical placements in occupational therapy and physiotherapy at some of the top teaching hospitals in Canada.

Humber’s Computer Engineering Technology advanced diploma program trains you to develop and design the cutting-edge technologies that propel most businesses and governments around the world.

You will be taught by industry experts, in small classes, skills in hardware and software, electronics and networking, plus a variety of systems. As well, you will learn to upgrade and incorporate new technological advances into existing systems.

The curriculum is designed with industry collaboration, ensuring you are learning the skills that companies require. The program features courses in programming; electronics; networks set up and programming; Linux/Ubuntu installation and configuration; and the network services that lay the groundwork to build software skills and expertise in data communications, networking and security. You’ll develop, install and operate computer embedded and network systems; work on various network protocols and microcontrollers; and learn to refine and develop current applications.

In your final year, you will focus on integrating all your skills by examining the inner workings of networks using different application programming interfaces (APIs) to build network applications, comparing different computer architectures and completing a major project using an embedded system.

Optional Co-op
This program offers a co-op option. Co-op work terms enable you to apply your skills and knowledge in a work environment and gain valuable, practical experience related to your program of study. You will learn new skills, learn about the world of work and meet people in your profession. The current Work Placement Program will continue for the students who started the program before Fall 2019.

For students who are accepted into the program, three co-op work terms will take place. The first four-month work term is between Semesters 3 and 4, and then two consecutive four-month work terms between Semesters 4 and 5.  There are limited spaces in the co-op option. Therefore, you will apply for the co-op option during Semester 1 and be informed of the process by which to apply.  While co-op work opportunities are not guaranteed, as students are in a competitive job placement market, participating students will receive a wide range of services to help them find a co-op opportunity.

Humber's Professional Accounting Practice graduate certificate program provides you with the required knowledge and skills essential to begin and advance in the field of accounting. You will be well prepared for careers in the field with knowledge of all accounting disciplines including financial accounting, management accounting, audit and assurance, finance, and personal and corporate tax. You will also develop computer technology, management, problem-solving and critical thinking skills, along with professional communication and interpersonal skills. This program is a path for students already holding a bachelor's degree in any discipline other than accounting and who are interested in pursuing the Chartered Professional Accounting designation. No prior accounting knowledge is required.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

• Record all transactions in accordance with the professional accounting conceptual framework for financial reporting.
• Prepare accurate, relevant and timely corporate financial statements and other financial information according to the respective needs of stakeholders.
• Identify and analyze relevant financial and managerial accounting information to support effective decision-making.
• Produce and present accurate and timely financial information using relevant technology.
• Utilize statistical techniques effectively in the analysis of financial information.
• Recommend effective information systems structures to support efficient business operations.
• Recognize legal limitations and implications arising in business situations and make recommendations to mitigate risks. 
• Communicate across various levels in an organization clearly, concisely and accurately in both the written and spoken form to fulfill the intended purpose.
• Apply ethical, discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.
• Apply corporate finance techniques to support strategic and operational management decisions.
• Interpret and apply personal and corporate tax legislation to ensure compliance.
• Plan effective external, internal and information systems audits to meet compliance and assurance requirements.

Work Placement
Humber has the only graduate certificate of its kind in Ontario that provides students with hands-on work experience in the field of accounting. Through a mandatory 160 hour work placement, students will make industry connections and can gain experience in small, medium and large organizations, and in entrepreneurial start-ups.