Graduate Certificate in Information Technology Solutions

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.

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 Tourism – Travel Services Management diploma program is ideal for those who possess a genuine love of travel, exploration and adventure. The program will provide you with the experience you need to excel in this exciting industry including:

• Tour operations
• Travel agencies
• Tourist boards
• Adventure and eco travel
• Cruise lines, airlines
• Voluntourism
• Educational tour companies
• Sales and marketing

In order to best prepare for this dynamic industry, you will have several opportunities to travel internationally on both short duration trips and for full semesters abroad. In addition, several courses include local travel opportunities that give you hands-on experiences in a variety of tourism and travel products and adventures. In the Trip Planning course, you will plan and execute a travel experience. The program also includes extensive training with the most recognized software systems in the tourism industry.

Fast-track program – Students that start in January will complete the program on a fast-track schedule. The first semester (January to April) is immediately followed by the second semester (May to August), resulting in a short summer break. Students enter Semester 3 in September, completing the two-year program in just 16 months.

Students will apply their skills and knowledge in the fourth semester in a seven-week (32 hours per week) unpaid work placement. Placement opportunities include positions in retail travel agencies, tour operators and destination management companies. You will practise and develop skills selling tourism products, as well as gain introductions to operations, sales and marketing.

Our program is the launching pad to an exciting career in one of the world’s largest, most dynamic industries. Establish your career in:

• Tourism product sales and marketing
• Customer service
• Operations
• Wholesale and retail reservations
• Product planning and niche tourism
• Tour conducting

In this industry, you will have the opportunity to work in Canadian and international markets with tour operators, travel agencies, airlines, destination management companies and other travel suppliers.

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 Visual and Digital Arts diploma program offers you the opportunity to develop a well-rounded skillset applicable to a broad range of visual arts disciplines. At the Art Commons, Humber’s dedicated art facility, you will learn to effectively plan and produce visual material, and facilitate modes of interactive expression and communication.

Using state-of-the-art software and tools such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, you will develop skills in painting, drawing, illustration, digital art, photography and installation art. While developing your artistic abilities, you will gain knowledge about anatomy, colour, composition, figurative expressions and art history. You will apply your abilities and learn to create traditional and experimental fine art projects. Throughout the program, you will participate in collaborative projects with your peers, gain the opportunity to exhibit your work in campus galleries, take part in installations and join in critiques. With its focus on experiential learning and critical thinking, this program is an excellent launching point for more advanced creative pursuits.

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

• Produce creative life and representational drawings and paintings, illustrating volume, proportion, perspective, mass and texture with descriptive lighting.
• Create representational digital drawing, paintings and illustrations, using application software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Painter.
• Assess the artistic merit of artwork using an analysis of the creative application of established principles of design and composition.
• Construct pictorial compositions using visual perspective to achieve accurate proportional relationships.
• Light compositions to reveal three-dimensional form.
• Create figurative pictorial compositions, using principles of human and comparative anatomy.
• Critique technical principles of composition in representational drawing, painting and illustration, through analysis of rendering.
• Prepare and present a traditional and creative art portfolio containing both original work and computer generated reproductions.
• Research and create reference materials to support successful completion of a work of art.
• Reproduce, with fidelity, colour as encountered in nature, mixing traditional and digital media.
• Develop a career plan and self-promotion skills suitable to the digital media industry, using materials such as a résumé, cover letter, contact list, e-portfolio.
• Develop and present a digital art project proposal and manage the project, using effective oral and written communications skills.

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.

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 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.

Humber’s Civil Engineering Technology advanced diploma program provides you with the skills needed for a career in the growing field of civil infrastructure. Infrastructure encompasses all of the essential elements necessary for society to operate including buildings, transportation (highways and transit), municipal services (water, wastewater) and green spaces.

The curriculum, designed in collaboration with industry, covers all aspects of infrastructure, from the inception of an idea to the completion of construction, and blends in-class academic learning with hands-on laboratory work. You will learn how to design structural steel, reinforced concrete and timber structures. Municipal services (water, wastewater) and water supply management will be explored. Transportation infrastructure and highway design will be studied using design codes and standards. Additionally, you will learn all the skills necessary to support design and construction including surveying, geomatics, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), drafting (AutoCAD and Building Information Modelling (BIM)), soils and materials testing, project administration and management, and environmental protection and remediation. Our courses are taught by experienced faculty and industry experts many of whom work with Greater Toronto Area construction and engineering firms. Humber’s strong reputation in the civil engineering industry can give graduates an edge in the employment market.

Motivated. Creative. Innovative. If these words describe you, then our intensive Graphic Design for Print and Web certificate program is for you. You will learn industry-best practices and how to communicate effective design solutions using composition, typography, illustration, interactive media and web design. Throughout our program, you will work towards developing a cutting-edge portfolio filled with real-world projects that will help you stand out in the creative field of graphic and web design.

In order to achieve the best, you will learn from the best. This program offers you access to the latest industry standards in hardware, design applications and instruction. Our labs are equipped with the latest Apple workstations, up-to-date Adobe Creative Cloud software and our course instruction is facilitated by industry-leading working professionals in their field of practice and study. Over the course of the program, you will build connections with industry professionals, alumni and community partners to help prepare you for future career opportunities, through supportive mentorship and coaching.

SKILLS YOU'LL DEVELOP

• Learn design theory concepts
• Learn how to communicate design-thinking strategies
• Web Design
• Illustration
• Functional Composition
• Typography