Diploma in General Education

at Langara College Canada

Welcome to Langara College’s Education Assistant Program!

This eight-month full-time or six-semester part-time certificate program prepares students for career opportunities in the education system working alongside teachers supporting students with disabilities as Education Assistants.

The program combines a range of courses that provide a balance between a strong theoretical foundation and practical experiences so students graduate well prepared to begin their career.

In the public school system, a movement away from segregated classrooms toward inclusive classrooms has resulted in dramatic changes in the way students with disabilities are educated. It is an important goal of the faculty of the Education Assistant Program to provide students with opportunities to become competent and employable paraprofessionals in these dynamic environments.

Samantha Watson, Alumna, has had experience with these students, both as a student in the classroom, and as an Education Assistant working alongside the teacher. Read more about her story.

Langara now offers a new part-time stream in our Education Assistant Certificate program. This stream allows students to complete the Education Assistant Certificate program on a part-time basis by taking courses in evenings and on weekends. A student could complete the part-time program in as little as six semesters. Courses are offered in the spring, summer, and fall semesters. Langara continues to offer our full-time two semester (fall and spring) program. Both streams include two extended practicum experiences in local schools. 

Peace and Conflict Studies (PCCN) is an interdisciplinary field of study which is concerned with the problem of human conflict, especially violent and destructive conflict, and the means by which it can be constructively and non-violently resolved. Its interdisciplinary approach to analysis draws on the perspectives of the physical and social sciences, history and philosophy. Guest lecturers from these academic disciplines, as well as guests from the active world of conflict resolution - labour mediators, politicians, peace leaders - will enhance the core courses. Each of the courses listed as requirements for a diploma program in Peace and Conflict Studies adds to an understanding of this most complex and pressing human issue.

The Foundation in Entertainment Arts Certificate Program is a full-time, one-year program to prepare students for advanced studies in animation, visual effects, or game design. Students who are interested in a career in entertainment arts and have basic skills will be exposed to concepts and skills in figure drawing, colour and design, improvisation, and sculpturing to produce increasingly expressive, dynamic, and consistent artistic works.

With an established and well-rounded technical base, graduates of the program will be well-positioned to pursue intermediate or advanced programs of study in line with their particular professional aims in the animation industry.

In a time of increasing globalization, where human activity is now seen to have far reaching, often adverse, implications for the worlds ecosystems it is essential to have the awareness, knowledge, skill and experience to address these issues.  Environmental understanding, protection and remediation are significant, growing concerns in today’s society.  Environmental Studies at Langara College is an interdisciplinary program within the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies. It draws from four critical study areas - biology, chemistry, english, geography – as well as including a number of specific environmental courses.  Elective courses are chosen from a wide range of subjects to suit a particular student’s interests.  A one-week field school is conducted at the end of the second year. 

This Post Degree Diploma in Business Administration (PDD-BA) is for students who hold a bachelor’s degree and wish to pursue a career in business.  It is student-centred, and its primary aim is to give graduates real business skills – the skills that employers are looking for.

This PDD-BA is a two-year program consisting of three semesters of in-class studies plus a one-semester experiential work term which provides students with a career experience work placement.  This program will be offered in the daytime during weekdays.

One of the best theatre schools in Canada, Langara College's Theatre Arts at Studio 58 offers a three-year Acting Diploma Program and a two-year Production Diploma Program designed to prepare students for a professional career in theatre, film, television, and related arts. The programs graduate actors and production personnel who have a professional level of commitment and aptitude and who have acquired the skills to become contributing members of these professions.

The instructors are professional working artists in their respective fields. We maintain a close liaison with professional companies in Vancouver, casting agents, and directors, most of whom regularly employ our graduates.
Some lecture and theory are part of the training, but the practical application of various skills is given greatest emphasis.

Acting Option
Particular emphasis is placed on the development of an integrated voice and body as an expressive tool. Communication with the audience and fellow actors is stressed. Students are also encouraged to develop their creative contribution to the theatre process. The acting option comprises six terms. The emphasis in Terms 1, 2 and 3 is on class and project work. Students in Terms 1, 2 and 3 must also participate in extensive crew work on Studio 58 productions. Students in Terms 4, 5 and 6, while continuing with class work, devote most of their time to rehearsal and performance. Attention is also paid to developing audition techniques for film and television and preparation of audition material to be used upon graduation. Acting for film and television is also covered.

The animation industry is one of the fastest growing global job sectors. Our 16-month intensive diploma program equips students with the skills they need to thrive in this exciting field.

Combine your artistic abilities with technical skills through our 2D animation and digital art program. Draw and design your own characters and bring them to life through animation, sound, and storytelling. You’ll learn how to capture movement and form through life drawing and how to move a project from storyboard to final product under the guidance of expert instructors. Students receive their own laptop (loaded with all the required licensed software) as well as a drawing tablet and external hard drive, all of which they keep after graduation.

This in-depth program prepares graduates for a range of roles in the animation industry. Our program runs for four consecutive terms to fast-track you into launching your career, simulating the intensity of working in a real-world production studio. Graduates will exit the program with a diploma from one of BC’s most respected public colleges and a professional portfolio and demo reel.

Our Partner
The Centre for Arts and Technology has been running their 2D and 3D animation programs for 20 years, fine-tuning their program to keep pace with industry expectations. We are proud to offer their program curriculum at Langara.

The Library & Information Technology Program has maintained its currency and competitiveness amid rapid technological advancement. Our graduates are highly skilled in today’s essential computer applications as well as specialized library management systems. We teach students important skills for developing search strategies for library databases and open resources on the internet. Students also learn how to catalogue, maintain, and retrieve print, digital and non-print resources as well as specialized media including film, maps and photographs.

Our students have the opportunities to practice what they have learned by completing two practicum placements in the community during their studies. Our graduates are successfully employed in public, academic, or special libraries such as medical, law, corporate and governmental institutions. Library technicians hold supervisory positions or work cooperatively with librarians and other professionals to manage information resources, from helping people retrieve information and materials, to records management for technology-based businesses.

Students come to the program from various socio-cultural and age groups. They carry with them various forms of educational achievements and professional backgrounds, which gather together as they meet many challenges put forth by their instructors and fellow students.

Library & Information Technology students learn about:

• Library history and new directions
• Reference and reader’s services
• Customer services
• Library programs
• Supervisory skills
• Electronic and digital information storage and retrieval
• Acquisitions and technical services
• Subject analysis and classification
• Machine Readable Cataloguing (MARC)/Resource Description Access (RDA) for print and non-print media
• Business computer applications
• Automated library systems
• Web applications and social medias

If you're looking for some new ways of looking at the world, if you want something fresh, challenging or relevant - try Women's Studies. Critical theories based on lived experiences, diverse global perspectives, an interdisciplinary approach - all these can help you make sense of a complex world.

The interdisciplinary Women's Studies Program at Langara is designed to introduce you to a diversity of perspectives on women's histories, contemporary experiences, analyses and movements for change. Women's Studies builds on evolving knowledge and methodologies to integrate the many forms of feminist scholarship and activism. The core courses provide a thorough overview of critical concepts for understanding how change in and maintenance of the status quo impact the lives of women personally and collectively, locally and globally. Through course content and teaching methodologies, Women's Studies focuses on the concerns and experiences of those women traditionally outside the scope of mainstream thought, and therefore makes visible a wide range of female experience. This 'centering the margins' is part of our ongoing commitment to broaden and deepen understandings of gender.

We have published authors in both academic and creative areas, but with our small classes and dedication to the needs of individual students, instruction has always been our department’s priority.

The English Department offers you reading and writing skills which will help you to:

• Enter a profession or trade career with practical communication skills
• Arrive at the university with experience and training in academic writing 
• Navigate future career opportunities which you haven't yet thought about
• Critically explore current society which will be interesting in its own right
• Help you to be a more engaged doctor, nurse, teacher or business person 
• Be an aware and critical citizen

We offer courses in the following areas:

• Literature: Most of our courses have a strong literature component because we are convinced that an appreciation for literature will not only open your mind to explore the various forms and genres of literature but also enable you to gain insights into the human condition. Whether you are confronted with the ever-changing world of technical innovation or the daily pressures of life, literature can provide models for reflection and action. 
• Creative Writing: Some of our faculty are published and acclaimed authors and editors. They will share their talents with you in creative writing classes that explore creative writing in workshop situations.
• Communications: Learn to express yourself professionally in the workplace in our communications courses. Whether you are fulfilling a degree requirement (for the BBA) or want to upgrade your communications skills, the presentation skills we teach you will contribute to your future success. Furthermore, the discussion of moral dilemmas as they occur in the workplace is a favourite feature of our communications courses.
• ESL & Academic Preparation: Whether you are a recent immigrant and non-native speaker or a native speaker who feels the need to upgrade your English skills, our ESL & Academic Preparation courses will bring your reading and writing skills up to speed in order to go on to our university transfer courses. Our academic preparation courses have especially small class sizes (20 students max) that allow the instructors to work very closely with you to improve your English skills.