Diploma in Paralegal Studies

at MacEwan University Canada

The Paralegal Studies diploma program produces skilled, analytical, and knowledgeable legal professionals, capable of carrying out certain legal tasks in a more independent fashion under the supervision of a lawyer. Students will focus on core legal subject areas such as real estate transactions and corporate procedures but will have greater flexibility to customize their program through their choices of options and electives.

Solid writing and communication skills are critical for work in the legal environment and this program includes an English course that emphasizes writing skills, summarizing and synthesizing written material, as well as grammar and sentence structure.

Graduates of this program are able to use the credit earned in these courses toward any major in the Bachelor of Commerce degree.

Project-based course work, creative research, visiting artists, off-campus activities and arts and culture venues—as a Studio Arts major at MacEwan University, you receive a truly hands-on education. Let your artistic expression soar, while learning to manage the many paths your career will take you.

Our dedicated faculty maintain a range of professional art and research practices, sharing their skills in performance and sound art, painting, drawing, video, sculpture, fibres and more. In this interdisciplinary environment, you are challenged to think critically and creatively about contemporary art.

What to expect
After building a rigorous and comprehensive foundation in the first two years of the program, you can choose from three pathways in the Studio Arts major:

• Two-dimensional art
• Three-dimensional art
• Intermedia/extended media art

The technical and theoretical foundations supporting each pathway prepare you for both traditional and emerging media and concepts.

Starting in the fourth term, you choose to focus in one area or to combine paths for greater breadth. As you progress academically and develop the flexibility and fluidity prevalent in contemporary art practice, you also take courses from the other arts and communications disciplines.

In your final term, you undertake a project that prepares you for a contemporary, multi-dimensional career or for future studies at the graduate level.

The Administrative major provides you with the computer skills and business knowledge necessary to become an integral part of the business world. Technology is an essential part of this program. You are trained with current software programs to process and to manage information efficiently and perform many complex office functions.

The Office Assistant program of study consists solely of core courses; you do not take electives or options. The core courses must be completed in the order presented in the program of study; that is, term one courses are taken only in the first term, and so on.

One of the benefits of the Office Assistant program is its practicum component, which gives you hands-on experience in a real world setting. The practicum placement often helps you get your foot in the door and may even lead right to full-time work.

Students who have successfully completed their first and second terms and who are registered for Term III courses are eligible for a practicum placement.

When you take the administrative major, you are required to take a practicum with a duration of four weeks. We encourage you to take an active role in searching for your practicum placements—it is important practice for job searching after graduation.

The Arts and Cultural Management major prepares students for a management career in the creative sector and encompasses all things arts and culture: working in music, theatre, dance, galleries and museums, archives and heritage conservation, and the literary arts. Students will learn the practical skills and specialized knowledge they need to enhance an organization’s creative capacity—or to take their own career as an artist to the next level. The core of this major is leadership and project management, supported by community-engaged learning, including eight weeks of practical, hands-on work in the field.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this major, students will:
• Critically reflect on the role that artists and cultural organizations play socially, culturally, and politically.
• Advocate strategically for the importance of arts and culture in society.
• Identify and secure a diversity of revenues and resources to support strategic initiatives.
• Exhibit the financial literacy necessary to manage the long-term sustainability of cultural organizations.
• Plan and implement strategies that increase community engagement, public interest, and patron participation.
• Analyze the production and consumption of culture nationally and internationally.
• Plan and promote programs, spaces, projects, and social events related to the arts and cultural sector.
• Anticipate, identify, and respond to trends that impact the cultural sector.
• Prepare, present, and implement strategic operational plans of the arts and culture organization.
• Manage and support human resources in the cultural sector within a variety of governance structures.
• Lead and support others in an accountable, sustainable, and ethical manner.

MacEwan's Travel program takes you places. This two-year diploma program is condensed into an accelerated 13-month format so you can fast track your studies to get right to work. In this program you'll study the ins and outs of the travel industry: from sales and tickets to managing suppliers and agents. You'll also receive hands-on experience with the actual computerized reservation systems used by the travel industry.

Get an in-depth look at the world's most important tourist destinations, and learn what motivates travelers to frequent them. Learn how to deal with everything from international border crossings to environmental and social concerns. Develop an understanding of the evolving travel market and the technology used to document and sell North American and international travel.

For more than 44 years the Office Assistant program has been providing quality graduates. Today’s office assistants are highly accomplished software experts who use their skills to help other staff get the most from a computerized office. In addition, office assistants are involved in managing the organizational affairs of their areas that include handling public enquiries, managing computer and paper files, organizing schedules, arranging meetings of senior staff, as well as providing strong customer service and problem-solving skills.

The Office Assistant program is ideal as a foundation for other careers or as a complement to prior training and experience. It runs for 10 months from September until June, ending with a field placement. It is a comprehensive program that offers students the opportunity to specialize in one of the following three majors:

• Administrative Major
• Legal Major
• Medical Major

The program is well suited for individuals with strong organizational skills,  an attention for details, familiarity with computers and software, a professional manner, and excellent verbal and written communication skills. Graduates are often required to work independently and in a team environment, so students who are positive and self-motivated do exceptionally well. The program has built a solid reputation with employers, resulting in a job placement rate near 100 per

Succeeding in the insurance industry means meeting clients’ diverse needs and running an efficient operation. Whether you’re an entrepreneur who wants to own your own brokerage, or someone looking for a large corporate environment, you’ll be sure to draw on your skills in business, management, finance, communication and problem solving.

This program is an accelerated program, with students studying continuously for a 13-month period to earn a full diploma. The Insurance and Risk Management program integrates business studies with industry-specific courses.  Business topics include: management, finance, communications and accounting -- along with specialized courses in insurance principles, underwriting and claims.

Career prospects are exceptional in the insurance and risk management field, with a graduate employment rate at almost 100% - and you can block transfer your credit to MacEwan's Bachelor of Commerce degree, graduating with a specialized diploma and a degree.

In addition to the common core courses outlined in the Program of Study, the major in Professional Communication offers the opportunity for specialization in strategic communication, editing and publishing, or technical communication.

Bachelor of Communication Studies
In our fast-paced world of evolving and conventional media, communication is key to interpersonal, organizational and career success. The Bachelor of Communication Studies program provides students with a solid foundation in the fundamental skills of critical thinking, writing, editing, and research. Common coursework for professional communication and journalism majors builds a foundation in language, composition, visual communication, communication theory, communication law and research methods, supported by a liberal arts framework. The courses in the majors offer depth, specialization, and choice. The minors provide additional scope and depth to your studies. The program offers many opportunities to integrate what you have learned in the classroom with real-life projects that engage the community and provide students with an enhanced learning experience. The field is forward-looking, and so is this program of studies.

Years 1 and 2 include common coursework for both professional communication and journalism majors that builds a foundation in language, composition, visual communication, communication theory, communication law, and research methods. Years 3 and 4 provide specialization in editing, strategic communication, technical communication or film studies (in the professional communication major), or in news gathering, digital media production, or film studies (in the journalism major).

The Bachelor of Physical Education Transfer program offers first and second-year courses that may be used toward obtaining a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree offered at the University of Alberta.
MacEwan University offers a student-centred focus in the delivery of the program by offering small classes and opportunities to participate in intramural and interscholastic athletic activities.
Admission to the program is competitive and is subject to a quota. The competitive admission average may be considerably higher than the posted minimum.

The Bachelor of Music focuses on the study of jazz and contemporary popular music, responds to the current demands of the industry and combines a high degree of professionalism along with the academic rigour required for further education at the graduate level. The opportunity to study with internationally renowned professionals while following a challenging academic curriculum will give you the skills, insights, competency and credentials to pursue a career as a performer, creator and leader in the evolving music industry.

All Bachelor of Music students share a common curriculum in the first year that focuses on individual study (voice, piano, guitar, bass, drums, winds, brass or violin), performance ensemble, theory (jazz and traditional), aural skills, and musicology. After successful completion of the first year, students pursue a major route (specialized program of study).

In the Performance major, students will specialize in their principal instrument and develop repertoire, techniques and styles through independent practice, weekly private lessons, master classes, ensemble rehearsals and public performances. Areas of specialization within the Performance major are: bass (upright/electric); drum set/percussion; guitar (electric); piano/keyboards; voice; winds/brass and violin/fiddle. The program of study also includes core Bachelor of Music courses in theory, aural skills, cultural studies of music, music technology and the business of music.