Diploma in Architectural Technology

at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Canada

NAIT's Bachelor of Technology degree is the only program of its kind in Alberta and one of just a few similar programs in Canada. If you've graduated with a recognized 2-year technology diploma, the BTech program offers the opportunity to earn a baccalaureate degree with 2 additional years of study.

The BTech degree has been developed to help you bridge the gap between the job you started as a technologist and a career in management. We've received industry demand for leading-edge technologists who have the technical theory, innovative skills, and ethical and social awareness required for sustainable industry. We have also been challenged to prepare critical-thinking practitioners who are able to address technological challenges in today's economy.

What You Will Learn
Hands-on, industry-relevant skills
In the Bachelor of Technology (BTech) program, you'll build on your strong technical background, adding leadership and critical-thinking skills you'll need to take on management and supervisory roles. You'll gain a global perspective, focusing on social, economic and environmental issues.

You'll also develop skills in:

• Innovation, transition and change management
• Effective multi-media communications
• Planning and strategy development
• Staffing and supervision
• Critical thinking and problem-solving

The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with Marketing emphasis prepares students to lead organizations in making decisions on corporate branding, public relations, sales, supply chain management and advertising in an immersive environment of critical thinking. The BBA degree with Marketing emphasis focuses on teaching consumer research, measurable strategies and strong communications skills. The goal is to develop your ability for strong analytical processes critical to the operation of business. Marketing emphasis students are led through business cases of ethics, consumer behaviour and sales management. These scenarios will help you understand the decision-making processes of business and think about the many factors that affect marketing campaigns and projects. All marketing-related courses have prerequisites, so it is important to carefully plan the order your studies. Students taking the BBA with a Marketing emphasis can expect to integrate their knowledge of marketing to support different organizational and multi-disciplinary goals in Canadian and international organizations.

Do you have a love for the outdoors and a desire to help keep Canada’s natural spaces healthy and prosperous? Does the idea of searching for clues and investigating cause/effect interest you?

The Biological Sciences Technology – Conservation Biology 2-year diploma program will help you develop the skills needed to ensure that our natural resources are used in an optimal way that is sustained for future generations. Your knowledge and technical expertise will also allow you to engage in resource management activities without compromising the integrity or sustainability of the ecosystems in which they work.

Hands-on, industry-relevant Skills
In this program, you’ll acquire skills used in field sampling, environmental education and resource management by studying chemistry, botany and the biology and ecology of birds, fish, mammals, insects, plants, rivers, lakes and soils.

You’ll also explore genetics, wildlife surveys, plant and animal diversity, soil and range management, water quality issues, parks management and environmental education projects.

With the help of support instructors with years of industry experience, you’ll learn in a combination of classroom, lab and field settings. Our facilities will provide you with practical, job-ready experience using a variety of modern laboratory and field instruments, and simulation and computer applications. You may also learn through work experience, field trips, applied research and other opportunities. 

The focus of this program is the accommodation and food and beverage segments of the hospitality industry. Students gain business and customer service skills in food and beverage service techniques, front desk check-in procedures, financial accounting, economics and written communications. The Hospitality Management program is a two-year course of study which provides students with the skill sets and abilities required to work in the hospitality industry. The program focuses on service skills for food and beverage, catering and front-desk operations with specific courses in hospitality law. The second year examines marketing, financial management, supervisory skills and advanced courses in hotel, restaurant and catering operations. A 400-hour work experience term is also included.

The program is also built around traditional business subjects such as business communications, accounting and organizational behaviour. Courses are delivered through lab and lecture formats beginning with supervisory skill development and progressing toward more complex management functions. The Hospitality Management program provides training and skill development in:

• business communications
• food and beverage service
• banquets and catering service
• operations management
• front-desk principles and procedures
• hospitality law
• supervisory principles and procedures
• organizational behaviour
• computer applications
• introduction to marketing
• introduction to accounting
• general tourism knowledge

Graduates of the Hospitality Management program may find employment in a variety of sectors and positions within the tourism industry, as:

• food and beverage servers
• food and beverage supervisors
• food and beverage managers
• banquet and catering supervisors
• front-desk supervisors
• front-desk managers
• front-desk agents
• night auditors
• reservations agents
• entrepreneurs
• consultants

Chemical Engineering Technology is a two-year diploma program that prepares the graduate for employment in the hydrocarbon and chemical processing industry (downstream petroleum industry). The program deals with the processing of oil, natural gas and bitumen into final products such as motor gasoline, diesel or jet fuel, propane, butane, utility gas and others. The program includes the study of the production of secondary petrochemicals such as ethylene, vinyl chloride, methanol and others.

The Advanced Welding Technology diploma goes beyond the Alberta Welder Apprenticeship training. It combines advanced technical knowledge, welding skills, and exposure to modern technologies to give a graduate the competitive edge into a career in welding. From skills in fabrication to product innovation and inspection methods, you will gain foundational skills that are in-demand by industry. This two-year program is a direct pathway into apprenticeship trades training at NAIT without having to first be a registered apprentice. In addition, it teaches the knowledge required to be a leader in the industry.

Thanks to the growth of environmental industries, ongoing infrastructure repair and the increasing rate of retirement among existing welders, there are many career paths in this industry for graduates to explore!

What you will learn
Industry-approved training
Students will not only master welding skills but be exposed to technologies that emerge in the welding industry. A student will also learn career essential skills that are in high demand by industry employers. Learning outcomes for this program include being able to:

• Identify safety hazards and comply with legislation
• Operate and maintain welding equipment. To perform welds using processes such as shielded metal arc, gas tungsten, and wire feed processes including gas metal arc, flux core, and metal core
• Perform various thermal cutting processes
• Demonstrate and analyze product creation and efficiencies
• Identify and describe metals and their properties
• Demonstrate effective written and verbal communications skills appropriate for the industry

All students in the Biological Sciences Technology program take a common first semester before entering into their specialization - Lab and Research, Renewable Resources or Environmental Sciences. The common first semester provides students with strong fundamentals in Biological Sciences while semesters two, three, and four build on these fundamentals with additional specialization-specific education and training. 

Graduates of Biological Sciences Laboratory and Research program are highly skilled, hands-on technologists with the ability to use and apply current technologies and research methods in animal physiology, molecular biology, cell culture, immunology, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology. Graduates are valued for their professionalism, effective communication, lab competency, and work safely and efficiently in a team environment. They are aware of the changing industry, and are committed to lifelong learning.

NAIT's Radio and Television programs are 2 distinct, yet interrelated full-time diploma programs. Each of these dynamic 2-year programs takes a non-traditional approach to teaching that will provide you with learning opportunities through hands-on experiences.

Undertake the typical job functions found in radio and television stations by acting as the staff for NAIT's campus radio station (NR92) and television newsroom (NAIT NewsWatch). Using industry standard digital equipment and labs, and while working in modern studios, you'll hone written, technical, communicative and production competencies.

Our instructors are highly-qualified professionals with years of industry experience and our program is well-recognized across the country. If you flip on your TV or radio at any given time, you're likely to see or hear NAIT alumni working across North America.

What You Will Learn
Hands-on, industry-relevant skills
In this program, you can expect to receive quality instruction from broadcasting professionals and experience hands-on training in the following areas:

• News/sports writing and reporting
• On-air performance
• Interviewing techniques
• Copywriting
• Commercial production
• Videography
• Social media
• Studio production
• Online content creation

Instrumentation Engineering Technology (IET) is a nationally accredited program that provides a comprehensive course of studies in industrial measurement and control.
With a provincial economy that is largely industrial-based, instrumentation has become an extremely important field. Industries are also becoming increasingly automated to improve productivity, conserve energy, and reduce pollution. This has created a strong demand for trained professionals in the instrumentation technology field across industries ranging from industrial automation and electronics to oil and gas.

In the Instrumentation Engineering Technology program, you can expect to gain the knowledge and skills needed for a successful career in instrumentation technology. The program involves detailed studies of the principles and application of pneumatic, electronic, and microcomputer measurement and control systems.
Access to state-of-the-art laboratories and a hands-on approach to learning provide students with job-ready experience.

Skills you will acquire
Over the course of the program, you will learn how to:

• Apply principles of process control to analyze and optimize the performance of industrial processes.
• Install and maintain process instruments.
• Install and maintain analytical instruments and sampling systems.
• Configure and troubleshoot industrial  controllers.
• Install, program and troubleshoot industrial controllers.
• Design and specify measurement, safety and control systems for industrial applications.
• Use computer hardware and software relevant to instrumentation.
• Work in a safe and professional manner following regulatory and industry specific work practices.
• Communicate effectively through written and verbal means.
• Use tools appropriate to the instrumentation field in a safe and effective matter.
• Participate as a member of an effective team

Practicum/Co-op/Work Experience
Students may be eligible to participate in a 4 or 8 month co-op placement once they complete all level 1 courses, and before they complete all the level 2 courses. Successful co-op students work in a program-related industry position and gain advanced job-readiness skills. Acceptance into our co-op program is based on successful completion of first term coursework with a minimum GPA of 2.7.

In the Millwork and Carpentry program, you will gain hands-on skills in the design and construction of wood structures, cabinets, shelving units and furniture. This certificate program will explore the two traditional woodworking trades of Cabinetmaker and Carpenter, with an emphasis on tools and safety.

Students specialize in either the cabinetmaking or carpentry stream. Each stream emphasizes materials and techniques relevant to that trade specialization.

The Cabinetmaking stream (Millwork), introduces students to construction of both upper and lower casework, complete with doors, drawer, mouldings, hardware and exposure to a variety of different materials used in the trade.

The Carpentry stream provides an introduction to residential home construction in foundations, framing and finishing carpentry.experience related to their stream.

What You Will Learn
Hands-on, industry-relevant training
Successful Millwork and Carpentry certificate graduates display the following attributes.

• Safety conscious
• Work well with tools
• Work well within a team environment
• The ability to stand, crouch and kneel for long periods of time
• Manual dexterity
• The ability to lift heavy loads
• The ability to solve arithmetic problems accurately
• A positive and professional learning attitude, with an interest in woodworking