Graduate Certificate in Visual Effects

at Sheridan College - Trafalgar Road Campus, Oakville Canada

Sheridan now offers a four-year bachelor's degree in game design.
A program incorporating material from multiple disciplines
To complement core game design courses, you'll study:

• Game design and mechanics
• Level design
• Programming and technology
• Game narrative and audio
• 2D and 3D art and animation
• Professional development and project management

Professors with industry experience:-
As a world-renowned leader in digital media and animation, Sheridan is uniquely positioned to educate the next generation of game designers. Our professors' expertise, technology savvy, and industry experience offer students an unmatched foundation for careers in the game design industry.

In Sheridan's Computer Systems Technology – Software Development and Network Engineering program, you'll gain experience with many platforms and environments. Using cutting-edge computer systems technologies (such as Android, iOS and Unity) and industry standards (such as Java, Oracle, C, C# and .NET), you'll learn to create solutions to real-world problems.

Program Highlights

• Software development in Java, Java EE, C, C# and .NET.
• Web technologies and web application development.
• Database technologies and database administration.
• Direct, hands-on instruction.
• A capstone project in your final year where you'll follow industry best practices to design and develop a real-world software solution from start to finish.

Gain valuable, practical experience
During your time at Sheridan, you'll have the opportunity to apply for a co-op placement where you can get paid workplace experience in software development and network engineering. You may be able to earn a high-paying co-op placement, and many of our students are hired by their co-op employers after graduation. You'll need to fill out a separate co-op application and enrolment is limited.

A General Arts and Science diploma is perfect for you if:

• You're not sure you're ready for university
• You want to build a strong foundation for a university degree
• You need a fresh start in small classroom settings
• You want holistic, personalized advising
• You’d like to enhance your social and cultural awareness

What will you learn?
Our General Arts and Science diploma program will allow you to:

• Experience a multidisciplinary program
• Adjust to post-secondary learning environments
• Develop confidence and build strong academic, communication and research skills
• Define your academic, career and personal goals
• Earn transfer credits that can be applied to university degrees

Our Textiles Studio provides a range of traditional and contemporary techniques and methods. Learning from design professionals in our state-of-the-art facilities, you'll get hands-on experience in 2D and 3D fibre-specific approaches, including printing, weaving, dyeing, off-loom techniques, digital design and sewing. We foster and encourage experimentation and exploration of the fibre medium.

Commitment to sustainable practices
With a growing awareness of sustainable industry practices, the Textiles Studio is committed to doing our part. We purchase our dyes from reputable suppliers and grow and harvest our own natural dyes in our Dye Garden, right here on campus. You'll also help to care for our Dye Garden, making a positive environmental impact and embracing greener textile practices.

Get a foundation in all Craft and Design studios
Our program provides a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to Craft and Design. You'll major in your studio of choice while building skills in the four other disciplines. You'll work with students and faculty from across all five studios on interdisciplinary projects that bring together a range of expertise and experiences to explore the potential of contemporary art, craft and design.

In the Interactive Media Management program, you'll learn to create, manage and develop web and mobile content, leveraging a curriculum in usability, interactivity, front-end coding, social media, user experience (UX) and emerging mobile technologies in an interdisciplinary, inter-professional collaborative learning environment.

The most up-to-date new media skills
Develop superior new media skills in this intensive one-year graduate program, learning to combine graphics, text, animation, audio and video to produce:

• Web and mobile applications
• Physical computing and augmented reality
• Immersive experiences and installations
• Visual communication and visualization work
• Games and puzzles

Computer systems engineers are always in demand with the increasing role of technology in business.

Learn the latest computing technologies

• In this program, you’ll build your skills and knowledge in multiple computing platforms and environments. You’ll learn to apply the latest technologies to solve real-world problems with:
  • iOS and Android application development
  • Java, and Java Frameworks, C#, .NET and .net server development
  • Web technologies and web application development
  • Oracle and SQL server
  • Version control

Learning Outcomes

• The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
  • Identify, analyze, design, develop, implement, verify and document the requirements for a computing environment.
  • Diagnose, troubleshoot, document and monitor technical problems using appropriate methodologies and tools.
  • Analyze, design, implement and maintain secure computing environments.
  • Analyze, develop and maintain robust computing system solutions through validation testing and industry best practices.
  • Communicate and collaborate with team members and stakeholders to ensure effective working relationships.
  • Select and apply strategies for personal and professional development to enhance work performance.
  • Apply project management principles and tools when responding to requirements and monitoring projects within a computing environment.
  • Adhere to ethical, social media, legal, regulatory and economic requirements and/or principles in the development and management of the computing solutions and systems.
  • Investigate emerging trends to respond to technical challenges.
  • Analyze, plan, design, implement and administer computer systems and cloud solutions.
  • Research, design, deploy, configure, troubleshoot, maintain, upgrade, and decommission computing system infrastructures.
  • Select and apply scripting tools and programming languages to automate routine tasks.
  • Install, monitor, optimize and administer a database management system in response to specified requirements.
  • Design, implement, and administer technical support processes for computing system infrastructures that align with industry best practices.
  • Construct an end-to-end information system consistent with client requirements and industry best practice.

Get hands-on experience

• The third year of our systems engineering program features Capstone-Based Learning (CBL), a uniquely Sheridan approach to curriculum delivery. In the Capstone course, you

Turn your diploma into a degree

• After earning your Computer Systems Technology advanced diploma, you can apply to bridge into Year 3 of one of these Sheridan degree programs: Honours Bachelor of Applied Computer Science (Mobile Computing), or Honours Bachelor of Applied Information Sciences (Information Systems Security). 

Co-op Option

• Students in this program may apply to the co-op program during their second academic semester. Enrolment in the Co-op program is limited through an additional co-op application process that takes place at the end of the first year. Students in the co-op program are eligible to complete three co-op work terms prior to graduation. The program-specific academic standard required for participation in co-op can be found here: Academic Standards for Co-op and Internship.
• Co-operative Education is a form of work-integrated learning that links classroom learning with paid or unpaid work experience within a professional environment. Co-op work terms are related specifically to the academic studies of each student. The work terms provide an opportunity to learn by doing. You’ll apply theory to practice, develop a meaningful view of the working world, and cultivate an awareness of yourself as a professional.
• Students receive in-class and 1-on-1 career education support to help prepare for the work term. The co-op component is delivered by Sheridan’s Co-operative Education Office, which facilitates over 1,800 Co-op/Internship work terms per year Sheridan-wide. Learn more about Co-operative Education and Internships at Sheridan.

You'll earn your graduate certificate through classes that involve:

• Researching styles, trends and new developments within the industry.
• Developing two-dimensional special effects concepts and work-ups of what they might look like complete.
• Using specialized products and equipment to animate, sculpt, create, cast and mold your creations.

Professors who know the business
Because classes are small, you'll receive lots of personal support from your professors who are themselves highly experienced in the field. Most are still active in special effects makeup. Through your study you'll also be introduced to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the union representing the profession.

Practical, hands-on experience
During the summer following the first two semesters, you'll participate in a field placement where you can use your newly acquired special effects makeup skills in a professional setting. This invaluable work experience and exposure to professionals in the field can be a springboard for employment.

Enter an in-demand career field with digital product design

A Digital Product Design certificate from Sheridan can launch you into a growing and lucrative field in eight months. The average entry-level salary for a User Experience Designer in Ontario is $64,000 and statistics show demand for UX designers has increased 107%.* Job seekers with the broad range of skills taught in this post-graduate can be highly employable in a wide variety of industries.

Become well-rounded in all aspects of product design

The product design industry needs designers who know more than web design or UI design. Our unique program teaches required essentials for a career in multimedia design and development. You’ll learn business strategy, research methods, visual design, prototyping and more. With skills in many experience design elements, you can position yourself as a well-rounded designer and work in many roles.

Work with industry experts, software and processes

Courses are taught by experts who bring their unique industry experience into the classroom. You'll use the same software as design professionals, such as Sketch and Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Our course structure is even designed to mimic the workflow of the modern workplace. Content from one class carries over into others, ensuring you'll learn to fully develop and iterate on your ideas.

Beginning in your first year of studies, you’ll take courses in each of the five streams of our Craft and Design degree: Glass, Ceramics, Textiles, Furniture and Industrial Design. You’ll understand how to combine multiple materials and processes into one project, helping you develop your own unique artistic voice.

Sheridan offers the only business-focused professional photography degree program in Canada, and one of the best in North America.
A professional photography education:-
This program prepares you for a professional photography career in the dynamic communications industries. In your photography classes, you’ll create conceptually, visually and technically compelling photographs and films, and explore photography’s expressive potential in existing and emerging fields. You’ll be ready for the changing global and digital business world.

Outstanding industry reputation:-
For over 40 years, Sheridan's photography program has had an outstanding industry reputation. Our business connections rank Sheridan as one of the top photography schools, and happily hire our students for their internships. During your internship, you'll have the chance to work with and learn from experienced photography professionals and gain experience to launch your photography career.