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MINISTRY-APPROVED PROGRAM TITLE: General Arts and Science - One-year
The two-semester General Certificate pathway provides students with a high degree of choice and flexibility. This program is designed for students who are looking to determine their long-term academic or career goals as well as students who have specific academic/career pathways beyond the other General Arts and Science pathways. Students can earn credit towards other Durham College programs. The General Certificate provides opportunities to refine essential academic skills and develop the foundational knowledge needed to help ensure success in subsequent post-secondary studies. This program also allows students to familiarize themselves with post-secondary life, expectations, surroundings, and opportunities.
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To help students succeed in programs with remote learning requirements, Durham College’s IT Services department has identified minimum technology recommendations. While these are not program requirements, these suggestions will help ensure students have the right tools to support a quality remote learning experience.
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The General Certificate pathway provides learners with a high degree of choice and flexibility. This program is the jumping off point for students who are looking to determine their long-term academic or career goals as well as those students who have specific academic/career pathways beyond the other General Arts and Science pathways.
This program provides opportunities to refine key academic skills and strategies while developing the foundational knowledge needed to help ensure success in subsequent post-secondary studies. Furthermore, this program allows students to immerse themselves in the post-secondary experience – becoming better acquainted with the life, workload, expectations, and opportunities of a college student.
Students in this pathway will be required to complete six courses per semester (12 courses in total). These include five core courses in Communications (two), Computers (one), Mathematics (one) and Preparing for Academic Success (one), which will help students develop key skills and strategies like time management, spoken and written communication, numeracy, computer literacy, problem solving, and critical thinking. The remaining seven courses, depending on academic/career interests, can be chosen from a wide variety of General Education electives including the natural sciences, social sciences, and liberal arts.
The student advisor offers individual academic planning assistance; students are strongly encouraged to meet with their advisor before selecting their courses. Some General Arts and Science courses are also transferable to other post-secondary programs. Graduates of the General Arts and Science program may qualify for admission to and/or advanced standing at a university or another college.
The courses listed below are for incoming students. If you are a current student, please refer to your program of study for the year you began your program. Your program of study can be found on MyDC.
Courses and course descriptions are subject to change. Please note that as a result of COVID-19 the 2022-23 program of study may be modified to accommodate program delivery changes.
Durham College also offers degree completion opportunities with a number of Canadian and international institutions. Sample diploma-to-degree opportunities include:
Please visit our pathways page to learn more about how you can transfer your credits towards a degree.
To help students have the best remote learning experience possible, Durham College’s IT Services department has identified technology recommendations for each program based on course needs and software requirements. While not required, students may want to consider these suggestions if they are purchasing a computer or laptop for the upcoming academic year.
Processor: i3 RAM: 4GB Storage: 256GB SSD Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional or Education x64 SP1 Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 11 or Google Chrome (newest version) or Firefox (newest version) Network Adapter: 802.11ac 2.4/5 GHz wireless adapter Camera: Webcam/built-in camera Internet connection
Questions regarding technology recommendations can be directed to the IT Service Desk or the school office.
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