About the Program
The Certificate in Disability Management program is comprised of four academic half-credit university-level courses, delivered completely online. Learners are not required to visit the Dalhousie campus at any point during the program.
Half-credit courses are those that typically span over one 12-13 week semester (fall, winter or summer) and constitute 3.0 credit hours, as opposed to 6.0 credit hours for courses that run from September until April.
All four courses of the program are offered in the fall term, winter term and again in the spring/summer session, provided there is sufficient enrollment. The spring session is a condensed offering of the courses, covering the same amount of material, but in half the time frame of a regular semester. The spring session runs from early May until late June, spanning across 6-7 weks in duration. In addition, there is an offering of DISM 3010 which runs for the 12- 13 weeks which runs from early May until the end of July.
Please note: the introductory course, DISM 3010 Introduction to Disability and Disability Management, is a prerequisiste for the remaining three courses, which means that it must be completed prior to proceding with the other courses. Given that DISM 3010 provides the foundational material for the other courses of the program, there are no exceptions to this regulation.
Course descriptions
DISM 3010.03 Introduction to Disability and Disability Management
(This course is cross-listed with KINE 3010)
DISM 4010.03 Case Management and Return to Work
DISM 4040.03 Understanding the Relationship Between Health and Work
DISM 4050.03 Communication and Professional Relationships in Disability Management
How the online courses work
Our online classes vary in size and emphasize small group student engagement through a-synchronous discussion boards. Developing a sense of community with your peers is strongly encouraged.
CDM courses are divided into modules. There is normally one module covered per week with the exception of the spring intercession in which there are two modules covered per week. Module content typically includes online journal articles, textbook readings, and other online material and web-based resources. Often, modules contain exercise questions to be answered in the a-synchronous class discussion forum and discussed among groups.
Courses are designed to appeal to various learning preferences, so we've included a variety of teaching/learning formats and methods of assessment in each class, such as online auto-correct quizzes, case studies, research papers, presentations, and open-book exams.
Communication within courses is primarily asynchronous and unless prior notice has been provided. Learners progress through courses collectively according to a weekly schedule provided in the course syllabus. Students are not required to be online at specific times however there are normally weekly deadlines to complete module work, and pre-established due dates for other assessment items.
Course require a time commitment of approximately six hours per week, however this varies from person-to-person.
Scheduling and completion time
Completion time depends on how you choose to progress through the four courses. At minimum, it takes two semesters to complete the program. This would mean taking DISM3010 during one semester, and then taking the remaining three courses in the subsequent semester. Most students, however, take one course per semester so it takes approximately 1 - 1.5 years to complete the program.
There is currently no maximim timeframe for completing the CDM program, however this may change in the future. We suggest that students complete the four courses within two years.
When can I begin?
Students begin the CDM Program each term- fall, winter, and spring/summer sessions. There is no official application deadline to begin the program however, ample time 4-6 weeks) must be provided to the Registrar’s Office to process your application. Students who wish to begin the program in the spring/summer term may choose between the 6-7 week condensed version of DISM3010, and the regular 12-13 week offering.
Tuition and other fees
Disability Management tuition is $1000 per course, so a total of $4000 for all four courses of the program. Additional charges include: The application fee to apply to Dalhousie; and additional student fees implemented through the Student Accounts office. For more information on these fees, please visit the Student Accounts website.