Certificates & Diploma Programs

The Certificate in Actuarial Science and Financial Mathematics covers the basic material and necessary quantitative skills to prepare students for the early stages of the Society of Actuaries accreditation program. It can also serve to familiarise students with working knowledge of Actuarial Science or Financial Mathematics.

Students should contact the coordinator two-three months prior completion of your degree requirements.

The Certificate in Animal Behaviour provides students with enhanced, in-depth training in animal behaviour through a series of courses and a research project. Using concepts from behavioural biology and psychology, students who enrol will develop a deep understanding of the major forces that shape animal behaviour.

Students should enroll in the certificate program during their third or fourth year of studies by contacting the Certificate Coordinator, Dr. Simon Gadbois. 

The Certificate in Applied and Computational Mathematics is concerned with the development of the core mathematical and computational skills required in science, government and industry. Areas of application include everything from mathematical modeling to operations research to cryptography to software development.

Students who intend to fulfil the requirements should contact the Certificate Coordinator by email prior to graduation.

As with every major human food production activity, it is vital that this industry develops as sustainably as possible and that it strives to minimize its environmental footprint. This Certificate in Aquaculture and the Environment will equip students with knowledge, skills and tools needed to participate in the growth of this industry both in Canada and worldwide. This will allow students to play a role in the development of a more resilient and healthy food system for today and for the future.

Data Analytics is an interdisciplinary field aimed at extracting knowledge from data of various forms. The techniques draw heavily from the fields of statistics, computer science, and mathematics.  Students completing the certificate will understand  distinctions among data, information and knowledge, will be able to use the Structured Query Language (SQL) to manipulate relational databases, the R programming language to model data using a variety of machine learning and statistical  models, and will able to assess the performance of predictive models.

The Data Science Certificate is offered jointly by the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Computer Science, and requires a combination of courses in Statistics and Computer Science. Students learn to prepare and manipulate data, perform advanced data analysis, and review the results to discover and interpret patterns. Data science has many applications, from brain functioning  to genomics to marketing. 

The Certificate in Environmental Impact Assessment is for Faculty of Science students interested in, or majoring in environmental areas, who wish to pursue additional training in EIA.

This certificate is also available for students in International Development Studies (IDS) in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Management, and the College of Sustainability. Students must have a minimum grade of B for all courses counted toward the certificate.

The Certificate in Genetics provides students with an opportunity to complete a set of courses and research that will accord them recognition of specialization in genetics. Students should enrol in the Certificate in Genetics in their third year of studies when they are seeking approval of the research component by the Genetics Certificate Coordinator for their degree program.

Interested students are asked to please review the Certificate in Genetics checklist [PDF-99kb] and complete and submit the research topic submission form [PDF-4kb] to the genetics certificate coordinators.

The Certificate in Geographic Information Science (GIS) provides training and experience in geographic information science as part of an undergraduate degree program, usually in Earth Sciences, Environmental Science or Biology, and prepares students for further study or employment in the area. The Certificate requires the completion of GIS-related courses and a pre-approved research project that involves work with geographic information systems and geomatics. Students enrol in the GIS Certificate by contacting the Certificate Coordinator. Students may enrol in their second, third or fourth year of study, but early enrolment is advised.

The Certificate in Information Technology is a discipline-based program available to students majoring in Physics. This certificate program is designed to provide Dalhousie science graduates with an understanding of information technology. This may include knowledge obtained through symbolic calculion packages (i.e., MATLAB or MAPLE) and/or statistical packages (i.e., R- or S-plus); programming languages; proficiency in web design databases; and, thorough understanding of hardware and operating systems.

Materials research has led to many of the major developments of our world, from semiconductors for high-speed communication devices, to replacement body parts. Dalhousie University is a leader in materials research, and we have developed a program to allow our undergraduates to develop expertise in these areas. This certificate program is particularly suited for students in Chemistry, Earth Sciences and Physics programs. Students enrol by contacting the Certificate Coordinator. Students may enrol in the second, third or fourth year of their programs, but early enrolment is advised.

The Department of Chemistry offers a Certificate in Medicinal Chemistry in conjunction with its 20-credit degree programs. This certificate is intended to reflect that the student has completed a course of study in chemistry that is appropriate for employment or further study related to pharmaceutical development and production. The requirements include the completion of a 20-credit degree program in Chemistry (20-credit major, 20-credit honours, double major, combined honours, etc.).

The undergraduate certificate in neurotechnology is designed to provide foundational knowledge of this interdisciplinary area, including relevant topics in neuroscience, computer science, and business.

The certificate will also provide an understanding of how neurotechnologies can be translated into applications that are available to patients and consumers - through training in innovation, design, and commercialization.

Physics, chemistry and mathematics students interested in meteorology may wish to complete the Diploma in Meteorology. The diploma includes 10 half-credit meteorology classes and may be completed along with or subsequent to a BSc program.