Admission Requirements
General Admission Requirements
- Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
- Grade 12 English (C, U)
- Grade 12 Math (C, U) (MCT4C preferred; MAP4C is accepted with a minimum GPA of 60%)
- Grade 12 Physics (C, U) recommended
Or equivalent
Academic prerequisites for this program may be obtained free of charge through Academic Upgrading.
Applicants who do not have a high school diploma or equivalent and will have reached the age of 19 years on or before the start of the program must undergo academic testing and may be required to complete Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR) process to demonstrate equivalency of admission requirements prior to admission into a program.
For more details, please contact the Admissions Office at 705-235-7222 or admissions@northern.on.ca.
Additional Requirements for International Students
In addition to the general admission requirements, international students must have proof of English Proficiency and meet the requirements below.
1. Proof of Senior High School Diploma/Certificate
2. English Proficiency (we will require one of the following):
- IELT Academic International English Language Testing System a minimum overall score of 6.0 must be achieved with no individual band score under 6.0; however, we will accept one band at 5.5.
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) – Computer-based overall minimum score of 79
- PTE (Pearson Test of English) Academic – Graduate Diploma: 58+
If your country of citizenship has English as its official language, we may accept alternate proof of English Proficiency.
All educational documents must be submitted in English and will be dependent on the country of citizenship.
For more information, please contact admissions@northern.on.ca.
Additional Information
What you learn
This course describes in detail the materials and construction techniques required for residential construction. Topics include sustainable design, soils and foundations, framing and the building envelope. Various options are discussed for each topic. Students will also use sketching and drafting techniques to complete various construction details.
Communications I is a practical course designed to help strengthen essential oral and written communication skills. Students will be exposed to a variety of learning methods and communication formats. Emphasis will be placed on the use of appropriate structure, writing conventions, tone and style as well as the enhancement of interpersonal, teamwork and presentation skills. Students will also develop discipline-specific documents, practice proper business etiquette and learn the importance of ethical behaviour and professionalism in the classroom and workplace. Attention to detail is emphasized.
This course introduces the student to health and safety in their home, in society and within an occupational setting. Students learn about the social and personal benefits of safe work practices and the methods to best prevent accidents or injuries. Students will review the role, right and responsibilities of an individual in today’s health and safety conscious world. Students also learn how to read and interpret the Occupational Act and Regulations.
This is an introductory course designed to teach students the basics of using the AutoCAD drafting software to create 2 dimensional drawings. Lessons include using the draw, modify, layering and annotation commands.
This course covers basic algebra properties, graphing the straight line, basic geometry and trigonometry, and solving a system of equations graphically and algebraically. It also covers vector addition by components and by the cosine and sine laws.
This course is an introduction to the basic principles of Plane Surveying. The theory and use of theodolites/total stations, steel tapes and levels will be covered. Basic surveying calculations for direction, coordinates and area will be included.
This course will help students understand their legal obligations, authority and responsibilities as a construction manager.
This course is designed to complement the Methods and Materials I course at an Advanced level, and to prepare the students for the construction industry. This course will cover the following topics from the text Construction Materials, Methods, and Techniques (Third Edition) by William P. Spence, ISBN 1-4354-8108-4. Part I: Introduction to Construction Methods, Materials, and Techniques. Part II: Site Construction and Earthwork. Part III: Concrete and Masonry. Part IV: Metal, Wood, and Plastics. Part V: Thermal and Moisture Protection, Openings and Finishes.
Communications 2 is a one-semester course that applies the oral and written communication tools learned in Comm1 to specific business/technical applications as required by industry today. The student will enhance the writing skills acquired in COMM1 and learn to produce effective documents including business letters, emails, employment documents as well as reports applicable to their field of study. Students will also learn how to plan and participate in meeting situations and participate in mock interviews (as applicable) so that they are prepared to transition into the competitive employment market. Students will continue to learn and apply proper language and grammatical structures and apply editing strategies to business/technical documents through both in-class/online activities and through the usage of the customized Mylab online grammar tool. As with COMM1, the content will be inclusive and reflect the diverse workplace that students will experience in the future.
*Students for whom English is not their first language will receive additional language support through the concurrent delivery of CM2933 (Enhanced Comm2) which continues to focus on the foundational grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure skills introduced in CM1933.
This course is primarily a laboratory course in concrete theory and soil mechanics. Ready mixed concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. It is extremely versatile, strong, and economical in comparison to other materials. It lends itself well to a vast array of applications in construction. In addition, its attributes relative to sustainability are relevant to the entire construction industry. Concrete principles and theory constitute the first portion of this course.
The study of soil mechanics is important since soil is the most readily available construction material, and all structures must be supported on soil or rock. The student will learn the theory on which the most common laboratory and field tests are based, and perform related tests.
This general education course will provide students with an introduction to Canadian Indigenous Nations’ history, sovereignty, land titles, cultural history and current critical issues. Topics addressed include the content of Indigenous rights, economic and social development, community and political processes, and business law and policies, justice & social services. Canadian Indigenous History and Relations is a general education course that has been incorporated into all programs at Northern College.
Municipal Engineering involves the study of Engineering Surveys, Construction Surveys, blueprint reading and the design and construction of municipal infrastructure. Emphasis will be placed on sustainable urban infrastructure design and construction practices.
Students are introduced to proper measurement techniques of construction items and components found in a commercial and municipal projects. Emphasis is placed on accuracy of measurement, quantity take-off concept, sound estimating principles, and construction materials. Appropriate software solutions will be applied.
This is a one-day per week placement required for the entire semester. Students select an area of construction they would like to observe and participate in with the assistance of the professor and must provide a written report detailing their activities when completed.
Research and evaluation is an important part of the construction industry. Building studies uses existing structures to research construction materials and techniques and evaluate them against established standards.
This course provides a basis for legal and ethical issues of importance to graduates and specifically covers tort law, contract law, legislation regulating business organizations, employment law, and professional liability. The overall objective of this course is to begin preparing the student for professional designations and/or examinations.
This course is an introduction to the basic principles of Plane Surveying. The theory and use of theodolites, steel tapes and levels will be covered. Basic surveying calculations for direction, coordinates and area will be included.
Project Documentation consists of specification contract writing and project planning, all are integral parts of any project. The specifications contain the legal documentation as well as the trade section for various building materials. Project planning is a series of activities strung together using critical path management principles to create a time line for estimating and construction purposes. This course reviews the process of tendering a construction project, the documents that form part of a standard construction contract as well as aspects of project planning and scheduling. Students will write and modify existing specifications, review CCDC2 the stipulated price contract and use MS project to create a Gantt chart.
Pre-requisites: AR1016 Methods and Materials I/Detailing
This course, using the House 2003 material, will assist the students to review and become more familiar with the particular portions of the OBC dealing with houses. The course covers: Basics of Structural Requirements, Design of Areas and Spaces, Doors, Windows and Skylights, Stairs, Ramps, Handrails, Guards, Means of Egress, Fire Protection, Sound Control, Excavation, Dampproofing, Waterproofing, Soil Gas Control, Drainage, Footings, Foundations, Slabs-on-Ground, Columns, Crawl Spaces, Attic and Roof Spaces, Masonry, Chimneys, Fireplaces, Wood Frame Construction, Sheet Steel Stud Wall Framing, Heat Transfer, Air Leakage, Condensation Control, Roofing, Cladding, Stucco, Flooring, Plumbing, Electrical Facilities, Garages and Carports, Cottages, Log Construction and Park Model Trailers.
Pre-requisites: AR1016 Methods and Materials I/Detailing
The purposes of this course are to give beginning estimators an understanding of the fundamental principles of estimating, provide beginning estimators with practical experience, and to give beginning estimators a basic understanding of how to use spreadsheets to increase their estimating productivity and reduce errors.
Pre-requisites: AR2024 Estimating I
The course in Mechanical and Electrical Installations I introduces the student to basic Mechanical and Electrical Systems in the Commercial construction industry. In this course we will cover such topics as HVAC, piping, plumbing equipment and systems, Fire Protection, Introduction to Electricity, Communications, Life Safety, Security Systems, Electrical Design, Electrical Wiring, Lighting Design and Sustainable Design.
This course will cover such topics as: classification of data using Excel, x-y graphs, bar graphs and pie charts; organization of data into frequency distributions, calculation of the mean, the median, variance and standard deviation for grouped data; probability and frequency distributions, binomial and normal distributions, estimation of population means, standard deviation and proportions within a given confidence interval; control charts for statistical process control; and regression and correlation analysis.
Pre-requisites: MA1100 Mathematics I
In this course, students will be introduced to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as applicable to the civil/mining engineering fields. Emphasis will be placed on the processing of vector and raster data sets in the completion of Civil/Mining related projects. The relationship between raster and vector data in various geographical co-ordinate systems and datums will be explored.