Red Deer Polytechnic Board Chair Guy Pelletier speaks at Friday's announcement of program expansions. (Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Bachelors, certificate, diploma, micro-credentials

Red Deer Polytechnic offers two new degrees among other program expansions

Feb 18, 2022 | 2:28 PM

Two new degrees, one certificate, a diploma, and two micro-credentials are coming to Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP), the institution announced Friday morning.

The Honorable Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Advanced Education, announced approval for the Polytechnic to offer its own Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Business Administration degrees to its breadth of program options.

Referring to the provincial 10-year strategic plan “Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs”, he stated how the announcement achieves its number one goal to “improve access and strengthen the student experience”.

Prospective Bachelor of Education Degree students may apply now to begin their first year of study in the Bachelor of Education Degree for the Fall 2022 Term. The Bachelor of Business Administration Degree will welcome its first group of learners the following year. In the meantime, the institution’s current business administration programming will remain in place, offering students a pathway into the new degree in Fall 2023.

“This is an exciting time for the Red Deer Polytechnic community. We continue to expand programming choices designed to meet the diverse needs of students, industry, and communities,” says, Kylie Thomas, Red Deer Polytechnic’s Vice President, Academic and Provost.

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Thomas shared how the Polytechnic has achieved its goal of becoming a degree granting institution over the year with five new degrees. Apart from today’s two additions, the institution also acquired the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science both with a psychology focus, as well as the Bachelor of Science in biological sciences.

Further, a Therapeutic Massage Therapy Diploma and Paralegal Certificate will also be offered in the 2022/2023 academic year through the Polytechnic’s Division of Extended Education. The Paralegal Certificate is currently the only one of its kind offered in Alberta.

New micro-credentials in Elder Care Aide, one being Indigenous Care Aid, and Transitional-Vocational Programming will also begin in Fall 2022. These micro-credentials are to assist students in meeting their immediate academic, career and personal goals while providing opportunities to build upon their future educational priorities.

Savannah Snow, President of the Students’ Association of Red Deer Polytechnic, sees the new program options as a strong benefit for students. “This is a monumental win for students,” she says. “Students wishing to pursue education in central Alberta will be able to learn and live close to their support systems. We are taking measurable steps towards eliminating brain drain in our region – a process that I’m so proud to be a part of. I’m excited for the future, for Red Deer Polytechnic students and the community it serves.”

In speaking with students and hearing their demands, Snow believes RDP’s future could entail an engineering program and enhancing their current nursing program for full accreditation without having to complete their courses at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

Adriana La Grange, Minister of Education and MLA for Red Deer-North added, “Some students attending RDP from rural communities really appreciate the transition to a city the size of Red Deer versus a metro city.”

Mayor Ken Johnston agreed with that statement, satisfied that students from central Alberta can achieve their goals at home. “These degrees give us an opportunity for a young student from Innisfail, from Rocky Mountain House, from Stettler, from Red Deer County, from Red Deer City, to make a career choice and stay in the community.”

“Since we became a polytechnic institution eight months ago, we have worked collaboratively to help shape our unique path forward,” says Jim Brinkhurst, Red Deer Polytechnic Interim President. “As a polytechnic, we can provide this region not only with degrees, but also with a full range of diploma, certificate, skills trade credentials that central Albertans require. Universities do not do that; polytechnics do.”

For more information about Red Deer Polytechnic’s programming, please visit: rdpolytech.ca/programs.