Summer 2025:
Fall 2025:
Winter 2026:
Please visit the International Application Deadline page to find out when applications may be available.
Get hands-on instruction in spoken and written communications in the Certificate in Communications program. Choose from courses covering topics including intercultural communication, global media, and communication and interpersonal conflict, as well as courses from other areas that will enhance your education, such as sociology, philosophy and modern languages. Participate in discussions and presentations and engage in classroom lectures to develop your critical thinking, writing, research and presentation skills.
The Communications Certificate gives you a solid foundation to work in entry-level positions in the fields of communications and public relations after you graduate, or to go on to further education in other fields.
Further education
51Ç鱨վ offers seven first- and second-year courses that transfer directly into Simon Fraser University’s School of Communications. Plus, many 51Ç鱨վ Communications courses transfer into other related programs at the University of British Columbia, Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the University of the Fraser Valley.
Not sure which courses to take? Check out the or make an appointment with a Student Success Advisor at 51Ç鱨վ.
Applicants must meet the admission requirements listed below:
Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at 51Ç鱨վ with the tuition & fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more.
For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts.
Graduation Requirements:
Course Requirements (see notes 1 and 2):
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|
Required CMNS courses: |
||
|
Foundations of Intercultural Communication |
3.00 |
|
|
Public Speaking |
3.00 |
|
|
Interpersonal Skills for the Workplace |
3.00 |
|
|
Introduction to Media and Communication Studies |
3.00 |
|
|
Select one additional CMNS course from the following options: |
||
| CMNS 1110 | Workplace Writing for Applied Community Studies | 3.00 |
| CMNS 1111 | Workplace Communications for Selected Programs | 3.00 |
| CMNS 1115 | Business Communication | 3.00 |
| CMNS 1135 | Professional Communication for Engineering Students | 3.00 |
|
Select one additional CMNS course from the following options: |
||
| Communicating and Working Effectively in Groups |
3.00 |
|
|
Intercultural Communication in the Workplace |
3.00 |
|
|
Communication and Social Change |
3.00 |
|
|
Advanced Business Communication |
3.00 |
|
|
Advanced Public Speaking |
3.00 |
|
|
Global Media and Communication |
3.00 |
|
|
New Media and Society |
3.00 |
|
|
Understanding and Managing Interpersonal Conflict |
3.00 |
|
|
Intercultural Conflict in Interpersonal Relationships |
3.00 |
|
|
Select two courses from the following options: |
||
| PHIL 1101 | Critical Thinking |
3.00 |
| PHIL 1102 |
Values and Contemporary Issues |
3.00 |
|
Business Ethics |
3.00 |
|
|
Logical Reasoning |
3.00 |
|
|
Introduction to Political Science |
3.00 |
|
|
An Introduction to Psychology (I) |
3.00 |
|
|
An Introduction to Psychology (II) |
3.00 |
|
|
Introduction to Sociology |
3.00 |
|
|
Social Issues |
3.00 |
|
|
Behaviour in Organizations |
3.00 |
|
|
MODL courses (see note 2) |
Any university transferable MODL course |
3.00 |
| University Transfer (UT) Arts and Science electives (see note 3) | Any two 1000 level or higher UT Arts or Science courses |
6.00 |
|
Total Credits |
|
30.00 |
1. Students are urged to take at least one MODL course in the completion of this certificate.
2. All 30 credits in the Communications Certificate also apply towards an Associate of Arts (AA) degree. The 18 credits of CMNS courses in the Certificate fulfill the minimum CMNS credits required for an AA degree with a specialization in CMNS. Students wanting to continue their studies to complete an AA (CMNS) will have to complete an additional 30 credits and meet other degree requirements, including taking 3 credits in ENGL and some science/math/computing/breadth requirements. For details, see the .
3. A University Transferable (UT) course is a course that transfers to one of the Research Universities: SFU, UBC (UBCV or UBCO), UNBC or UVIC in the BC Transfer Guide. A UT Arts course is defined to be in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Arts degree at SFU, UBC, UBCO, UNBC, or UVIC (including Math and Economics). A UT science course is defined to be any course within a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Science degree or Baccalaureate of Applied Science degree at one of the Research Universities.
Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
Graduates of the Communications Certificate Program who want to continue their studies can complete an additional year in communications and other arts courses to earn an Associate of Arts Degree with a specialization in Communications. Otherwise, they can work in the following fields in entry-level positions: