Important: This program is unavailable for the Winter 2025 start date.
About the Program
This one-year graduate certificate program is the first of its kind in Ontario. With the increase in cannabis product commercialization, there has been a growing demand for regulation and quality assurance experts. In this program, you will develop the knowledge and expertise to grade and maintain product quality in a highly regulated industry. Your learning will include interpreting and understanding regulatory standards governed by the Cannabis Act and Regulations. Upon successful completion of this program, you will be prepared to seek careers in cannabis regulation or quality assurance in medical or cannabis production organizations.
Credential Awarded
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Duration
2 Semesters (1 Year)
Starts
January
Program and Course Delivery
This program is offered in Seneca's hybrid delivery format. Some coursework is online and some must be completed in person. Students will need to come on campus to complete in-person learning requirements.
Skills
Throughout this program you will develop the following skills:
- Preparing and managing quality documents and records
- Analyzing clinical data
- Developing components of a quality manual
- Applying quality assurance frameworks
- Mitigating risks for an organization
- Supporting security system oversight
- Supporting Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the manufacturing and distribution of various cannabis products
Work Experience
Optional Work Term
Students meeting all academic requirements may have the opportunity to complete an optional work term(s) in a formal work environment. The work term(s) is similar in length to an academic semester and typically involves full-time work hours that may be paid or unpaid. In programs with limited work term opportunities, additional academic requirements and a passing grade on a communication assessment may be required for eligibility. Eligibility for participation does not guarantee a work position will be secured. Additional fees are required for those participating in the optional work term stream regardless of success in securing a work position.
Review eligibility requirements for work-integrated learning
Your Career
As a graduate of this program, you may pursue future career options, such as:
- Quality Assurance Associate
- Regulatory Affairs Associate
- Scientific Writer and Reviewer
Program Learning Outcomes
This Seneca program has been validated by the Credential Validation Service as an Ontario College Credential as required by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
As a graduate, you will be prepared to reliably demonstrate the ability to:
- Create quality assurance frameworks for product development that integrates knowledge of cannabis production such as plant physiology, pharmacology, cultivation, and manufacturing processes.
- Comply with all Canadian and international regulatory and trade requirements for the safe and legal cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution of cannabis.
- Support the launch of a product line in compliance with Canadian and international regulatory agencies by adhering to documentation requirements of various product types.
- Interpret production economics and financial metrics to work within budgets and inform the continuous improvement of cannabis production and operations.
- Analyze legal and regulatory impacts to adapt business practices to the changing market and economic needs.
- Interpret chemical, environmental, and physiological data to assess crop health and quality and adapt growth conditions and pest management strategies.
- Inform the development of a business model from a quality perspective to market a product and to drive growth and increase margins.
- Support continuous quality improvement of cannabis production through reinforcement of product quality for safe consumer use, hazard prevention programs, and sanitization and security programs for various product types.
- Prepare and manage quality documentation records including Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) across the life cycle of a product.
- Develop components of a quality manual to support a reliable and consistent quality system within a cannabis production organization
Pathways
As a leader in academic pathways, we offer a range of options that will allow you to take your credential further in another Seneca program or a program at a partner institution.
To learn more about your eligibility, visit the Academic Pathways web page.
