Software Quality Assurance & Testing
Overview
Working in software quality assurance and testing involves meticulously examining software to ensure it meets the highest standards of functionality, performance, and reliability.
The Software Quality Assurance and Testing, 2-year Ontario College Graduate Certificate prepares university and college graduates for dynamic careers in the development and maintenance of software with a focus on Canadian-based organizations. This program is designed to provide students with essential skills that include testing paradigms, methodologies, security fundamentals and tools to support quality assurance in the lifecycle of software development.
In the program, students study a wide range of topics that ready them for testing software during the development cycle, collaboration with software developers, product engineers and support teams within an organization along with facilitating end-users. In the first year, students develop foundational skills for success in the Canadian workplace by focusing on data governance and privacy and security in the development and testing of software used in Canada. Core skills are taught to work in areas such as systems integration, interpreting performance test results, preparing technical reports and enabling automation for optimal efficiency. In the second year, students continue to grow in their development by honing core practical skills in preparation for the co-op work term.
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This Lambton College program is licensed to and delivered by Queen's College (PDF), a licensed private career college in Mississauga, Ontario. Students who are registered at are students of a public college and as such, will receive full credit from Lambton College for all Lambton College courses completed at the Queen's College campus in Mississauga. Students who meet program graduation requirements will graduate with a credential from Lambton College. Students may be scheduled to have classes on Saturdays.
Admission Requirements
- A university degree in Computer Programming, Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Development, or related discipline.
The admissions process is competitive and meeting the minimum academic requirements does not guarantee admission.
Lambton College reserves the right to alter information including admission requirements and to cancel a program or course at any time; to change the program curriculum as necessary to meet current competencies or changes in the job market; to change the pathways to third-party certification bodies; or to withdraw an offer of admission both prior to and after its acceptance by an applicant or student because of insufficient applications or registrations or over-acceptance of offers of admission. In the event Lambton College exercises such a right, Lambton College's sole liability will be the return of monies paid by the applicant or student to Lambton College.English Language Requirements
- IELTS of 6.5
-or-
IELTS of 6.0 + Completion of EAP-3106 (English for Academic Purposes) during the first term of study
- or -
- TOEFL iBT 79
-or-
ITOEFL 70 + Completion of EAP-3106 (English for Academic Purposes) during the first term of study
- or -
- Passed Lambton Institute of English placement test
Please Note: IELTS is the only proficiency score accepted by the Study Direct Stream (SDS) program. Additional country-specific requirements may also be applicable.
Meeting the minimum English requirements does not guarantee admission. Students with higher English proficiency scores will receive priority in the admission assessment process. Not all students will qualify for EAP-3106 in place of the required IELTS or TOEFL test scores.
Costs
- Term 1 $9,200.00
- Term 2 $8,500.00
- Term 3 $9,200.00
- Co-op Term $0.00
Total Cost of Program
Tuition fees are estimates and are subject to change each academic year. Fees do not include books (unless specifically noted), supplies or living costs.
Lambton College reserves the right to alter information including admission requirements and to cancel at any time a program or course; to change the location and/or term in which a program or course is offered; to change the program curriculum as necessary to meet current competencies or changes in the job market; to change the pathways third-party certification bodies; or to withdraw an offer of admission both prior to and after its acceptance by an applicant or student because of insufficient applications or registrations or over-acceptance of offers of admission. In the event Lambton College exercises such a right, Lambton College’s sole liability will be the return of monies paid by the applicant or student to Lambton College.
Additional Fees
WIL Project Fees
Students who are not successful in securing a co-op or fail to meet the co-op requirements will need to register in CPL-5559 WIL Project.
There is an additional fee of $2,480 for each student enrolled in the WIL Project course.
Textbooks
The anticipated cost for textbooks in this program is approximately $300 - $600 per term. This amount accounts for both mandatory textbook costs (included in tuition fees) as well as textbook fees not included in your tuition fee amount.
Important Dates, Deadline & Late Fees
For additional information on registration dates, deadlines and late fees please refer to Registration Dates and Deadlines.
Student Fees
A student services fee is included in your tuition.
Health Insurance Coverage
Emergency medical insurance is mandatory for all international students at Lambton College. This includes students who are full-time and part-time and who are on a co-op. This insurance is provided by guard.me - a third party insurance provider.
See Insurance Costs & Details
Technology Requirements
In order to keep pace with the requirements of each and every course in your program, Lambton College requires that each student have access to a laptop while studying at our college.
Courses
Introduction to Canadian Culture
By 2032, new immigrants will account for up to 80% of Canada's population growth, and one in four Canadians will have been born in another country (Business Development Centre, 2022). Developing personal and professional competencies is important for long-term success as citizens and employees in Canadian workplace environments. Students in this course engage in a series of activities that deepen their knowledge of Canadian culture. Topics such as geography, history and Indigenous perspectives are studied. Furthermore, students develop their soft skills by focusing on effective leadership skills, team interaction, management techniques and interpersonal skill development. Students also explore the meaning of a diverse work place environment, build a strategy for personal growth, and develop their written and oral communication skills.
Canadian Data Governance & Privacy
Data Governance is the set of processes establishing how an organization collects, manages, and archives its important data assets. In this course, students will learn how to classify data to understand how it should be secured within a software system and ensure that during testing, the governance is adhered to. Students will learn about the Canadian privacy laws from an information technology perspective - the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).
Professional Communications
This course is designed for international students with diplomas or degrees. It focuses on polishing communications skills acquired through one's academic career and workplace experience. Through various business writing and speaking scenarios, students learn Canadian business practices and communication styles, incorporating inclusivity and diversity. Close attention is paid to proper incorporation of the intellectual property of others to ensure academic integrity. Students will practice organized and dynamic speaking and will strive for polished business documents.
Security Testing
In this course students learn and apply fundamental security testing concepts and how to apply these concepts within a software development lifecycle. Students will also study vulnerability scanning, risk assessment, penetration testing and security auditing. The concepts of cybersecurity and zero-trust will be the philosophy for this course as it relates to testing software and ensuring that production releases have met organizational security standards.
Software Engineering Principles
The principles taught in this course demonstrate software design, software development issues, documentation and technical communication that the industry demands. Student will study topics that include specification writing for system development and testing, code development and software maintenance. In addition, students analyze system requirements, problem solve for optimal solutions, select appropriate design compromises and the common software trade-offs.
Software Programming
This course introduces students to an object-oriented language to acquire programming concepts and develop programs to solve business problems. Students will also learn the concepts of declaring variables, arithmetic, decisions, iterative loops, arrays and collections. In addition, problem solving techniques using logical solutions with either pseudocode and/or flowcharting to design the logic of the program are also taught. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to write and understand simple programs, design and implement algorithms, and have a strong foundation in object-oriented programming.
Foundations of Business Technology
This course explores the core technologies that drive business innovation and efficiency. Students will gain insights into the strategic role of technology in business, understand the basics of information systems, and explore emerging technologies shaping the future of the business world. Through lectures, case studies, and hands-on projects, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of how technologies are implemented in real-world business scenarios to solve problems, enhance operations and create value. The topics covered include the Internet of Things (IoT), enterprise business software, digital marketing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, telecommunications, blockchain, virtual and augmented reality, networking systems and analytics software.
Job Search & Success
This course provides student with skills and knowledge to help support their career search and succeed in the workplace. Students align their personal skill set and goals to guide them on their career paths. They will learn how to effectively conduct a job search, build a professional and well-tailored resume and cover letter, and develop and practice interview techniques. Students will also develop their personal brand to help support effective career networking and aid in their job search. Teamwork and collaboration in the workplace are also discussed. Self-reflection is used to inspire insight and support their professional career journey.
Developing Quality Applications
Students apply testing and application development skills to create software applications with an emphasis on quality. Topics studied include building software systems, creating the proper documentation, and thoroughly testing applications. The hands-on lab will demonstrate the differences between functionality and features while reviewing the design requirements.
User Experience Evaluation for Canadian Organizations
This course is focused on the end-user perspective or those who will be interacting with the developed software. Students will practice test and behaviour-driven design techniques and usability testing in software design. Topics studied include the understanding of software testing fundamentals while seeking feedback from potential users throughout the design lifecycle with the goal of improving the interactive user experience (UX) with the final product. An emphasis on Canadian language, spelling and units is the underlying theme for this course to ensure fine details are considered.
Software Testing Tools
Students will learn content related to software quality, with an emphasis on applications that can be used to assist developers and testers in performing manual or automated tests. Topics studied include critical thinking skills to better understand risk, risk assessment and measures of software complexity. In addition, students learn various test activities starting from planning, requirement gathering, build creation, test execution, defect logging and test reports using Jira and HP-ALM.
Software Testing Methodologies
Agile, Waterfall, Verification and Validation (V-Model), Incremental, Spiral and Extreme Programming (XP) are the main software testing methodologies taught in this course. Topics studied include a wide variety of testing types, including black-box, white-box, unit, integration, regression, sanity and acceptance. Industry best practices will be examined in order to determine when to use a methodology.
Automation Testing
Students will discover that Automation Testing is a technique to compare the actual outcome with the expected result by writing test scripts or using any automation testing tool. Students learn coding techniques on how to transform a specific test scenario into a class method and how to call them in a specific sequence in a way that satisfies the requirements. This course practices working with core Java, Web driver, Selenium Framework, JUnit, TestNG, Jenkins and more.
Systems Analysis & Design
Students learn the skills directly related to Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) - a framework that defines the steps involved in the development of software at each phase. This course focuses on the detailed plan for building, deploying and maintaining the software. In addition, students examine and compare several other development methodologies.
Canadian Project Management Fundamentals
One of the most in-demand IT skills today isn't really an IT skill: it's Project Management. As more and more demands are placed on IT departments, there is more demand for Canadians who understand and can manage in a project-based environment. Using the principles as defined in accepted industry Project Management standards, this course provides a hands-on framework for how to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close a project. Through lectures, labs and assignments, students look at all stages of project development with an eye to the tips and tricks that do a successful project. In addition, this course prepares students to challenge the CompTIA Project+ or the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® certification exams. CAPM and PMI are registered marks of the Project Management Institute.
Functional & Non-Functional Testing
In this course, students will learn the skills that directly relate to functional and non-functional requirements of software applications and systems. Topics studied include the understanding of functional testing verifying that each function of the software application operates in conformance with the business requirements unit, integration, smoke and acceptance testing. Non-functional testing is focused on the operational aspects of the software, such as performance, load, scalability and availability.
Database Testing
In this course, students will learn content directly related to database structure and database application testing topics including structural testing, Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation and Durability (ACID) properties, data mappings, data generation, data integrity, data validity and data manipulation. The topics studied include how database application testing differs from traditional application testing by working with objects such as triggers, stored procedures and indexes.
Mobile Application Testing
In this course, students will learn mobile web, native and hybrid apps for both Android and iOS platforms. As mobile apps are closely tied to the hardware, testing will involve understanding cellular data, GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi interaction. Current mobile application testing tools will be introduced with a hands-on lab to gain exposure for testing quality and functionality.
Quality Assurance of Cloud Applications
Students learn the concepts of cloud computing components such as servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence. With the fundamental knowledge, students will gain experience testing these applications by working in the cloud-based testing tools. This course will explore Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure platforms for a study of how applications are developed while focusing on how testing in these environments is conducted.
Entrepreneurial Mindset
This course introduces students, through a Canadian lens, to the development of an entrepreneurial mindset. The ability to think like an entrepreneur and act like an innovator are critical skills for success across industries and are proven tools to help distinguish individuals in the workplace. Whether applied in a start-up company, or as an employee within an existing organization (intrapreneurship), learners develop knowledge on how to navigate barriers to creating, developing, and sustaining innovative new initiatives. Topics related to the development of resilience, focus, productivity, creativity, and success are introduced to support learners in building their own entrepreneurial capacity.
Capstone Project for Software Testing
Students in this course will combine theoretical concepts with hands-on practice, culminating in a comprehensive report and presentation on Use Cases, Systems Analysis, Test Strategy, Test Methodologies (functional and non-functional), Test Case documents, results and test plans. It is common for software testers to work as part of a team while doing independent testing therefore this course will offer a similar experience that will prepare students for co-op and beyond.
Work Term (Full-Time)
Co-operative education provides students with the opportunity to apply classroom learning to the workplace, undertake career sampling and gain valuable work experience that may assist students in leveraging employment after graduation. For further information regarding co-op, please refer to: https://www.lambtoncollege.ca/co-ops-placements
WIL Project
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Project is aimed at enriching students by connecting different program areas of study, cutting across subject-matter lines, and emphasizing unifying concepts. The focus of the WIL Project is to make connections between study and industry by engaging students in relevant and meaningful activities that are connected to and practiced within the professional workplace. WIL Project allows students to enhance and strengthen their employability prospects post-graduation by fine tuning skills and knowledge and meeting the expectations of today's employers. Students are required to attend the scheduled shifts in the WIL office, reporting to the WIL Supervisor. Weekly real-world challenges are presented in the WIL office, designed by industry professionals. In addition to the weekly assigned deliverables, students are also offered professional development sessions, and exposed to industry guest speakers, enhancing their opportunity to develop their professional network.
Co-op Eligibility & WIL Project Fee
In order to be eligible to secure an approved full-time co-op work term (CPL-1049), students must have a GPA of 2.8 or greater and complete all the co-op eligibility requirements. Failing to do so will require students to enroll in CPL-5559 WIL Project at an additional cost.
Contact
Centre for Global Engagement
LAMBTON COLLEGE SARNIA
226-313-7777
1457 London Road
Sarnia ON, N7S 6K4
After Graduation
Employment Opportunities
Graduates of the program prepare for a career working in any industry where organizations develop software as a primary business or supporting their goods and services. Roles include software quality and test engineer, systems design verification technologist, application integration specialist and software automated test developer.
Post-Graduate Employment
International students who successfully complete their programs of study at Lambton College may be eligible to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program. This program allows students to gain valuable Canadian work experience.
A work permit under the PGWP may be issued for the length of the study program, up to a maximum of three years. A post-graduation work permit cannot be valid for longer than the student's study program, and the study program must be a minimum of eight months in length. The length and approval of the PGWP is determined solely by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Students must meet the eligibility requirements to apply for a post-graduation work permit.
Immigration Regulations & Changes
Immigration regulations are legislated by the Federal Government of Canada and are subject to change at any time without notice. Students are responsible for ensuring that they are in compliance with all Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada regulations at all times during their studies and while in Canada. Lambton College staff are not authorized to provide advice or guidance on immigration-related matters. Prospective applicants and current students should consult the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website or call the IRCC Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100 to answer or clarify any immigration-related questions or information.
Co-op
About Co-op
Students in this program have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience by applying classroom learning during co-op experiences.
Learn more about co-op terms and the roles and responsibilities of students and co-op advisors.
More Information
Student Responsibilities
- Course and program delivery schedules are proposed and subject to change for each intake.
- Students are required to bring their own laptop with wireless capability.
- Students are advised to bring an official copy of their most recent police clearance, driver's license, and vaccination record from their home country.
Technology Requirements
It is required that students purchase a laptop with a Windows operating system.
Internet Speed Requirements
For best performance for students learning remotely, an internet connection with a minimum of 40 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speed is recommended in order to effectively use video conferencing and remote lecture delivery software as well as, other online resources remotely. Due to the large area over which students may be dispersed, we are unable to recommend a specific provider, so you will need to inquire around your area to find one that best suits your needs.
Minimum Laptop Requirements
In order to access the internet and virtually-delivered software and courseware, student laptops should include the following at a minimum. By meeting the following specifications, students will be equipped to access software and courseware on their laptop through the internet:
- Intel i5 8th Gen Processor or equivalent
- 16 GB of RAM (with a minimum of 8 GB)
- 100 GB HDD or more
- HD Graphics
- Webcam with a microphone
- Wireless 802.11n/ac 5ghz capable
- Windows Operating System (Windows 11)
Software
To ensure students are getting the most our of their classroom experience, some software will be required.
Lambton College has made this software easily accessible online. Students can leverage our Microsoft Office 365 software packages and services. In addition, much of the software you require for your courses will be available on demand for use on any device - on or off campus.