Advanced Diploma in Geographic Information Systems

at British Columbia Institute of Technology - Burnaby Campus Canada

The food we eat and water we drink, the petroleum products that fuel our cars and heat our homes, and the electricity that powers our modern society all rely on industrial control systems. The measurement and control devices that make-up an industrial control system are collectively known as operational technology. Today’s operational technology often employs embedded hardware and operating systems and Ethernet-based networking interfaces that make them susceptible to the same electronic attacks that plagues traditional information technology. This has created a significant need for, and shortage of, network security professionals that understand the unique computing and networking requirements of industrial control systems. The School of Energy and the School of Computing and Academic Studies have partnered in offering a new interdisciplinary Diploma in Industrial Network Cybersecurity that will prepare graduates for entry level positions in this emerging occupation. Students undertake a comprehensive study of industrial measurement and control technologies; computer information technologies; and networking, industrial networking and industrial network cybersecurity. A strong component of the program involves the development of relevant, practical skills by working with modern industrial equipment in well-equipped labs. Students will graduate with a solid foundation in industrial networking and industrial network cybersecurity.

Industrial, manufacturing and critical infrastructure organizations can be divided into two distinct entities – plant operations and business operations. Plant operations produces goods for consumption whereas business operations manages the financial well being of the organization. Business operations employs traditional information and networking technology to manage daily operations. Plant operations employs operational technology such as sensors, controllers, and final control elements to automate production of consumables. This program focuses on preparing graduates to provide industrial networking and industrial network security for the operational technology on the plant side of an organization. The diagram below illustrates where we intend to place graduates of the Industrial Network Cybersecurity program.

Data is the essence of an enterprise. Enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), and customer resource management (CRM) systems create a network of data for your customers, your suppliers, and your organization. Given the changes in industry due to technology, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, there is an increasing market demand for specialists with both business and IT skills, which is why the Business Information Technology Management (BITMAN) – Enterprise Systems Management (ESM) program will help you launch an in-demand career.

If you’re looking to gain the training necessary to start or grow your career, the BCIT Business Information Technology Management – Enterprise Systems Management diploma program gives you a broad range of skills that make you stand out in almost any industry. With cutting-edge courses that are relevant to today’s IT and business demands, BCIT gives you the leadership skills, the know-how, and the confidence for a successful career in business IT analysis and management. The BITMAN program will prepare you for success in a rapidly changing world.

Set the stage for a prosperous career in business with the Accounting diploma program at BCIT. By training with knowledgeable, experienced instructors who are respected professionals in the accounting industry, you’ll learn how accounting is the backbone of businesses big and small. In just two years, this highly experiential program will prepare you to step into a corporate office or head back into the classroom to complete your bachelor’s degree. The road to CPA designation is an easy one with the accounting programs at BCIT.

Who should apply for the Accounting Diploma?
The Accounting diploma program is right for you if you:

• Have completed high school or higher
• Have a degree and need accounting upgrading
• Are looking to earn your CPA designation 
• Want to pursue a multi-faceted business career

In this program, you’ll train thoroughly for the behind-the-scenes jobs available in the growing world of video production. This includes working closely with industry professionals to learn the skills today’s employers are looking for, all to help prepare you for your dream career as an editor, video producer, film maker, and more.

Through BCIT’s Television & Video Production diploma program, you’ll prepare and deliver programming that’s broadcast weekly on Shaw TV, streamed online, and delivered through online video services. As part of earning experience in every facet of production, you’ll rotate through various roles, including writing scripts, shooting and editing, directing, lighting, and audio mixing.

Because BCIT’s first goal is to prepare you for a successful career, we regularly update and adapt our course offerings and hours to meet changing industry conditions and demands. Some classes and practicums may take place outside of normal class hours, including evenings and weekends to offer flexible training opportunities for students.

To give you even more current, relevant experience, you’ll participate in a 4-week practicum with a TV station, film studio, or media production company to learn on the job and develop connections throughout the industry. Students find practicums in communities throughout the province, across the country, and around the world!

Civil engineering is a diverse, rewarding and challenging profession. Civil engineers and technologists team together to plan, design, construct and maintain road and rail transportation systems, port and airport facilities, bridges, tunnels, dams, and buildings of all types; water, gas and oil pipelines; energy-generating facilities, water, air and waste treatment plants, to name but a few of their activities in an ever-expanding field of endeavour. Civil engineers are, to a great extent, the designers, builders and custodians of society's built environment as well as stewards of the natural environment.

The primary aim of BCIT's Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Civil Engineering degree is to academically prepare engineering students for professional practice. The curriculum focuses on developing strong skills in engineering science and design, communications, and management and presents many opportunities to develop your critical thinking, problem solving and creative abilities. A Diploma in Civil Engineering credential is conferred after the first two years of academic study and, if you meet the continuation requirements, a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering is conferred upon successful completion of academic year four.

The Program
The BEng in Civil Engineering is composed of four years of full-time academic study.
The first two years of the degree program present a broad, practical overview of the field of civil engineering, with engineering fundamentals stressed and reinforced across the curriculum. You will receive an abundance of learning opportunities to apply these fundamentals to the solution of real-world design scenarios that would be encountered by both technologists and engineers. Throughout the program, we will present opportunities to strengthen your graphical, written, and oral communication skills. You will spend a significant amount of time on hands-on training in material testing, surveying, manual and computer-aided drafting, and receive instruction in the use of engineering software tools. You will receive a Diploma in Civil Engineering credential upon successful completion of the first two years of academic study within this degree program.

If you meet the continuation requirements, you may continue into the final two years of the degree program which are academically rigorous. We will thoroughly investigate the theoretical foundations of civil engineering science and design topics. At the same time, you will apply the practical civil engineering knowledge you have gained in course assignments and project work. You will also be challenged to view the engineer's role from an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspective. You will learn about the role of the engineer in project and construction management and enrich your educational experience with complementary studies courses relating to social sciences and the humanities. To further develop your engineering skills for professional practice, you will work with classmates to complete a team-based capstone design project

Are you interested and excited about the field of marketing, but not sure in which option to specialize?
The first year undeclared option in Marketing Management allows students to explore a variety of marketing topics, gain a general business education, and attend industry events in Year 1 before deciding on a marketing concentration.

A very limited number of seats will be available for undecided students who will like to explore their first year in the marketing program prior to selecting one of four specializations: Entrepreneurship, Marketing Communications, Professional Sales, and Tourism Management.

Program Highlights

• One year option that leads directly into a Year 2 specialization: Marketing Communications, Tourism Management, Professional Sales, or Entrepreneurship
• Real-world learning with professional instructors
• Business consultant project and practicum provide hands-on experience
• After graduation, transition to the workforce or apply to complete your Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree at BCIT with full-time or part-time evening courses

Visit the Program Matrix to learn about the courses and the Program Entry page to start your marketing career today.

Rapid advances in technology have increased public expectations of their communities and the buildings constructed in them. Buildings are expected to be designed and constructed to rigorous standards of workmanship and safety while at the same time incorporating all the features that contribute to speed of erection, financial efficiency and user satisfaction. High public expectations and the dynamic nature of the industry present both a challenge and an opportunity, attractive criteria for any career.

The Program
Architectural and Building Technology (ABT) is a comprehensive, two-year diploma program with a focus on applied learning. It combines sound theoretical knowledge with practical skills and technical training to provide job-ready competencies for immediate application upon entering the workforce. Students learn from industry-based faculty, develop extensive practical skills for rewarding careers, and graduate with an industry recognized credential in the design, development, construction, and building science sectors. Many employers seek out graduates from this program to join their companies.

Students follow a fixed curriculum of common courses that includes lectures and practical applications in construction drawing, materials and methods, estimating techniques, building systems, and computer applications. Organized field trips and 'hands-on' workshops form part of the curriculum and attendance is required. Students are often able to further their education through summer jobs with architects, engineers, developers, and contractors.

In the second year of the program, in addition to the common academic core, students take an Elective course (subject to departmental approval) in one of three areas of specialization. The Elective courses are:

Architectural:
Primarily intended for those students who plan to pursue careers in architectural offices, offer design services, pursue an architectural degree, or the Architectural Technologist Registration program through the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC).

Building Science:
Primarily intended for those students who plan to pursue careers in durable building construction, building problem diagnosis, testing of construction assemblies, new materials research and development, and environmental challenges in creating the built environment.

The Master of Engineering in Building Science degree is designed to provide students from various engineering disciplines with advanced knowledge and skills to achieve a holistic understanding of building performance through a core course component, which is composed of a fundamental technical cluster, and an applied technical cluster. Students will gain in-depth knowledge of a specialty area through focused elective technical courses or a supervised research project.

Are you passionate about working outdoors and interested in the management of trees, vegetation & forest ecosystems? The Forest and Natural Areas Management (FNAM) program is a two-year diploma program with a focus on forestry, vegetation management, arboriculture for supporting sustainable community development in both rural and urban environments.

The program gives you a strong foundation in ecology, earth sciences, mapping, surveying & measurements. You will learn skills and training in silviculture, forest inventory, forest engineering, fire & forest health management, and urban forestry. Our programs unique focus natural areas in urban & interface environments provide you with skills in the management of trees, invasive species & soil resources. The breadth of technical and field-based skills you acquire also relevant to many other natural resource sectors.

Why is forest management important?
Management of forest resources in today’s world means managing forest ecosystems. Forestry practices must integrate field skills, scientific knowledge and technology in an ecological framework, to produce various goods and services. It involves assessing the health of forests with respect to insects and disease, planning revegetation strategies, and using technology to map and track forest inventories. But it is also about considering the interests of other resource users, while ensuring future generations can equally benefit from our forests. Forest ecosystems provide major economic, social & ecological benefits to communities, businesses & First Nations throughout British Columbia. Almost 60% of the land in British Columbia is forested – stewardship of these lands is no small feat. Are you up for the challenge?

What is natural areas management?
With increasing urbanization, forests and natural areas in and around our communities are growing in importance. People value natural areas for recreation, aesthetics and psychological well-being. But natural areas also provide important ecological services, like habitat for wildlife, promotion of biodiversity, storm-water flood mitigation & heat wave moderation. Whether you’re assessing urban trees, reducing wildfire risk around communities, or managing invasive plants, the role of a natural areas manager is diverse. It also requires an integration of skills, from community planning, to vegetation management & urban forestry.

What are some key skills FNAM students learn?

• Identify, describe, measure and interpret ecosystems and associated components including landforms, vegetation, soils, geomorphology, aquatic ecosystems, forest stand attributes and wildlife habitat
• Collect field data in both urban and rural environments and create technical reports, spreadsheets and digital maps using industry standard software (such as GIS & GPS) including the use of leading technology
• Apply vegetation management techniques for application in wildland and urban silviculture areas
• Analyze vegetation symptoms that relate to insects and diseases
• Design and implement sampling plans and techniques for resource inventories
• Assist in wildland and urban interface forest fire activities including suppression and hazard assessment
• Apply forest engineering principles to meet the objectives of operational plans and forest management objectives
• Communicate effectively in all aspects of natural resource management activities
• Apply principles of ethics and professionalism to day-to-day activities

Organizations achieve success through people. The primary role of human resources is to build organizational capability to support the execution of business strategy. If you want a career as a human resource professional, this is your program. The BCIT Human Resource Management diploma is perfect for individuals who want to better understand employment relationships, improve a corporate culture, increase employee productivity, and create great places to work. You will create performance management policies, employee compensation packages, hiring selection criteria, and employee onboarding and retention programs. Graduates can immediately apply their human resource skills in numerous industries. BCIT prepares graduates to deliver best practices in human resources.

BCIT Human Resource Management students learn to:

• Influence employment relationships and employee engagement
• Create effective talent acquisition and retention practices
• Develop compensation programs
• Address workplace conflicts
• Apply employment law
• Identify and facilitate human resource best pracitices

Students will be taught how to use the following technology:

• MS Project, PowerPoint, Access
• MS Excel - Solver and Analysis Toolpak VBA
• SAP HCM
• Halogen
• Tableau
• Various Web Survey Tools

Business Consulting Project
Human Resource Management students undertake a 10 week Business Consulting Project in their final term. Students work in groups of 2-3 and spend two days a week developing a solution to a real human resource problem for a company. The student teams collect and analyze data, create recommendations, and present their findings to senior management.