Diploma in Computer Systems Technology (Co-op Optional)

at British Columbia Institute of Technology - Burnaby Campus Canada

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been called the new electricity. AI and machine learning (ML) systems are currently being utilized to organize supply chains, manage customer relationships, transfer organizational knowledge, and optimize enterprise resources. According to estimates, up to 47% of current jobs could be automated by AI, robotics, and machine learning systems in the next two decades. Firms have identified that a lack of skilled people make deployment of machine learning capabilities an ongoing challenge. Due to these factors, numerous jobs will become available for managing these systems.

The Business Information Technology Management (BITMAN) – Artificial Intelligence Management (AIM) option will train artificial intelligence/machine learning management knowledge workers for entry-level positions managing AI/ML/business intelligence solutions. This option will focus on AI business models, AI ethics, machine learning for business (supervised learning, neural networks, and deep learning), computer vision, and natural language processing (NLP).

The Automotive Service Technician and Operations (ASTO) program has been designed to meet the need for skilled technicians who can diagnose and repair the sophisticated systems in today’s motor vehicles. It is also for those with an interest in automotive, but who aspire to run their own business or assume customer service and management positions in the industry.

This program offers maximum career flexibility, enabling graduates to pursue their Automotive Service Technician Red Seal certification with the option for post-diploma baccalaureate pathways in business administration and technology management.

The program
This ASTO program is comprised of four technical training terms with two paid 22-week co-op work terms in an automotive repair facility.

Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive an Automotive Service Technician and Operations Diploma and qualify for credit towards all four levels of technical training requirements in the Provincial Automotive Service Technician Apprenticeship program.

The Professional Sales option is one of the most respected sales programs in Canada and our graduates are sought after by industry. Professional Sales will prepare you for a career in the dynamic field of business-to-business selling. Companies require skilled sales professionals to develop new customers and build mutually-beneficial relationships. You will learn how to apply proven sales methods, develop sales strategies, and implement marketing skills and new technologies to develop new business and retain customers.

This two-year program provides students with relevant and practical hands-on learning through a variety of field labs and classroom experiences. Assignments and projects are aligned with current needs of government, NGOs and private industry, allowing FWR students to develop leading-edge technical skills and knowledge. Faculty liaisons and partnerships with industry, and input from the FWR Program Advisory Committee, ensure that learning outcomes reflect the needs for managing natural renewable resources in urban, rural and wild land environments.

In Year One (first and second terms), the program provides students with a solid academic foundation and basic field skills for careers in renewable resources. The overall objective of course content and assignments in the first year is to create an understanding of the ecosystems in BC, renewable resource assessment, management, and inventory methods and standards.

This sets the foundation for Year Two (third and fourth terms) where students focus primarily on fish, wildlife, natural landscapes and parks and outdoor recreation management. During this second year, students spend as much time in the field as they do in the classroom. Much of the field work includes a series of field labs, field trips and interactions with industry professionals.

The Computer Information Systems Administration (CISA) program is a full-time program that provides graduates with a comprehensive skill set geared towards administration of computer networks and system. The CISA program emphasizes a hands-on, technical approach to training, where experience gained in labs and classrooms can be applied directly to business and industry.

The program focuses on Information Technology (IT) infrastructure solutions rather than computer engineering or software development. Training comprises both theory and practical experience where the goal is to have the students develop a skill set to be able to install, configure, maintain, monitor, and troubleshoot systems and hardware. To support this training, students are exposed to considerable hands-on activities using well equipped labs. Applicants should have a keen interest in computers, exposure to home networking, strong communication and problem solving skills.

The first year consists of training that introduces students to computer hardware, operating systems, network infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Topics include Microsoft Active Directory services and networking, Cisco routing and switching, Linux administration as well as essentials of databases and programming. While much of the training aligns with industry certifications, students are not required to write any industry exams. Included in first year is a Business Skills for IT course that provides insight into the communication and management skills required in the IT sector.

The second year specializes in deploying and supporting the network infrastructure used in today's enterprise systems. Students leverage industry leading products from Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Fortinet, Juniper, Palo-Alto, Red Hat, SUSE, Oracle, VMWare, and others to create a secure, multiservice business solution. Students work with routing, switching, firewall, server, and client technologies to deploy reliable and redundant campus networks that support remote access and wide area interconnectivity. Topics include security, advanced routing and switching, Voice-over-IP (VoIP), and wireless access. Networked applications are explored and deployed including collaboration and messaging services. Students learn to leverage virtualization technologies, providing the responsiveness needed to support business applications. The integration of “cloud” services to an enterprise along with network management solutions provides insight into the complexities of an enterprise system. Students are encouraged to obtain more advanced industry certifications from Aruba, AWS, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat, Fortinet, Juniper, Palo-Alto, and VMWare.

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

The BCIT Global Trade and Transportation Management diploma program provides the skills necessary to market products globally, import, export, transport goods, and manage an international team. You will analyze international markets, plan product entry strategies, and design optimum transportation strategies to grow global trade for Canadian and international companies. Graduates travel the world, establish trade partnerships, and improve the movement and distribution of goods and services in Canada and abroad.

BCIT Global Trade and Transportation Management students learn to:

• Determine a product’s feasibility in a new market
• Select optimal transportation options
• Manage inventory and supply chains
• Conduct effective international negotiations
• Build relationships with international partners

BCIT's Occupational Health and Safety Diploma program is the most comprehensive training of its kind in Canada. Students learn the skills they need to start a great career in health and safety, in any industry and workplace.
Our grads learn the operations of health and safety and the business side, including human resources, communication, decision-making, and leadership. This is what sets it apart from our Certificate program, which is geared to experienced individuals looking to move into health and safety roles within their existing industry.

Program Highlights 

• On-campus lectures and labs with case studies for practical workplace analysis
• Field work and an industry practicum give you hands-on experience

Our program has courses in every area of workplace safety. We prepare you from day one. Click on Program Details to discover more about the OCHS Diploma program.

Who it's for
This program is for individuals who:

• Enjoy working with people and teams and have an interest in leadership
• Care about creating safe and healthy workplaces for others<
• Are keen to build tactical and innovative thinking skills
• Have a high school diploma or higher level of education

Mechanical design provides exciting and challenging work opportunities in the rapidly evolving Green Economy. The global restructuring of economies toward more environmentally friendly and sustainable energy and manufacturing processes will depend on the knowledge and skills of those working in Mechanical Engineering Technology.

The Mechanical Engineering program provides you with the theory and skills you need to work as a qualified engineering technologist. It prepares you for the jobs of the future by teaching you about machinery design, energy productions, thermal and fluid systems, hydraulics, pneumatics, material science, instrumentation and controls, computer-aided design (CAD), and computer-aided engineering (CAE).

Architectural Science is a bridge between design theory and building technology. The purpose of this degree program is to develop graduates with highly relevant knowledge and skills in a way that emphasizes holistic and critical thinking at the intersection between living systems, culture and technology, so that our students emerge as industry-ready participants in the real world of sustainable thinking and building.

The Bachelor in Architectural Science is a full-time two-year program laddered onto a two-year architectural technology diploma (BCIT ABT or equivalent) delivering a broadly based, technically current curriculum on the theoretical and applied aspects of architectural science. The program methodology is to teach a ladder of critical thought, following a deliberate and evolving framework through progression, analysis and repetition to ingrain sustainable thinking, reinforced in every core course delivered.

Students will work on studio projects of increasing scale and complexity culminating in the Graduating Project: a comprehensive building design merging architectural design and building performance, supported by expert industry consultants. Cultural history, material explorations, project management, building science and communication skills will be taught within the program and incorporated into holistic design solutions, integrating social responsibility with technical expertise. Students will take general education courses in Liberal Studies and Business and choose between several professional electives to complete their Bachelor Degree.

The program integrates experiential learning activities, community outreach initiatives and international opportunities, including the option to study abroad for a term. These options may have a limited number of openings subject to an application process.