Diploma in Information Technology Services

at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Canada

Get hands-on, action-based training in information technology systems, support and management while you develop broad knowledge of IT, cloud services, information security and emerging technologies to drive business value.

Become an Information Technology professional and play a critical role in today’s tech-driven economy, helping end users work effectively with complex hardware, software and networks using various tools and applications. Taught by experienced instructors using an industry-supported curriculum and leveraging the most recent technology, you will develop the knowledge, skills and aptitude to support an organization’s IT infrastructure as well as strong business, service, and consulting skills.

Demand for a range of IT professionals will continue as the growth of the IT sector creates more opportunities. Position yourself for a rewarding career supporting critical business operations in the dynamic and ever-evolving tech-sector, and have a vital role in any organization.

Get wired for a bright future. The Electrical Engineering Technology program offers comprehensive training in power systems, electrical design and control and automation. The program prepares students for careers managing electrical energy from renewable and conventional energy sources.

Graduates work in a variety of settings, including power generating facilities, industrial complexes, substations, laboratories, construction sites and offices.

Accreditation

• The program is nationally accredited by the Canadian Technology Accreditation Board and Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists at the technologist level.
• Graduates are eligible for membership in the following professional association: Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET).

Train for a career repairing and maintaining cars and trucks in this program that combines action-based learning on modern equipment in a shop environment, as well as automotive theory and business courses — a combination that prepares grads to move into positions such as shop foreman or service manager.

This Automotive Service Technology program provides excellent preparation for an apprenticeship as an Automotive Service Technician. Automotive courses are provided in a combination of classroom, lab and shop environments. Students will utilize up-to-date equipment, carrying out diagnosis and repairs that meet the manufacturer’s specifications and customer’s satisfaction. Business and communications courses will better prepare you in your career and provide opportunities to advance.

The maintenance and repair requirements of the large volume vehicles in Alberta provide many employment opportunities for well-trained technicians. The primary location for this program is the Clayton Carroll Automotive Centre at SAIT’s main campus.

Create a career as an architectural technologist, construction coordinator or graphic designer for an architectural firm, residential home builder or construction company with this comprehensive program that includes hands-on training in drafting, design and building systems in our one-of-a-kind indoor house-building lab.

The Architectural Technologies program is designed to enable graduates to be able to perform and manage the fundamental duties of a junior architectural technologist. This diploma program is two years in length, consisting of four 15-week semesters. In the fourth semester, you refine your skills in a comprehensive capstone project.

The Architectural Technology program is learner-centred. We believe that students learn best when they construct knowledge and meaning from a collaboration between their learning experiences and their ideas. This type of applied experiential education means the development of the hand and mind through innovation, relevant content, engaged instructors and students who want to create meaningful careers.

The program employs a Project-Based Learning (PBL) model. This means that the “single subject inputs and assignments all relate to, and support the project work.” In this model, the repeated practice of going through a problem enables you to build up a repertoire of significant experiences. A critical feature of the program the focus on blending the science and practice of architectural technology.

You will learn by undertaking projects that simulate and simplify work practices in an educational setting modelled in a real-world environment. It is a setting where you get to practice.

Semesters are typically organized around a manageable core or central project. These projects will involve both individual and group-based work. In both instances, collaborative learning and teaching are practised. In all cases, there is an emphasis on learning by doing.

This program will develop critical thinking skills through the practice of confronting uncertainty. It allows one to see unfamiliar situations as familiar and this, in turn, allows one to have a feel or approach to problems that do not conform to rules.

Balance creativity and science in this comprehensive program covering all aspects of baking and pastry arts — from the fundamentals of bread and cakes to advanced skills in sugar artistry. 

Take exceptional instructors with backgrounds in traditional and contemporary baking and pastry arts from around the world, add state-of-the-art training facilities and a progressive curriculum, and you get the top Baking and Pastry Arts program in Canada.

If you've baked all of your life, have an artistic flair and are interested in creating magic with elegant dessert showpieces, we can help take your passion to the next level. A career in baking and pastry arts will have you balancing exact measurements and chemistry on one hand while using your imagination and creativity to develop exciting new recipes on the other.

In an industry experiencing high demand, graduates from SAIT’s Baking and Pastry Arts program are well prepared for a diverse range of career options after graduation. In this technical discipline, the craft of pastry is teamed with the art of baking, sugar artistry and fine artisanal chocolate production.

During this full-time two-year diploma program, you will be trained in baking fundamentals and advanced baking practices. The program covers yeast goods, artisan bread, pastries, sugar artistry, chocolate, special occasion and wedding cakes, flans, tortes and much more. You will also learn important management skills on food regulations, customer service, costing, pricing, merchandising and starting your own business.

Hands-on, production environment

• Our main goal is to prepare you for the real world in a hands-on, production-style environment.
• Over your two-year education, you will receive about 1,400 practical training hours in the bakery labs. You’ll learn step-by-step tactics and come away knowing best practices, as well as practical strategies to implement in the real world.
• You will also have the chance to feature your talents by baking bread and pastry products to sell in our gourmet retail food outlets including the renowned Highwood restaurant, the Market Place and the downtown Culinary Campus.

Learn from top instructors from around the world

• In addition to learning the science of baking, our instructors will also inspire your creativity.
• The highly distinguished instructors in the Baking and Pastry Arts program are truly second to none. Their diverse backgrounds and specialties range from executive pastry chefs from top hotels in New York, Hawaii and Bermuda, to local, entrepreneurial bakers.

Professional paid internship and study tours

• Between your first and second year of study, you will get to apply your skills in a professional paid internship. In addition to gaining experience in a real-world environment, internships provide valuable connections and opportunities to network with future employers.
• As a student, you can also take advantage of exciting international study tours. Previous tour locations have included France, Australia, Thailand, Germany, Spain and Portugal.

Gain practical business knowledge in courses blending theory and hands-on learning in the core areas of business including economics, communication and organizational behaviour. Build a career in one of six majors - accounting, financial services, human resource management, management, marketing or supply chain management.

Engage in small classes with active, collaborative coursework, learning from faculty with real business experience. You work in teams to deliver projects, present strategies and meet business goals. You start with a common first year to build core business skills. In year two, you become proficient in your choice of major: Accounting, Financial Services, Human Resource Management, Management, Marketing or Supply Chain Management.

You begin the program with a small business simulation. Then you progress to your final capstone course - a global simulation of an international enterprise where you make all decisions from manufacturing and production to hiring your workforce, determining pricing and promotional strategy and more.

Financial Services
Build skills to succeed in the financial services industry. You can write the Investment Funds in Canada (IFIC) exam to sell mutual funds. You graduate ready for an entry-level position in financial planning, retail or corporate banking, investing, insurance, trusts or compliance

New Media Production and Design is a technology centred program that promotes critical thinking to develop engaging content for web-based user experiences and provides comprehensive training in the tools and techniques used for web design and development.

The program emphasizes project­-based and hands-on training, with students working in teams to produce comprehensive and useful media products.

Start your career as an aircraft avionics technician by learning to repair and maintain the electrical and electronic systems — including communication, navigation and data systems — in all types of airplanes and helicopters.

The Avionics Technology program offers the student the knowledge and skills required to start a career as an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) “E”.

As an “E” licensed AME, you will be responsible for the servicing and repair of aircraft electrical and electronic systems and maintaining the aircraft communication, navigation and data systems. The Avionic Technology program covers all the aspects of aircraft avionics systems used in general aviation, corporate, charter, transport category aircraft, and helicopters.

The program is four semesters in length with a break between semesters two and three. All classes are scheduled at the Art Smith Aero Centre for Training and Technology, located at the Calgary International Airport. 

Build a career in film and television working on feature films, commercials, documentaries or television series by learning the fundamentals of film and video production, from scriptwriting and directing to filming and editing.

The Film and video industry entertains, challenges, impacts our understanding of current events, heightens our awareness of social issues, and even influences our buying decisions. Be a part of this cultural phenomenon, and enroll in the Film and Video Production (FVP) program.

The FVP program prepares you for a career in one of Canada’s evolving media industries. You will learn the fundamentals of scriptwriting, producing, directing, cinematography, sound recording, editing as well as the business aspects of the film and video industries.

FVP is delivered in a unique environment that combines traditional teaching methods with hands-on production and project models. In the second year, students are assisted in finding a practicum opportunity to obtain firsthand experience and establish additional contacts in the industry. The program is two years in length with each academic year divided into two 15-week semesters.

Learn from faculty with real-world accounting experience as you develop practical knowledge in taxation, advanced management and financial accounting, auditing, leadership, and more.

This program consists of ten academic courses and followed by two semesters of Directed Field Studies (DFS). In DFS, you secure your own paid work placement, with approval from the Academic Chair, and apply your skills in a real-world setting.

You graduate from this program with pre-requisite courses you need to enter the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) Professional Education Program.