Full-time Advanced Diploma 9100fadvdip
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is used to manage and utilize geographic data, and is widely recognized as an essential tool in such diverse fields as forest management, urban planning, engineering, municipal management, business, and environmental studies. The potential uses of GIS technology are almost too numerous to list, and are found everywhere - from local government to the United Nations, from volunteer organizations to global corporations, in the public and private sectors.
The Advanced Diploma program in Geographic Information Systems is designed for university or college graduates with a background in a related discipline or technology.
The curriculum combines theory and practice and covers GIS principles, training in GIS software, technical issues, remote sensing, digital mapping and management issues. Students must also successfully complete a supervised work experience before graduation. This may be either an industry project or an industry practicum.
Whether you are a recent university or college graduate getting started in a career, or an experienced professional seeking new employment opportunities or career advancement, we invite you to study our web pages to learn more about the GIS program at BCIT. With over 20 years of experience in delivering advanced GIS technology programs and courses, the GIS program has established an excellent reputation for producing highly skilled and sought-after graduates.
NOTE: The GIS Department has compiled a list of frequently asked questions to help you decide which BCIT GIS option is best for you.
Interested in the program? Great, but do your research carefully to ensure that GIS is the right program for you.
Attend a GIS INFO session, talk to faculty and students, research the career opportunities and job market, and do an honest self-assessment that you are ready to enrol and capable of succeeding.
Ready to apply? Excellent choice, but it's important to be prepared for this challenging program.
You'll significantly improve your chances of admission and success if you come well-prepared. Read the following and spend some time in assessment and preparation.
Computer programming is emphasized strongly in the BCIT GIS program. Students who arrive unprepared usually find the programming and GIS customization courses a great deal of work, which affects other studies.
Regardless of your abilities and experience, you should develop your skills as much as possible before you start the program. The GIS program covers many programming languages. Programming languages taught currently in GIS courses include Java, Python, JavaScript, PHP and others. You should know programming concepts and program design before starting GIS studies at BCIT, but you do not need to know any particular programming language.
You will be using the Web a great deal in the program. For example, you will be developing your own pages in September to present your resume and project/practicum. You should also learn how to create basic web pages using HTML, and how to use an HTML editor before you arrive in September.
Refresh your skills in basic algebra, trigonometry, and analytical geometry (e.g. polar and rectangular coordinates, equation of a straight line, distance between two points). You will find this helpful in a number of courses.
You can apply for the full-time GIS programs starting in October, and for part-time GIS programs at any time. For complete application information visit apply to a program on the main BCIT website.
Learning about GIS technology means learning a lot more than just GIS software.
Our program is built upon years of experience in delivering GIS education and training, and is designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge to work in the diverse and challenging GIS industry.
Our technology courses cover CAD, Remote Sensing, databases, computer programming, GIS algorithms, spatial analysis, and mapping. And of course, advanced courses in GIS software use and customization. You'll see first hand how primary data capture is done, how data is processed, and gain skills in editing and managing GIS data.
In software courses, you'll delve deeper, and gain extensive hands-on experience using industry standard software. Through the database courses, you'll see the critical importance of data modelling and management.
Through computer and programming courses, you'll learn about different ways to program and customize software for data handling and specialty applications, Web-mapping, web applications, and how these tie into current developments in GIS.
Management courses will introduce you to the IT (hardware, software, and networks), management and organization issues associated with GIS.
You'll put all these pieces together as you pursue your GIS project or practicum. Through the project/practicum courses you'll develop skills in planning and executing GIS applied research or gain real world work experience with a GIS employer.
You'll hear guest speakers from industry, be involved in GIS conferences or the BCIT Open House, and be encouraged to get involved in BCIT activities and the local GIS community.
By the time you graduate, you'll have all the necessary skills to pursue a career in GIS.
Through it all we'll be encouraging you to develop the workplace skills essential for success - critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving, initiative, self-reliance and communications.
Do you have credits from another BC/Yukon post-secondary school? Do you want to know if they transfer to courses here at BCIT? Check out BCIT's Transfer Equivalency Database to find out.
As a full-time student, you'll be immersed in a highly structured and demanding environment for the duration of the program.
You'll learn GIS in a number of ways - through lectures and hands-on labs, with integrated e-learning, independently and in teams, through demonstrations and research.
You'll be one of 45 students accepted into the program. Like yourself, everyone has a university or college background, and many have work experience. Many disciplines and fields of study arerepresented, leading to a rich, dynamic and varied learning environment.
Your schedule will be busy, with 24-31 in-class hours per week, plus homework. Most classes consists of a lecture and a lab, with the entire class of 45 students attending the lecture. You'll break out into smaller groups of 15 for the labs. In the computer labs, you'll have your own computer workstation and access to industry standard software to complete the labs and assignments. You'll have regular (usually weekly) applied assignments to complete for most courses, so it's important to manage your time well and perform consistently throughoutthe school year.
Classes start in September and end in mid-April. From April on, you will spend all your time applying your newly gained GIS skills to your industry research project or workplace practicum. You'll finish by the end of May or June, depending on the scheduling of your practicum.
When you graduate from the program, you will have completed one of the best educations in GIS technology available anywhere and be ready for the workforce.
A career in GIS can open a lot of doors. Opportunities exist in all parts of the private and public sectors, and in all sorts of application areas.
The majority of GIS graduates are working for either private industry (forestry, GIS vendors, natural resource exploration, computer systems) consulting companies (environmental, engineering, forestry, mapping, scanning, and software) or government agencies (municipal, provincial, federal). The graduates are developing GIS databases, using GIS to analyze data and predict the result of planned changes, managing GIS projects, planning the acquisition of GIS technology, developing GIS custom systems and training GIS users.
GIS Faculty are dedicated, energetic and knowledgeable, and have both GIS industry experience and formal schooling. The Department also utilizes instructors from the BCIT Geomatics Department, as well as sessional instructors from industry.
The Geographic Information Systems program benefits from the combined expertise of educational and industry professionals who form our program Advisory Committee. Their valued input and liaison with BCIT have helped ensure the relevance and currency of the program. We would like to acknowledge their continuous support for the success of the program.
Jonathan Candy, Instructor/Part-time Studies Coordinator
BSc, DiplT(SIS), MSc(Geog/GIS)
Tel. 604-432-8378
Loc. SW3-2091
Sheila Churchill, Program Head/Instructor
BSc(Geology), DiplT(GIS), PGeo, MSc(GIS)
Tel. 604-432-8737
Loc. SW3-2090
Carmen Heaver, Instructor
BSc, DiplT(GIS), MSc(GISc)
Tel. 604-412-7421
Loc. SW3-2079
Rob Hewlett, Instructor
BSc, DiplT(GIS), MSc(CIS)
Tel. 604-432-8746
Loc. SW3-2079
Karl Kliparchuk, Instructor
BSc, MSc (Geog), GISP
Tel. 604-451-6897
Loc. SW3-2079
Hao Wang, Program Assistant
Tel. 604-451-7001
Loc. SW2-214
Jack Read, Systems Analyst
DiplT
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