Overview
The Food Technology and Operations Management BSc program was requested by the industry and has been designed to meet their specific demands. Unique to BCIT, this new, innovative program is serious about advancing your career in food technology.
More than the basics of laboratory and quality control, this program focuses on the advanced business, technical, and regulatory skills that are required for senior level positions in the food industry. This program will allow you to:
- Take the lead on higher risk decision making and responsibility
- Improve processes and operations
- Develop dynamic teams and people
- Innovate food safety and sustainability in a global environment
About the program
- Two-year, full-time bachelor of science completion program
- Distance and online learning gives you the flexibility to fit courses into your lifestyle
- Case studies push your critical thinking and problem-solving skills into real world situations
For more information on Food Technology and Operations Management BSc see Program Details.
Who it’s for
This program is for individuals who:
- Completed BCIT’s Food Technology Diploma program or a degree in food science
- Have strong technical abilities and want to build leadership and business operations skills
- Enjoy critical thinking and problem solving in a dynamic work environment
- Have one year or more experience working in the food processing industry
Do you want to be a food industry leader? Visit Entrance Requirements for info on how to apply.
What grads can do
The Food Technology and Operations Management BSc program gives you leadership and business skills to manage food processing operations. An advanced career in food technology starts here. Check Graduating and Jobs for details.
Learn more
Curious to see more about the Food Technology and Operations Management program? Watch the Food Technology program video for more information.
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Entrance Requirements
Application processing
Entrance requirements
This program has a two-step admission process. Applicants must meet all entrance requirements and will be accepted on a first qualified basis as long as space remains.
Step 1: Meet the following entrance requirements
- English: two years of education in English in an English-speaking country with one of the following:
- English Studies 12 (73%) or
- English First Peoples 12 (73%) or
- Other acceptable BC and Yukon courses or
- 3.0 credits of post-secondary English, humanities or social sciences (73%) from a recognized institution
What if I don’t meet these English requirements? - Work experience: one of the following:
- Minimum of one year relevant work experience or
- Three months of relevant work experience with current employment
- Complete the following form for submission with your online application:
Plus one of the following options:
Option 1:
- BCIT Food Technology diploma with minimum 70% overall GPA
- An overall GPA of 70% in the following:
- COMM 1144
- COMM 2244
- COMM 3444
Option 2:
- Food Science Degree with minimum 70%
- Bridging courses as follows:
Read more about how to meet BCIT’s entrance requirements
Step 2: Department assessment
Applications will be reviewed and assessed by the program area when the entrance requirements are complete.
Scheduled Intakes
myCommunication
Within two business days of submitting your completed application, BCIT will send a message to your personal and myBCIT e-mail addresses. All correspondence regarding your application will be posted to your online myCommunication account at my.bcit.ca. We'll send you an e-mail when a new message is posted. It's important to watch for these e-mails or regularly check your account online.
You can expect to receive communication concerning the status of your application within four weeks.
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Costs & Supplies
Tuition fees
Please see the Full-Time Studies Tuition & Fees page for full-time tuition fees.
Books & supplies
$500 per term for textbooks and supplies.
(general estimated cost, subject to change)
Costs also include required membership of both ASQ (American Society for Quality) and APICS (American Society for Production and Inventory Control) for access to selected their libraries.
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Courses
Class hours
Courses requiring classroom time (such as OPMT) will be scheduled in the evenings. Many courses (such as LIBS and BUSA) are available online. FOOD courses will be blended delivery and lecture material will be available online with a Saturday classroom session from 9:00 to 4:00.
Program matrix
Level 5 (15 weeks) | Credits | ||
---|---|---|---|
BUSA 7250 | Management Skills and Applications | 3.0 | |
FOOD 5040 | Food Chemistry | 3.0 | |
FOOD 5050 | Product Development 2 | 3.0 | |
FOOD 5255 | Assessing and Managing Risks | 2.0 | |
OPMT 5343 | Operations Management 2 | 3.0 | |
and | |||
LIBS 7002 | Applied Ethics* | 3.0 | |
Level 6 (15 weeks) | Credits | ||
FOOD 6010 | Advanced food Processing | 3.0 | |
FOOD 6050 | Food Plant Layout and Design | 3.0 | |
FOOD 6255 | Management and Regulatory Affairs | 2.0 | |
OPMT 6343 | Logistics, Inventory and Production | 4.0 | |
and | |||
LIBS 7001 | Critical Reading and Writing* | 3.0 | |
Level 7 (15 weeks) | Credits | ||
BUSA 7200 | Business, Society and Ethics | 4.0 | |
FOOD 7030 | Quality Systems | 2.5 | |
FOOD 7070 | Sustainability and the Environment for Food Processors | 3.0 | |
OPMT 7070 | Project Management | 3.0 | |
OPMT 7170 | Process Improvement | 3.0 | |
and | |||
LIBS 7006 | Philosophy of Science: Understanding Scientific Reasoning* | 3.0 | |
Level 8 (15 weeks) | Credits | ||
BUSA 8000 | Human Relations and Management | 4.0 | |
FOOD 8255 | HACCP and Food Safety Implementation | 2.5 | |
FOOD 8390 | Applied Research Project | 7.0 | |
OPMT 8070 | Vendor Certification/Supplier Assessment | 2.0 | |
and complete 3.0 credits of Liberal Studies electives* * Students are responsible for registering for LIBS. This course is offered through Part-time Studies in the fall, winter and spring terms. |
|||
Total Credits: | 69.0 |
Transfer credit
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.
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- Next up Program Details
Program Details
Program length
Two years
Program location
Burnaby Campus
3700 Willingdon Avenue
Burnaby, BC
Program structure
Component | Courses | Credits | Percentage |
Food Technology | FOOD 5040
FOOD 5050 FOOD 6010 FOOD 7070 FOOD 8390 |
19.0 | 27% |
Quality Assurance and Food Safety |
FOOD 5255
FOOD 7030 FOOD 8255 |
7.0 | 10.5% |
Operations Management | BUSA 5200
FOOD 5343 FOOD 6050 OPMT 6343 OPMT 7170 OMPT 7070 OPMT 8070 |
21.0 | 31.3% |
Communications/ Leadership |
BUSA 7250
BUSA 8000 FOOD 6255 |
9.0 | 13.2% |
General Studies | LIBS 7001
LIBS 7002 LIBS 7006 LIBS elective |
12.0 | 18% |
Continue your education
Graduates may be able to continue studies at other post-secondary institutions to the M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels or into an MBA program.
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- Next up Graduating & Jobs
Graduating & Jobs
Our grads get work
The food industry is asking for our grads. You will complete the Food Technology and Operations Management BSc program with everything you need to move your career forward.
Lead high performing teams. Develop cutting edge quality control strategies. Learn operations management. Build better systems and grow stronger people. Advanced careers in the food industry start here.
Career opportunities
- Quality assurance manager or director
- Quality assurance strategist
- Operations manager or director
- Process improvement analyst
- Production manager
Keep learning
Take your education to the next level. Grads can continue on to graduate school. We prepare you for the next level.
Graduate employment outcomes
The BCIT student outcomes report presents summary findings from the annual survey of former students administered by BC Stats one to two years after graduation. These reports combine the last three years of available results for the 2018-2020 BCIT Outcomes Surveys of 2017-2019 graduates and for Degree 2015-2017 graduates. The reports are organized into three-page summaries containing information on graduates’ labour market experiences and opinions regarding their education. More detailed information can be accessed at the BC Student Outcomes website.
To view these results, you may need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in your Web browser.
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Faculty, Advisors & Staff
Erin Friesen, PhD
Program Head
Erin_Friesen@bcit.ca
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Contact Us
Erin Friesen, PhD
Program Head
Erin_Friesen@bcit.ca
Questions or comments?
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