Malaspina offers two new GIS programs this fall

Malaspina University-College is launching two new leading-edge programs in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in September.

The Advanced Diploma in GIS Applications program will be offered in a classroom setting on the Nanaimo campus to university and college graduates who want to strengthen their employment opportunities in an area that is in high demand around the world.

"During this intensive, eight-month program students will develop hands-on competency in GIS technology, and learn to use GIS as a tool to resolve geographic problems," said Dr. Don Stone, Chair of Malaspina’s Geography department and coordinator of the new program. "Students will be well positioned to secure employment upon graduation."

Stone and his colleagues in Malaspina’s Geography Department consulted GIS practitioners and educators in Canada and the United States when developing the new curriculum. ESRI’s ArcGIS is the main software package used, and highly experienced faculty have been recruited to teach the program.

Meanwhile, Malaspina's new UNIGIS Certificate program will also be launched in September. This post-graduate program will be delivered completely on-line.

Malaspina Geography professor Doug Corrin, a registered professional forester, will oversee the UNIGIS program. Corrin explained that Malaspina is now a member of UNIGIS International, a worldwide consortium of universities offering distance and online GIS education to working professionals. The UNIGIS program was recently transferred from Simon Fraser University to Malaspina, and is the only GIS program in the consortium offered in Canada.

"The program will focus on the theoretical and applied aspects of geographic information systems technology," he explained. "Students will learn how to design and implement GIS systems and to translate research problems into GIS. The program utilizes popular GIS software, with emphasis on spatial analysis, real-world applications and cartography."

The part-time on-line format means working professionals do not have to stop working or relocate in order to enroll in the program. "We’ll foster a collaborative on-line learning environment where students will gain a network of ‘GIS colleagues’ that help them in their studies and later in their careers as well," Corrin added.

Graduates from the Advanced Diploma in GIS Applications program will be well qualified to assume entry-level positions as GIS applications professionals in a number of fields including business, education, engineering, government and municipal planning, media, environmental and natural resource management, research, security, transportation and utilities. Graduates from the on-line post-graduate certificate program in UNIGIS will be qualified to work in similar fields as spatial analysts or GIS administrators.

Both programs start in September 2005. To apply, contact Malaspina’s Centre for Continuing Studies at 1-866-734-6252 or visit the websites at www.viu.ca/ccs/certificates/gis.htm or www.viu.ca/ccs/certificates/unigis.htm.