> Kwantlen Polytechnic University > Calendar 2010-11 > Programs & Entrance Requirements > Environmental Protection

Environmental Protection

Diploma of Technology in Environmental Protection

Description

Environmental protection technologists provide an invaluable service to society by helping protect and sustain the long-term health of our ecosystems.

Environmental consultants, industry and government seek out graduates from our Environmental Protection Technology program. They do this because our graduates have developed the skills needed to offer professional advice on a wide range of subjects, including: environmental impact assessment; hazardous and non-hazardous waste management; waste reduction and reuse strategies; air, soil and water pollution prevention and monitoring; compliance auditing; and contaminated site investigation and remediation. This skill set is based on an integrated, hands-on training program that gives graduates a good working knowledge of physical and life sciences, including general biology, ecology, toxicology, chemistry, physics and statistics. Specific topics covered by the program include:

Although graduates typically work within a team of professionals, they must also be able to work independently and take initiative as required; the program helps promote these attributes. Successful completion of the two-year program prepares graduates for employment at the technology level within industry or government often with excellent potential for upward mobility as job experience grows.

For more information, please visit the department web page at www.kwantlen.ca/environment.

Career Opportunities

An advisory committee works closely with the program to maintain and update the curriculum and ensure that graduates are well prepared for the job market. This committee consists of potential employers from the public and private sectors, as well as several graduates of the program who are well established in the field.

Graduates are employed with environmental consulting firms; federal, provincial or municipal departments; as environmental staff in large industries; or are self-employed.

Program graduates have experienced a high rate of employment in the environmental field. The Co-operative Education component of the program has proved to be extremely valuable, with several of the graduates obtaining positions with their Co-op employers. Examples of the type of work performed by Co-op students and graduates include: air, water, and soil sampling; wastewater systems investigations; contaminated sites assessments; contingency planning and spills response; waste permitting and compliance investigations; laboratory analysis; habitat evaluation; environmental auditing; environmental policy and legislation; recycling, composting and solid waste management; and public education.

Graduates are able to continue their education towards a Bachelor's Degree in Management or Environmental Science, and complete both the environmental diploma and a baccalaureate degree in a total of four to five years.

Entrance Requirements

In addition to the general university admission requirements, applicants must have at least:

Students lacking any of these requisites must obtain their equivalent before being registered in the program.

All applicants must attend an information session (normally November and February) or, if from outside the Vancouver and Fraser Valley area, must complete a telephone interview.

Content

The two-year program, which contains two four-month work terms, consists of the following sequence:

YEAR ONE

Fall

Spring

Note: Students who have already completed Principles of Math 12 (or equivalent) with C+ or better do not need to take MATH 1117. However, students still need a minimum of 60 semester credit hours in order to graduate with the diploma.

Summer

YEAR TWO

Fall

Spring

Summer

Note: Students with entrance requirements higher than the minimum requirements listed above, or with university transfer credits, will be assessed on a case-by-case basis for advanced standing on admission to the program. Please contact the Transfer Credit Department in Enrolment and Registrar Services for more information or the Department of Environmental Protection for assistance.

Co-operative Education

This program operates with two four-month Co-op work terms. Kwantlen has been successful in arranging unique and challenging placements with government agencies such as Environment Canada and the BC Ministry of the Environment, with environmental consultants, and with other industries. Most importantly, these Co-op placements facilitate entry into successful careers by the Environmental Protection Technology graduates.

While successful completion of the two Co-op work terms is regarded as a requirement to graduate, it is sometimes possible to graduate without one or both Co-op components. This would be warranted by exceptional circumstances, and requires the documented recommendation of the Program Chair in consultation with the Co-op office. In every case, COOP 1101 is a required course for the Environmental Protection Technology diploma.

Additional Information

Elective Courses for non-technology students

Environmental Protection also offers three courses to students from other disciplines who wish to learn more about the environment, and/or require it in their program of study.

All of the above courses qualify as General Liberal Education electives.

Transfer

Graduates are able to enter, either directly or at a later stage in their career, into upper levels of the following programs: Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science at Royal Roads University, Bachelor of Science at UNBC, Bachelor of General Studies at Thompson Rivers University-Open Learning, and Bachelor of Technology at BCIT (environmental engineering and environmental health). After completing a short bridging program graduates may also enter directly into the third year of the Bachelor of Business Administration in either Entrepreneurial Leadership or Human Resource Management at Kwantlen.

Accreditation

The Environmental Protection Technology (EPT) program has been granted National Accreditation by the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists (CCTT) www.cctt.ca. National Accreditation provides students, employers and contractors assurance that the EPT program contains high educational quality, and by measuring its curriculum against Canadian Technology Standards established by the industry that graduates have the employability skills competencies required. National Accreditation also provides access to membership with CCTT's provincial affiliate, the Association of Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia (ASTTBC) www.asttbc.org, which, aside from many other benefits, qualifies one to seek professional certification as an Applied Science Technologist. (AScT). This certification, while classified in different ways in other provinces, is transferable for work or moves across Canada and internationally in countries where partnerships with CCTT or ASTTBC have been established. This is a particularly important factor as many international contracts may demand that workers possess a national certification for quality control and assurance purposes.

While not a certifying body, membership in the Environmental Careers Organization (ECO, www.eco.ca) is also available, providing added benefits and services to the environmental graduate.

Graduation

Upon successful completion of the program, students are awarded a Diploma of Technology in Environmental Protection.

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