Offered at Richmond

Start date: September (Full-time)

Description

Environmental protection technologists help protect our vulnerable planet from the impact of mankind's pollution through proactive intervention or through response to damage already caused.

Graduates of the Environmental Protection Technology program are qualified to collect samples and gather information to conduct and offer professional direction and advice in the areas of environmental impact assessment; solid and hazardous waste management; waste minimization; recycling and management; air, soil and water pollution monitoring and control; compliance inspection; and contaminated site investigation, reduction or elimination.

The program provides knowledge of physical and life sciences including general biology, ecology, toxicology, chemistry, physics and statistics, and training in the areas of:

• Air, water and soil field sampling
• Solid, liquid and air treatment methods
• Waste minimization
• Hazardous goods and waste handling methods
• WHMIS implementation and compliance evaluation
• Emergency planning and spill response methods
• Recycling and waste minimization program design
• Environmental issues analysis
• Environmental law and ethics
• Written and oral presentation skills
• Computer software competency

Graduates must be able to work well with others, but also must be able to work independently and take considerable initiative as required. Upon successful completion of this two-year program, graduates will be prepared for employment at the technology level in industry or government positions to monitor, evaluate and reduce pollution and other impacts on the environment. Graduates or co-op students are valuable assets to conservation societies and environmental groups.

Graduates will be hands-on oriented. They need not be chemical technicians, but will have a broadly based background. The broad range of courses will enable them to assist with environmental management efforts that require a holistic approach. Graduates should have excellent presentation and interpersonal skills. They will be able to go out in the field and collect information regarding the presence and effects of pollutants in a wide variety of situations. They will have comprehensive knowledge of waste reduction and management methods and issues. Graduates will be capable of data handling and acquisition using commercially available computer software.

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 like Environment Canada, with environmental consultants, and with industry through the establishment of municipal and district partnerships. In some cases, Kwantlen students have supervised high school students performing their own job preparation requirements. Most importantly, through these Co-op placements Environmental Protection Technology students have solidified careers upon graduation.

Career Opportunities

An advisory committee works closely with the program to maintain and update the curriculum and employment focus to 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 currently well established in the field.

Graduates are employed with environmental consulting firms, with federal, provincial or municipal departments, with industries possessing their own environmental staff, or are self-employed.

Program graduates have experienced a high rate of employment in the environmental field. They are currently employed with government and industry in a variety of technology-level positions.

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; solid waste management; and public education.

Some technologists may wish to further their education towards a Bachelor Degree, getting credit for their 2-year technology diploma.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the regular Kwantlen requirements, applicants must have:

• C or better in English Language Arts 12 (English 12) or Technical and Professional Communication 12
• C or better in Principles or Mathematics 12 or Applications of Mathematics 12
• C or better in Principles of Physics 11 or Applications of Physics 11
• C+ or better in Chemistry 12

Unless applicants have higher-level math, Mathematics 12 must have been completed within the last 5 years. If applicants completed Mathematics 12 with a C or better more than five years ago, they must achieve a sufficient score on a Kwantlen Math Placement Test. 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.

Note: Students who have already taken courses at Kwantlen or another post-secondary institution must be in good academic standing (minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better) at the time of admission to the Environmental Protection Technology program.

All students who enroll in the Environmental Protection Technology program must also participate in Co-operative Education.

In addition to the academic requirements, satisfactory work semesters are required for graduation in a Cooperative program. A student's transcript shows completion of each Co-op work semester, which is worth 9 credits. A student must complete all the requirements of a Co-op Education program to receive her or his diploma.

Content

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

Year One

Semester-fall

BIOL 1110 Introductory Biology I

ENVI 1106 Environmental Chemistry I

CISY 1105 Microcomp. Hardware & Appl.Development

ENVI 1120 Environ. Issues & Communication Skills

ENVI 1125 Environmental Physics

MATH 1115 Statistics I

COOP 1101 Job Search Techniques

Semester-spring

BIOL 1210 Introductory Biology II

ENVI 1206 Environmental Chemistry II

ENVI 1216 Introd. to Geol., Hydrology & Atmospheric Processes

ENVI 1220 Environmental Issues and Analysis

ENVI 2315 Water and Soil Sampling

Semester-summer

COOP 1110 Co-op Work Semester I

Year Two

Semester-fall

BIOL 2322 Ecology

COOP 2101 Leadership and The Job Search

ENVI 1210 Electronics with Instrumentation

ENVI 2305 Introduction to Environmental Toxicology

ENVI 2310 Solid Waste Technology

ENVI 2320 Environ. Emergency Planning & Response

Semester-spring

COOP 2110 Co-op Work Semester II

Semester-summer

COOP 2301 Career Search

ENVI 2405 Environmental Legislation

ENVI 2410 Water and Wastewater Treatment Methods

ENVI 2415 Air Monitoring and Pollution Control

ENVI 2420 Hazardous Waste and Contaminated Site Management

ENVI 2425 Health and Safety on Contaminated Sites

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 or Arts option at UNBC, Bachelor of General Studies at Open University, Bachelor of Technology options at BCIT, and Bachelor of Business Administration in Entrepreneurial Leadership at Kwantlen. There are some ideas in the planning stage at Kwantlen that might also provide future opportunities for advancement.

Accreditation

The Association of Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia (ASTTBC) has accredited this program as meeting the Canadian Technology Standards at the technology level. ASTTBC is the professional association for the province's technologists and technicians. It is mandated with the role of certifying technologists and technicians, as well as accrediting technician and technology programs offered by the colleges and institutes. Program accreditation provides assurance of high educational standards through a review process that is nationally and increasingly internationally recognized. Program accreditation permits graduates to be certified as technologists in their profession, a credential sought by many employers, and allows instant recognition of qualification for positions across Canada, the United States and elsewhere.

Graduation

Upon successful completion of this program, including the Co-op work component, students will be awarded a Diploma of Technology in Environmental Protection.