Fish, Wildlife and Recreation, Diploma

Program Overview

The Fish, Wildlife and Recreation program at BCIT is a two-year diploma program that prepares students for careers in the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, parks, and outdoor recreation. The program provides a broad range of applied skills, experiences, and knowledge, with a significant focus on field learning. Graduates are eligible for the professional designation of Registered Biology Technologist and can pursue careers in government agencies or the private sector.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Fish, Wildlife and Recreation program at BCIT is a two-year, full-time diploma program that prepares students for careers in the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, parks, and outdoor recreation. The program is designed to give students a broad range of applied skills, experiences, and knowledge. A significant amount of learning is done in the field where students learn to identify, inventory, and monitor BC’s fish and wildlife species, the habitats they use, and the natural areas set aside for conservation and recreation. Students in the program will also learn how parks and protected areas are established, designed, and managed. Upon completion of the FWR program, graduates will be ready to work in the dynamic and diverse field of resource management.

Outline:

Level 1 (15 weeks)

• COMM 1155: Professional Communications and Practices for Resource Management
• MATH 1455: Technical Mathematics for Natural Resources
• RENR 1105: Natural Resource Measurements
• RENR 1125: Plant Identification and Perspectives
• RENR 1300: Field Navigation
• RENR 1310: Introduction to Earth Science and Hydrology
• RENR 1320: Identifying and Describing Soils

Level 2 (17 weeks)

• RENR 2111: Digital Field Data Collection for Natural Resources
• RENR 2300: Ecosystem Principles and Identification
• RENR 2310: GIS for Natural Resource Applications
• RENR 2320: Wildlife Ecology and Physiology
• RENR 2330: Fish Ecology and Physiology
• RENR 2340: Habitat Assessment

Level 3 (15 weeks)

• COMM 2155: Technical Writing and Communication
• RENR 2240: Environmental Law and Policy
• RENR 3230: Field Project in Fish, Wildlife, and Recreation 1
• RENR 3300: Terrestrial Field School
• RENR 3310: Parks, Protected Areas, and Recreation
• RENR 3320: Wildlife Management and Stewardship
• RENR 3330: Freshwater Fisheries Management and Stewardship
• RENR 3340: Indigenous Perspectives in Fish, Wildlife, and Recreation

Level 4 (17 weeks)

• CHEM 1150: Environmental Chemistry
• MATH 2453: Statistics for Natural Resources
• RENR 3350: Environmental Monitoring
• RENR 3360: Field Data Analysis for Natural Resource Applications
• RENR 4230: Field Project in Fish, Wildlife, and Recreation 2
• RENR 4300: Aquatic Field School

Careers:

Graduates of the program are eligible to register for the professional designation of a Registered Biology Technologist or RB Tech with the College of Applied Biology of British Columbia. Job opportunities for graduates are in both government agencies (local, regional, provincial, and federal) and in the private sector, primarily with environmental consultants.