At Niagara College they combine GIS, remote sensing and geodatabase management together throughout the three terms. The one year GIS Certificate program at Niagara on the Lake Campus includes a thesis project that students work on for the whole term while working along side with employers to help design and implement real world GIS projects.

Niagara continuously updates their GIS program to meet the changing and evolving needs of the Geomatics industry. A full year long thesis project is required where students get to work with real employers designing and implementing real world GIS skills on a real world project. The Niagara College offers a $750 bursary to eligible students who are enrolled in full time Graduate Certificate Program such as the GIS program.

“When deciding to go back to school at the age of 36, I wanted to get into the Niagara College GIS / Geospatial Management program. When I found out that I needed to have a degree or relevant work experience to get in; I spent 5 ½ years in university to obtain a BSc. in Geography.

This program is THAT highly regarded.

While centered mostly on ESRI software and products, this program also provides experience in MapInfo, Manifold, AutoCAD Map 3D, ERDAS Imagine as well as various elements of programming. The best part of this program is the year long thesis project in which students apply to and partner with industry to provide real world GIS solutions to real clients.

While the program can sometimes be demanding, students will be incredibly prepared to enter the workforce. I do not know one person who ever regretted taking this program. The skills I learned in the program I use every day. ” Darren Platakis – Niagara College GIS Graduate

[sources: niagaracollege.ca / wikipedia.org / Darren Platakis]