Fleming College

Program Highlights

The Geographic Information Systems Application Specialist is the "wizard" who provides technical expertise to produce effective and useful plans and project reports through the applied use of technology.

GIS Application Specialists help public and private sector agencies and organizations do effective planning to manage all aspects of the environment and community life. For example, you might work on natural resources, agriculture, or community health projects. You'll be collecting information, and then distilling it to be put into a form that specialists and technicians can use. It's a fast-growing field, with more industries relying on GIS tools and expertise than ever before.

In this ten-month, post-graduate, intensive GIS program you will learn how to use current, high-end technology tools to collect, store, manipulate, analyze, interpret, and communicate geographic information within a variety of disciplines.

As a student taking the program remotely, you will use leading-edge web conferencing technology, enabling you to:

• Share in the same experience as your fellow students who are participating in the program at Fleming College's Frost Campus (in Lindsay)
• Be in the same "class" and take the same courses at the same time, since the program is delivered synchronously
• Have the same access to faculty teaching the program as students who are physically in the class in Lindsay
• Collaborate with your peers
• Earn the same credential upon program completion - an Ontario College Graduate Certificate from Fleming College - recognizing the comprehensive and advanced level of study achieved.

Best of all, you will be able to stay in your home community, saving on costs, and making it feasible to pursue this 10-month post-graduate opportunity.

Why Choose Fleming College GIS?

Our quality faculty and curriculum, geomatics resources and our track record of success are compelling reasons to choose this program. Fleming College's leadership in this field has been recognized by industry, government and business partners through their support in establishing the Geomatics Institute at Fleming. As a result, students have access to the latest computer hardware, software, data resources and field technology used in the industry today, as well as unprecedented learning and employment opportunities.

Fleming was the first college to offer GIS training in Ontario, and has been doing so for over 20 years - and we're constantly upgrading and revising our program to suit the current and future demands of the field.

In addition to acquiring a hands-on, firm foundation using GIS technology tools, you will have many opportunities to build on your teamwork, team building, project management, problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Since employers are seeking these broad-based transferrable skills, this experience working in technology teams will give you an edge in the workplace.

Program Duration

This three-semester program starts in September with a 15-week semester ending in December, continues in January with another 15-week semester ending in April, and concludes with a seven-week semester starting in May and ending in June.

Collaborative Applied Project

You'll spend a significant part of your time in the program doing experiential work - putting theory into practice. A collaborative GIS project in the final semester involves cross-disciplinary teams from the GIS Applications Specialist and Cartographic Specialist programs working together on a project for a business, government, or industry client.

You will work on the collaborative project during the final four months of the program. During the last two months, you will work on it almost exclusively. This is similar to a co-op position, but for marks (not paid). The course is focused on giving you real-world experience with an outside organization and frequently leads to employment opportunities. You will be asked to attend the Open House, where team projects are on display, on the last day of the program, in person, at Frost Campus in Lindsay, Ontario. So please include the travel costs associated with this in your budget for taking the online program.

Is this You?

Knowing your way around a computer, hardware and software, is definitely high on the list of skills you need to succeed in this field. You should also possess the following:

Career Opportunities

Canadian Business recently published an article on "Canada’s Best Jobs." The article states:

"The explosion of big data and the growing need for location-aware hardware and software has led to a boom in the field of mapping," concluding that this field is "…poised for growth, with the highest projected demand among the top 20 jobs."

Read the article

Upon graduation, when combined with your previous education/work experience, you could work in positions as diverse as GIS programmer/analyst, applications specialist/consultant, ecosystem IT manager, utilities manager, database manager, GIS systems operator, and land information manager. The options for career change are strong. You can go back to your previous profession and apply your GIS studies there, or make a move into a new career.

How to Apply:

Apply online to Fleming College through Ontario Colleges Application Service (ontariocolleges.ca). Select Fleming College, GIS Applications Specialist - (Online).

Books/Supplies

You will require a computer, internet access and a headset with microphone, earpieces, and USB connectivity. Plan on spending $1000 for books and supplies. You may also be required to pay examination proctoring fees.

Transfer Agreements

You may be able to use credits obtained at Fleming College to continue your postsecondary education in pursuit of a degree. The articulation and credit transfer agreements with our partner institutions are summarized below.