Overview
The Computer Systems Technology (CST/FLEX) Diploma program is built on the foundations acquired from the Computer Systems Certificate (CSC). Students start with advanced levels of web app and C++ development. They increase their skills with related computer science, mathematics, and software design courses. Choose from a wide variety of electives.
The CST Diploma is a well recognized credential with employers who know that CST graduates are job ready. CST grads have hands-on experience solving problems by writing code, creating software, developing web applications, and designing scalable and secure enterprise Computing and IT system solutions.
CST/FLEX is part-time delivery so you can adjust your course load each term to suit your availability. You could complete this program in as little as 2 years with 3 courses per term, or 3 years with 2 courses per term.
About the program
- 3 intakes: September, January, and April
- Classes at night after 6pm and on weekends
- Course by course registration, pay as you go
- Have the option to work on an industry project with real clients
- Engage with a community, Peer Tutors, student clubs, and attend events
- Choose from 20 credits of advanced electives in: business intelligence, cloud computing, database, data visualization, DevOps, programming languages, mobile and web development
See the Program Details to learn more about what you can expect from CST/FLEX, and how you can prepare for a wide variety of career options in the Computing and IT industry.
Who should complete the CST Diploma?
This program might be for you if:
- You want a career in the expanding Computing and IT sector
- You enjoy problem-solving, communicating, and working in teams
- You are interested in programming, creating software apps, and developing information systems
If any of these sound like you, please check the Entrance Requirements to ensure you can apply and start your new IT career!
What Computer Systems Technology grads can do?
By earning your BCIT Diploma, you will have gained significant knowledge and hands-on skills with various industry-recognized technologies and tools, preparing you for positions in multiple sectors across the globe.
As a CST graduate, you will be able to:
- Participate in all aspects of software development and maintenance
- Contribute and communicate effectively as a member of software project teams
- Design and code with widely-used programming languages and scripting tools, such as JavaScript, Java, C, C# and C++
- Develop and maintain complex software components and information systems that are scalable and secure
- Apply logical, critical, and creative thinking to effectively solve Computing and IT-related problems
- Work productively and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
- Learn Independently and adopt new tools, current technologies and methods to stay on top of the latest technologies
- Be admitted to the Bachelor of Science (BScACS) either full-time or part-time
- Next up Entrance Requirements
Entrance Requirements
The CST FLEX Diploma is 120 credits; 60 unique credits built on top of the 60 credits in the CSC.
Students must complete the majority of CSC, including Communications, Java, C, and Architecture, before applying to the CST FLEX Diploma.
Please Note: The CST FLEX Diploma requires a minimum of 2 years of study, with a maximum of 5 years to complete. Due to prerequisites and scheduling, it is not possible to complete this Flexible Learning program in a full-time delivery.
The absolute minimum time is 12 terms or 4 years to complete both the part-time CSC and CST FLEX Diploma.
For course and program planning before declaring the CST FLEX Diploma, please contact the department.
Entrance requirements
- Completion of the Computer Systems Certificate (CSC) program
- Prior to submitting your program declaration request, please ensure that you are currently registered in the final four (or fewer) courses in the CSC and have successfully completed the following courses:
- Complete the following form for submission with your program declaration:
Be sure that you have the required knowledge and skills before enrolling in any courses. You are also expected to have excellent command of English and math at a BC high school Grade 12 level or equivalent.
International applicants
This program is available to international applicants. A valid study permit is required prior to starting the program.
Complete the following steps before declaring your program:
- Create your BCIT ID. If you already have a BCIT ID, ensure that your personal profile is complete and current.
- Submit your completed International Flexible Application [PDF] along with proof of your current level of English to international_flex@bcit.ca.
- If you are in Canada, submit a photo or scan of your current status in Canada document to statusdoc@bcit.ca from your myBCIT email account.
BCIT International Student Centre will review your application and contact you with next steps.
Program declaration
Declaring your Flexible Learning (Part-time Studies) program ensures that BCIT is aware of your intent to complete a program as it is currently outlined and also provides you the opportunity to apply for transfer credit.
Read more about program declaration requests
To declare the Computer Systems Technology FLEX Diploma program:
- Click on Apply Now
- Select Apply for a program and follow the prompts
- Choose Part-time Program Declaration when selecting entrance type
- Proceed with the declaration request
Apply Now
Upon approval, a program plan letter will be sent to you confirming your program of study. Please allow approximately eight weeks for processing.
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Costs & Supplies
This program is a course-by-course registration, there are approximately 36 individual courses in the entire series ASD, ACIS, CSC, CST/PTS.
The average course tuition is around $550 per course depending on credits. Textbooks are generally required and may cost $150+ for each course.
Credit for the CST FLEX Diploma calculated on top of the 60 credits in the CSC.
CST FLEX Diploma students will not receive dual credit for any course used in the CSC.
There are approximately 18 courses (60 credits) in this CST FLEX diploma completion segment depending on electives chosen.
Please budget an additional $9,500 for tuition on top of the CSC cost to complete this follow-on credential.
A total of 120 unique total credits from ASD, ACIS and CSC is required to graduate from the CST FLEX Diploma.
The cost of tuition and books for this series of laddered part-time credentials is approximately $20,000 for Canadian residents.
International students who are approved into CSC and CST FLEX will pay 3x standard tuition and need to budget over $60,000 for tuition and books.
Scheduling of Computing Flexible Learning courses typically does not allow students to attempt more than 3 courses simultaneously.
Students should not expect to complete the CST FLEX Diploma series in less than 4-5 years part-time.
Flexible Learning is market-driven course by course delivery and not all courses are available every term.
Please attend a program specific information session for more details.
Tuition fees
Flexible Learning (Part-time Studies) tuition is charged on a course-by-course basis. Please see the Flexible Learning Tuition & Fees pages for more information:
Financial assistance
Financial assistance may be available for this program. For more information, please contact Student Financial Aid and Awards.
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Courses
Program matrix
Check current availability of courses for this program.
1. Completion of the BCIT Computer Systems Certificate (60.0 credits): | |||
---|---|---|---|
The Computer Systems FLEX Diploma requires completion of a minimum of 60.0 credits on top of the 60.0 credits in the Computer Systems Certificate (CSC) for a total of 120.0 unique credits to graduate. |
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2. Required Courses (39.5 credits): | Credits | ||
COMP 1288 | IT Project Management Fundamentals | 1.5 | |
COMP 3015 | Web Application Development with PHP | 3.0 | |
COMP 3603 | Application Development with C++* | 4.0 | |
COMP 3704 | Applied IT Security Fundamentals | 3.0 | |
COMP 3725 | Data Communications for CST | 5.0 | |
COMP 3761 | Algorithm Analysis and Design | 4.0 | |
COMP 3833 | Object Oriented Analysis and Design | 3.0 | |
COMP 4603 | Advanced C++ Application Development | 4.0 | |
COMP 4737 | Introduction to Operating Systems for CST | 4.0 | |
LIBS 7102 | Ethics for Computing Professionals | 4.0 | |
MATH 1060 | Statistics for Data Analysis | 3.0 | |
MATH 1061 | Computer Simulations for Statistics | 1.0 | |
*Check Computing Flexible Learning Course and Program Changes for equivalents. | |||
3. Complete a minimum of 20.5 credits from the following list of electives: | Credits | ||
Unless previously completed in the Computer Systems Certificate (CSC), the following courses must be taken as electives (7.0 credits): | |||
COMP 1011 | UX/UI Development | 3.0 | |
COMP 2833 | Agile Scrum Methods | 4.0 | |
The remainder of the 21.5 elective credits must be selected from the following: | Credits | ||
Courses completed as part of the CSC may not be re-taken or counted for credit in this diploma. This credential is built upon the CSC and requires 60.0 additional, unique credits. |
|||
COMP 2010 | MS Office Applications | 3.0 | |
COMP 2052 | Android and Mobile Application Development Tools | 3.0 | |
COMP 2156 | Introduction to Microsoft Power BI | 1.5 | |
COMP 2252 | SAP Crystal Reports | 3.0 | |
COMP 2256 | Introduction to Visual Analytics with Tableau | 3.0 | |
COMP 2362 | Microsoft Excel Advanced | 1.5 | |
COMP 2629 | Enterprise Networking Fundamentals | 4.0 | |
COMP 2766 | Introduction to Linux | 4.0 | |
COMP 2767 | Linux Administration | 3.0 | |
COMP 2836 | Agile Product Owner | 4.0 | |
COMP 2909 | Front-End Web Development with Angular and Vue.js | 1.5 | |
COMP 3012 | Back-End Web Development with Node.js* | 3.0 | |
COMP 3013 | Front-End Web Development with React.js* | 3.0 | |
COMP 3156 | MS Power BI Optimization | 1.5 | |
COMP 3157 | MS Power BI Advanced Data Visualization | 1.5 | |
COMP 3215 | AWS Academy Cloud Architecting | 3.0 | |
COMP 3601 | Application Development with Java | 4.0 | |
COMP 3602 | Application Development with C# | 4.0 | |
COMP 3617 | Android and Mobile Applications in Java | 3.0 | |
COMP 3677 | Introduction to MS Server Administration Part 1 | 1.5 | |
COMP 3678 | SQL Server Development | 4.0 | |
COMP 3679 | MS Azure and SQL Analytics Tools | 4.0 | |
COMP 3680 | Microsoft SQL Server Administration Part 2 | 1.5 | |
COMP 3681 | Microsoft Windows Server Administration Part 2 | 1.5 | |
COMP 3771 | MS PowerShell Scripting | 3.0 | |
COMP 3829 | Quality Assurance and Software Testing | 3.0 | |
COMP 3839 | Data Quality Improvement | 1.5 | |
COMP 3841 | Introduction to Data Warehouses with Big Data | 1.5 | |
COMP 3912 | iOS Mobile Application Development | 4.0 | |
COMP 3925 | Computer Projects Practicum 1 | 5.0 | |
COMP 4016 | Applied DevOps with Kubernetes | 3.0 | |
COMP 4601 | Advanced Java Web Application Development | 4.0 | |
COMP 4602 | Advanced .NET Web Application Development | 4.0 | |
COMP 4669 | Advanced Web Applications with PHP | 3.0 | |
COMP 4704 | Applied Network Security | 3.0 | |
XCOM 3840 | Technical Presentations | 1.5 | |
*Credit will be granted for only one of:
*Check Computing Flexible Learning Course and Program Changes for equivalents. |
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Total Credits: | 120.0 |
Check current availability of courses for this program.
Transfer credit
Do you have credits from another BC/Yukon post-secondary school? Do you want to know if they transfer to courses here at BCIT? Check out BCIT's Transfer Equivalency Database to find out.
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Program Details
The Computer Systems Technology Diploma (CST FLEX) requires 60 unique credits on top of the 60 credits in the Computer Systems Certificate (CSC), for a total of 120 credits.
65% of the CST FLEX Diploma required courses include: C++, IT Security, Ethics for Computing Professionals, Advanced Web Applications, Data Communications, Object-Oriented Design, Algorithms, Operating Systems and Statistics.
35% of the CST FLEX Diploma comprised a variety of advanced application development courses in Java, .Net, Web, Linux, Agile Development, Amazon AWS, Advanced Database, Business Intelligence, Data Analytics and Network Security.
The CST FLEX Diploma is course by course registration and designed to be delivered one course at a time. It is aimed at those who are working full-time. Due to prerequisites and scheduling it is not possible to complete the CSC and CST FLEX Diploma in any less than 4 years.
Timelines:
Most CST FLEX students typically complete 1-2 courses per term over a period of 3-4 years. Some students who are not working full-time may consider 3 courses per term and potentially complete this second half of the CST FLEX Diploma in 2 years.
Note to Full-time CST Students: CST FLEX parallels the second year of the Full-time CST Diploma, Level 3 and Level 4. Students who drop full-time CST may have credit if they want to complete the CST FLEX Diploma.
Please read the CST FLEX Diploma “Program Entry” section and the Computing PTS Student Guide before registering for any COMP courses.
For course and program planning prior to declaring the CST FLEX Diploma, please contact the department.
Computer hardware and Internet requirements
Students must provide a current model PC desktop or laptop with a webcam, microphone and have high-speed internet access. COMP courses may use two-way audio and video as well as group work outside of class.
The curriculum may be modified in accordance with industry trends. Programs and courses are subject to change without notice.
Program delivery
Blended: This program has courses that are delivered on campus or partly on campus and partly online.
Please check the individual course schedule pages. Some COMP courses are delivered entirely online and others are entirely on campus. Several course sections in CST have a blended delivery with synchronous on campus classes, and others have synchronous online classes, while both options may include required asynchronous online components.
Program location
Courses may be offered at the following locations:
Burnaby Campus
3700 Willingdon Avenue
Burnaby, BC
Downtown Campus
555 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC
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Graduating & Jobs
Graduate employment outcomes
The BCIT student outcomes report presents summary findings from the annual survey of former students administered by BC Stats one to two years after graduation.
The reports are organized into three-page summaries containing information on graduates’ labour market experiences and opinions regarding their education. More detailed information can be accessed at the BC Student Outcomes website.
Apply for graduation
Upon successful completion of all program requirements, complete an Application for BCIT Credential [PDF] and submit to Student Information and Enrolment Services.
Allow approximately six to eight weeks for processing.
All financial obligations to the Institute must be met prior to the issuance of any credential.
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Faculty, Advisors & Staff
Computing – Flexible Learning and Industry Training
- Karen Lee, PA
- Gustavo Montemor, PA
- Joanne Atha, PTS Coordinator
- Kevin Cudihee, Program Head
- Donna Turner, Associate Dean, BCIT Computing
Computing Curriculum Committee (CC)
Advisory committee
BCIT is well-respected by employers for its ties to the industry. In Computing, this connection is formalized through a Program Advisory Committee (PAC) comprised of experts in a range of roles from a cross-section of companies. The department consults regularly to ensure program currency and relevance.
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