Program Highlights
Unique in BC, NIC’s Tourism and Hospitality Management diploma is designed to be fun and flexible, while maximizing your options and opportunities. You’ll get a solid business education as well as the practical experience and knowledge necessary to launch a management career in one of the world’s fastest growing industries.
The program offers domestic and international field trips, a solid and far-reaching co-op program and international exchange opportunities that are fun and effective ways to earn academic credit while connecting with the industry and honing your skills while you study.
Adventure Guiding Pathway Option
The adventure guiding option is designed for students who wish to have it all – to gain the skills necessary to be an adventure guide working in the outdoors but who also want to gain the business skills necessary to operate or own an adventure business. In your first year, you will receive a balance of hands-on learning and theoretical classroom learning. You will develop essential knowledge for working across cultures, with consideration toward environmental sustainability and risk management. In your second year, you will develop a broader understanding of the tourism sector while further refining your field guiding skills. This diploma option pairs our popular Adventure Guiding certificate with elements of the Tourism & Hospitality Management diploma.
An Education that Meets Industry Needs
Tourism is one of the world's fastest growing industries offering a wide variety of career possibilities. It employs over 200,000 people in BC and, according to Statistics Canada, 354,000 job openings are predicted nationwide in the next 10 years. Over 65,000 of those openings are anticipated to be for supervisors and managers. So, whether you are just starting out, looking to advance your current situation, transferring yours skills from another industry or run your own businesses, NIC can put you on a path to a successful career.
We recognize that people are central to the success of every tourism business, and your interpersonal development while at NIC will be critical to your professional future. That's why, throughout the program, employability skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership and public speaking are strongly emphasized, giving you a marketable advantage in the workplace.
As a graduate of this two-year diploma, you will have the confidence and knowledge you need to launch your career in this global industry or continue into a degree program, here at NIC or at one of many hospitality, tourism, or business degree programs across Canada.
You’ll gain a strong foundation in key management functions such as accounting, marketing, human resource management, leadership and computer skills, have an opportunity to visit one of Canada’s top tourism destinations and receive a practical introduction to restaurant and hotel operations. You will be introduced to the major tourism sectors, including accommodation, food and beverage, adventure tourism and recreation, events and conferences, transportation, attractions, tourism services and travel trade.
You will have an opportunity to specialize in hospitality, sustainable tourism, a combination of both or adventure guiding. If you choose hospitality or sustainable tourism options you can use your electives to take more sustainable tourism and hospitality courses, to study a foreign language or prepare for transfer directly into the third year of a number of tourism, hospitality, or business degree programs across Canada.
Co-operative Education
A mandatory component of the program, co-operative education alternates paid, program-related work experiences with academic study. The practical experience gained on your supervised and structured work terms is an integral part of your education. The result is increased confidence, new employment contacts and practical work experience.
Co-op staff and program instructors work closely with you to determine how your work term can best fit your individual interests and career goals. You may find work locally, on Vancouver Island, provincially or internationally.
You must complete Co-operative Education Pre-Employment-Seminar (EMP-100) as a prerequisite to Co-operative Education Internship Work Term (THM-197).
Field Trips
In each year of the program you will participate in a required field trip as part of your studies. You will receive academic credit for these dynamic courses.
As a first year student, you will travel to major Canadian tourist destinations, such as Vancouver and Whistler, stay in a four or five-star property and experience its daily operation, guest accommodations and services. Lab fees cover the cost of travel.
During year two, you will travel to an international tourist destination where you will experience tourism and/or hospitality operations first hand. Lab fees cover the cost of travelling to destinations such as Vegas, but in previous years students have chosen to participate in fundraising activities to increase field trip options, travelling to popular destinations such as New Orleans, Hawaii, Mexico and Cuba.