British Columbia Institute of Technology
AC-4: Graduate Program

There is growing demand for sustainability and carbon-neutrality to be at the forefront of business strategies, innovation, and industry. Across Canada, smart grids are widely adopted to ensure safe and efficient delivery of power in an environmentally responsible manner – helping municipalities and energy providers advance their sustainability goals. As a result, new job opportunities are emerging for skilled talent required to implement smart grid technologies.

The electrical utility sector across the globe is seeing dramatic changes associated with the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power due to a series of key paradigm shifts. One example of such a shift is the transition from a “load following” environment, in which power flows are dictated entirely by the customer, to “generation following” models where the intermittency of renewable energy resources greatly affect power system operations. Another shift sees the availability of more cost-effective technologies available to enable wide-spread command, control and monitoring of power systems at all levels of operation. While such changes improve sustainability and service to customers, they also render many of the conventional technologies and approaches used by electric utilities unsuitable. The path to “smarter” and “sustainable” electrical power will therefore require the industry to adapt at a rapid pace, requiring highly qualified personnel with an appropriate background to navigate unforeseen challenges and needs.

The concepts and technologies at the basis of this “grid modernization” form a new area of specialization known as smart grid systems and technologies or SGST. The domain of SGST combines classical electrical engineering topics such as power system and electronics along with computer science, and information and communications technology (ICT). At time of publishing, the curriculum of engineering programs in many higher education institutions in the world are siloed, with programs in electrical engineering, computer science and ICT run largely independent of one another. Few programs combine these components in a coherent manner despite the clear needs of the electrical utility sector. Moreover, specialized training in SGST requires an abundance of hands-on exposure to the key enabling technologies associated with these “smarter” grids, which few institutions can offer due to the associated costs and expertise required to support such infrastructure.

To address this need of the electrical utility sector, BCIT introduced the Master of Engineering in Smart Grid Systems and Technologies (MEng SGST) program in 2021. This part-time, hands-on program aims to support industry professionals in upskilling to ensure they have the interdisciplinary knowledge and relevant skills to be job-ready for the changing demands of the energy industry.

The Burnaby Campus facilities available on site include: ubiquitous modern smart grid infrastructure; a fully operational islanded microgrid; and existing facilities available from the School of Energy. The smart grid infrastructure is an ideal “Living Laboratory” as it includes many scaled-down elements of the future smart grid that students can work with to support their education. BCIT’s School of Energy and Centre for Applied Research and Innovation (CARI) have over 15 years of industry-led, world-class applied research initiatives and expertise related to smart grids to support the program.

The MEng SGST is a unique graduate program aimed at providing students with the competencies required to conduct research, plan, design, implement, maintain, commission, and operate Smart Grid systems and applications in the electric utility and related sectors. The program prepares students with the skills and capacity to combine knowledge from several areas traditionally taught in separate programs, including electrical power systems, computer science, and ICT (information and communications technology) to address the sustainability challenges facing the energy industry across the world. Please see the Energy section of AC 8: Campus as Living Laboratory for more information.

The BCIT Building Science Graduate Program establishes a unique, interdisciplinary curriculum that provides students with an integrated science-based body of knowledge and skills necessary to meet the challenge of delivering durable, healthy, energy efficient, and sustainable buildings. The curriculum focuses on advancing the state of practice and responding to future trends, with due consideration given to practical applications.

The Master of Engineering in Building Science degree is designed to provide students from various engineering disciplines with advanced knowledge and skills to achieve a holistic understanding of building performance through a core course component, which is composed of a fundamental technical cluster, and an applied technical cluster.

The Master of Applied Science (MASc) in Building Engineering/Building Science also provides students with an integrated science-based body of knowledge and skills necessary to meet the challenge of delivering durable, healthy, energy efficient, and sustainable buildings.

This degree requires a smaller set of courses and a more in-depth research thesis than the Building Science, Master of Engineering (above) and can be completed in a minimum of 24 months on a full-time basis.

The MASc degree will provide students with the capabilities to independently conduct rigorous, innovative research and publish, present and defend those research outcomes to expert peers. A core course component teaches advanced knowledge and skills leading to a holistic understanding of building performance. Specialized elective technical courses prepare students with in-depth knowledge to enable them to conduct research in their particular area. A well-structured research component is included in the program to enable students to develop research skills.