Be 18 years of age or older within the calendar year in which they are applying to study.
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.
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Year 1
Year 1 and parts of year 2 of the Adventure Guiding option are offered on a cost recovery basis. Tuition for the field focused skills reflects the cost of delivery and industry certification. This diploma option pairs our popular Adventure Guiding certificate with elements of the Tourism & Hospitality Management diploma.
NOTE: This year of the program is contingent on sufficient student demand.
Field Focused
Core Competencies
TGA-100 Guiding Skills 1
TGA-101 Interpretation
TGA-103 Sea Kayaking 1
TGA-106 Sea Kayaking 2
TGA-110 Guiding Skills 2
TGA-111 Wilderness First Aid
*NAU-016 Restricted Operator Certificate - Maritime
*TCS-010 SuperHost Foundations of Service Quality
*TFS-010 FoodSafe Level 1
*Note - These courses are all scheduled with reserved sections for the Adventure Guiding option - no separate course registration is necessary.
Field Skill Options
Two field skill electives totaling 4 credits are required to meet program requirements. Students may choose additional field skill electives, in which case additional charges will be incurred.
TGA-102 Wildlife Viewing
TGA-104 River Rafting 1
TGA-105 Canoeing
TGA-107 Sailing
TGA-108 Mountain Skills 1
TGA-109 Winter Mountain Travel 1
TGA-112 Rock Skills 1
TGA-114 River Rafting 2
TGA-131 Field Specialty Option 1 (Please discuss with coordinator)
TGA-132 Field Specialty Option 2 (Please discuss with coordinator)
Note: Field Skill course availability and delivery model based on enrolment; registration for the Field Skill Option choices are done individually with a permission form completed in consultation with Adventure Guiding Faculty
Applied Theory
THM-211 Sustainable Tourism
THM-212 Tourism & Hospitality Law and Ethics OR THM-100 The Tourism Industry
THM-225 Cross Cultural Tourism
ENG-160 Effective Organizational Writing
*Students wishing to exit at this point must take TGA-700 Work Placement (1 credit) in order to receive the Adventure Guiding Certificate.
Year 2
BUS-100 Financial Accounting Fundamentals
BUS-162 Principles of Marketing
THM-100 The Tourism Industry OR THM-212 Tourism & Hospitality Law and Ethics
THM-108 Human Resources Management
THM-112 Leadership & Management
THM-215 Tourism & Hospitality Managerial Accounting OR BUS-217 Management Accounting
THM-222 Entrepreneurship in Tourism
Plus choose one course (3 credits) from the following:
THM-107 Accommodating Your Guest
THM-170 Food & Beverage Service
THM-175 Mixology & Oenology
THM-219 Tourism & Hospitality - Year 2 Field Trip
Plus choose one course (3 credits) from the following:
DGL-221 Introduction to Social Media
ANT-150 Cultural Anthropology
BUS-170 Computer Applications for Business
FIN-247 Introduction to Digital Photography
GEO-111 Environment, Society & Sustainability
ENG-116 Essay Writing & Indigenous Perspectives
ENG-127 Indigenous Literatures in Canada
ENG-216 Travel Writing
THM-219 Tourism & Hospitality - Year 2 Field Trip
In addition, choose a minimum of three from the following 2 credit field courses (min. of 6 credits total):
TGA-102 Wildlife Viewing
TGA-104 River Rafting 1
TGA-105 Canoeing
TGA-107 Sailing
TGA-108 Mountain Skills 1
TGA-109 Winter Mountain Travel 1
TGA-112 Rock Skills 1
TGA-114 River Rafting 2
TGA-133 Field Specialty Option 3 (Please discuss with coordinator)
TGA-134 Field Specialty Option 4 (Please discuss with coordinator)
Note: field skill course availability and delivery model based on enrolment
Co-op – mandatory for all students
Students must complete EMP-100 in the Fall term as a prerequisite to Co-operative Education Internship Work Term (THM-197) in the Spring. Co-op work terms must be completed between first and second term for full-time students and prior to the last course term for part-time students.
EMP-100 Co-operative Education Pre-Employment Seminar
THM-197 Co-operative Education Internship Work Term
Completion Requirements
This is a two year program requiring completion within five years of admission.
To successfully complete the program, students must pass all courses and attain an overall average of C (2.0).
Bridge into NIC's Business Degree
Tourism & Hospitality Management diploma graduates are eligible to bridge directly into NIC's Bachelor of Business Administration degree, Marketing major and General Management major. If you are considering these options, speak with an NIC educational advisor as early as possible about course requirements and admissions details.
Degree Opportunities
The Tourism & Hospitality Management diploma provides two full years of transfer credit toward a variety of four-year degree programs, including:
Bachelor of Business Administration, North Island College (NIC)
Bachelor of Commerce, University of Victoria (UVic)
Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Mount St. Vincent University (MSVU)
Bachelor of Applied Management in Hospitality and Tourism, University of New Brunswick (UNB)
Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management, Royal Roads University (RRU)
Bachelor of Arts in International Hotel Management, Royal Roads University (RRU)
Bachelor of Hospitality Management, Vancouver Community College (VCC)
Bachelor of Tourism Management, Capilano University
Bachelor of Hospitality Management, Vancouver Island University (VIU)
Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management, University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC)
Important: Each university has its own unique deadlines and transfer requirements, such as course prerequisites (particularly for math courses) and grade point averages which must be met. Transfer and degree requirements may also change frequently and without notice. If you are interested in pursuing a degree, you should meet with an NIC educational advisor to develop a study plan as early as possible.
No Course!
As a graduate you will be qualified for employment in all areas of the tourism and hospitality industry, including luxury hotels, ski and golf resorts, restaurants, tourism services and the travel trade. Some graduates have chosen to operate their own tourism business, while many others choose to work in small or large tourism organizations on Vancouver Island, Whistler, Vancouver and elsewhere in Canada. The possibilities are endless.
