The three-year Computer Systems Technology advanced diploma program is designed with extensive industry input and offers two optional specializations in its third year:

1. The Networking specialization focuses on network security, voice-over-IP (VoIP) and wireless LANs.
2. The Systems specialization focuses on mail server administration, content management systems (Collaboration), database administration and computer security.

Both specializations include core courses on infrastructure virtualization (through the VMWare IT Academy) and cloud computing, along with best practices in Information Technology (IT).

In your third year, you'll have the opportunity to apply your knowledge in real-life projects or case studies. These can be completed independently with an industry partner or George Brown’s Office of Research and Innovation. This hands-on experience, which often involves working in teams to develop proposals, plan, set schedules and achieve specific goals in information technology, is a key part of our program. Through these projects, our students have contributed to the development of IT solutions for hospitals, large corporations, and major IT and telecommunications service providers, including Bell Mobility, Rogers Communications, Cogeco Data Systems and many other well-known companies in the GTA.

This program covers all courses of the official Cisco CCNA Routing & Switching curriculum. The curriculum also prepares students to write several other examinations leading to industry certifications, such as the Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA) and Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate.

Our college is committed to providing the best learning environment. We invest in up-to-date networking, wireless, radio frequency, VoIP and security lab equipment, ensuring that all students gain hands-on experience in installation and configuration of equipment ranging from small offices to enterprise-class hardware and software. This commitment has been recognized by Cisco, who designated George Brown as an Area Support Centre and Instructor Training Centre, making us part of a very select group of Cisco Networking Academies in Canada. This recognition and our industry partnerships underscore the quality and relevance of our program.

Note: Students who start the program in January (winter term) will be required to attend classes during the summer months (May to August).

Technology Requirements

You'll need to have access to a personal computer with the following specifications:

• 16 GB RAM minimum
• 256 GB SSD Hard Drive (500+ GB is optimal)
• quad-core i7 2.4GHz or better
• video card (2GB RAM minimum/4GB RAM recommended)
• webcam