ECET
Frequently
Asked
Questions
Diploma
Programs
What does an Electronics
Engineering
Technician or a Technologist do?
Professional
Electronic
Technicians
and
Technologists
may
work in software, communications,
networking, IT, electronics, control systems, robotics, automation in
design,
development, support or maintenance roles.
In some cases Technicians and Technologists work alone as
consultants,
but most often they are part of a technology team that includes
engineers,
scientists, marketing and administrative personnel.
What is a Professional
Engineering
Technician or Technologist?
In
Is Seneca CTAB accredited?
All
diploma
programs
in
the
What is the advantage to
me of going
to a CTAB accredited program?
Engineering
Professional
Technologists
must
complete
a
professional ethics course and pass
a certifying ethic and professional practice exam.
ECET has this course and exam as part of its
curriculum so that students do not need to do this after they graduate. As well, graduates of CTAB accredited
programs such as the ECET diploma programs do not have to research and
write a
technology report after they graduate.
Graduates of programs that are not CTAB accredited must submit a
technology report to OACETT to be evaluated for registration.
How do you know a
Technician or a
Technologist is accredited?
Certified
Technicians
are
legally
allowed
to
add the designation C.Tech. after their
names. Certified Engineering
Technologists are allowed to use CET.
I can’t decide which of
the six
programs in ECET is best for me. What
should I do?
All
six
of
the
CTAB
accredited
programs offered by ECET have a common first year
curriculum; thereby, offering greater flexibility for program choice. Simply put, it does not matter which
program
you initially choose. Your first year,
grants you an opportunity to research your career direction.
Is there financial
assistance
available?
As a
student at
What if I can’t decide
after the
first year?
There
are
many
curriculum
components
of
the six programs that are common.
If you have narrowed it down to either
Communications Technology or Automation and Control Technology you will
find
that the second year of those programs is also completely common –
allowing you
to delay your final choice for another year.
Do the Diploma Programs
offer Co-op?
All
ECET
Technician
and
Technologist
programs
offer co-op. Entry
into
co-op is determined by achieving a
grade point average of 3.0 or greater and successful completion of a
communications assessment. Co-op is a
paid full-time work placement.
What are average class
sizes?
ECET
lectures
rarely
exceed
60
students
and labs never exceed 20 students.
What is the ratio of labs
to
lectures?
Fifty
percent
of
the
curriculum
time
is spent in labs.
What if I need help?
ECET
has
a
dedicated
First
Year
Coordinator to help you.
Your Coordinator will help introduce you to other Seneca student
success
initiatives such as tutoring, Success@Seneca, the SMILE Mentoring
program, and
the Student Services department.
What if I need help with
Mathematics
or English?
In
addition
to
tutoring,
ECET
also
offers pre-technology Mathematics and English
courses
for students that are assessed below the requirement levels to succeed
in your
program.
What about Industry
Certifications?
ECET
is
a
The
ECET
Program
Advisory
Committee
is
made up of dedicated industry
professionals from
across the technology marketplace that work to ensure that ECET is kept
constantly up to date with current industry practice and evolving
trends.
What is the job market
like for
graduates from the programs in ECET?
Graduates
from
our
programs
currently
enjoy
a strong demand in the workforce.
Many fields that require a background in
electronics fundamentals are presently experiencing huge growth.
Ranging from
the field technician positions in CATV (where graduates will often have
jobs
before they complete their program) to the more complex roles in
automation and
control companies, jobs are plentiful and a forward-thinking graduate
will have
their pick of a selection of jobs upon graduation.
What kind of money can I
expect to
earn when I graduate?
Positions
for
graduates
can
range
from
piece work (often field technicians are paid
by
the completed task) to hourly wage (typical starting pay in the range
of $15-$25
per hour) to salary (recent reported yearly salary ranges for graduates
from
our department are from $20,000 to about $50,000, with typical numbers
in the
range of $30,000). Even piece work can lead to yearly gross income in
the
$65-70,000 range if the employee is willing to do long hours.
What options do I have for
transferring to university programs upon graduation?
Each
of
our
programs
provides
a
number of University linkages for graduates. The
current
lists are available on the calendar web pages for each program, and
additional
details can be obtained at the Seneca
College
Transfer Guide page. Of particular note, the Lakehead
University transfer, which requires completion of a summer
transition program plus 2 years at university to obtain a Bachelor of
Engineering
Degree and Memorial University
of Newfoundland which allows completion of the
final 36 credits of their Bachelor of Technology Degree by distance
learning in
as little as one year.
What are the benefits of a
diploma
compared to a degree program?
Generally
speaking,
degree
graduates
are
well
prepared for design and management roles,
whereas diploma graduates are much more hands-on oriented, meaning they
are
ready to carry out testing, implementation, installation and
configuration
tasks. Often university graduates will come back to school to obtain a
diploma
so that they can learn how to actually do the things they have learned
theoretically at university.
What are the admission
requirements?
The admission
requirements for all of our diploma programs are: *Ontario Secondary
School
Diploma with a majority of senior credits at the College Preparation
(C),
University Preparation (U) or University/College Preparation (M) level
or
Mature Student Status (age 19 or older)
*Grade 12 English: ENG4(C) or ENG4(U)
*Grade 12 Mathematics: MCT4(C) Mathematics for College Technology (Seneca will also accept GR 12 U Mathematics,
MCF4(U) Calculus and Vectors)
What will it cost to
complete a
diploma program at
Current
fees
for
our
programs
are
available on the Seneca website.
At
the
time
this
document
was prepared, costs for all our programs are
approximately $1350 per semester.
Degree Program
Will I be qualified as a
PEng.?
The
program
is
not
Canadian
Engineering
Accreditation Board (CEAB) certified and
thus a
graduate will not be automatically qualified. However a student may
apply to
the various Canadian Professional Engineering organizations such as the
Professional
Engineers of Ontario (PEO) and may
receive exemptions from qualifying exams they would otherwise be
required to
undertake for professional certification
Is there a co-op component
to the
program?
Yes.
A
one
semester
co-op
term
is a component of the program.
What is the cost?
The
tuition
is
about
$2800.
per
semester. In
addition, there is a cost for textbooks as well as lab equipment and
software
that is approximately $1000 per year.
What types of careers can
I expect to
pursue upon graduation?
Control
systems
technology
has
a
very
wide application to many industries such as
power, petrochemical (oil sands), mining, metallurgy, automotive
manufacturing,
food and beverages, pharmaceutical, building automation, energy
conservation,
machine control, and/or aerospace. The types of jobs vary widely but
include
design, maintenance, technical sales, operations, software development.
What are the secondary
school
academic requirements?
These
are
listed
on
the
college
web site: http://www.senecac.on.ca/fulltime/CST.html
Will I receive credits for
my diploma
from a community college?
If
you
do
not
meet
the
secondary school admission requirements but have graduated
from a
3 year technology diploma in electronics, instrumentation, or
automation with a
GPA greater or equal to 3.0, you may be allowed entry into the 1st
year
of the program. There currently is no automatic bridging into later
years of
the degree program; however, students’ academic backgrounds may allow
them to
receive advanced standing for a particular course or courses. This will
be done
on an individual basis prior to or at the beginning of the academic
semester.
If I have additional
questions, who
do I contact?
CST
(degree)
Coordinator: Len Klochek, ext. 6546 or
First
Year
Diploma Coordinator: Robert Harshaw,
ext. 6175 or
Robert.Harshaw@senecac.on.ca
Student
Advisory: Diana Samuel-DeRoche, ext. 2765
or
Diana.Samuel-DeRoche@senecac.on.ca
Co-op
Coordinator: Elaine Fenner, ext. 6833 or