I graduated from BCIT’s INCS program this year and wanted to share some insight for students who are thinking of enrolling.
Overall, the program structure is strong on paper, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. One of the biggest issues is the lack of integration between the industrial component and the IT/cybersecurity side. In the first year especially, it felt like you’re taking engineering courses while cybersecurity is treated as a side topic.
Some of the most important courses—like ICS cybersecurity standards—were taught poorly. These are critical concepts, but most students in my class never gained a strong understanding of them.
That said, there are definitely benefits. You do get hands-on lab time with modern Cisco switches and routers. The networking labs were solid and gave us practical skills, although the lectures themselves were just “okay.” I personally had to do a lot of self-study from outside sources to really learn the material.
Another major weakness was that some instructors weren’t very well-versed in the subjects they were teaching. The exception was Hamidreza Talebi—he carried this program in Year 2. Without him, we wouldn't have a strong understanding of ethical hacking, log monitoring, and defense techniques. If he didn't teach those classes, our technical cybersecurity skills would have been below par to say the least.
Another frustration: we were promised a CCNA exam discount voucher from the beginning of the program. This was advertised to us on day one, but in the end, nobody in our class ever received it.
If you’re primarily interested in the cybersecurity side of the program, I honestly wouldn’t recommend INCS. The overlap with cybersecurity is not as strong as we hoped.
Instead, I’d recommend pursuing a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and specializing in cybersecurity on your own—many of the skills overlap, and it sets you up for a stronger career path. The CIT program at BCIT is also a solid option.
I’d love to hear from other grads of this program—did you have a similar experience?
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Im graduating high school and applying for next year to BCIT. But I am confused as there are many courses and programs BCIT provides especially when they are so specific. For example, theres a diploma in Industrial Network Cybersecurity, and theres also Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity Bachelor of Technology program. The student advisor told me to take CST instead of CIT and others say differently, im very lost.
My main goal is to become and have cybersecurity profession and protect networks, systems and software from cyberattacks in companies. What programs should I take?
Hello, I am currently a student in grade 12 high school and want to persue cybersecurity in post secondary. I am just curious what diploma programs would be the best suited for my interest. I’m also curious how the INCS program is as I have heard mixed reviews about it. I also plan to complete a bachelors after the diploma program. Thanks.