Burnaby is a modest city covering approximately 38 square miles, located directly to the east of Vancouver, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. This wilderness region was first settled by pioneers around 1850. The area developed slowly until 1887, when the Canadian Pacific Railway was extended into Vancouver from the Port Moody terminal. First serving as a rural agricultural area for nearby markets, Burnaby later served as a transportation corridor between Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and Richmond. Burnaby was incorporated as a district in 1892. It was named after Robert Burnaby, a merchant and businessman, who had explored the region in 1859. By 1896, the area had its first park, store, post office, two schools, and a church. Almost a century later, in 1992, the town's name officially changed from the Corporation of the District of Burnaby to the City of Burnaby.

With a population of 195,000, Burnaby's mild climate combines with its two large freshwater lakes, naturally forested mountain parkland, an ocean beach, and several neighborhood parks to make it a desirable area in which to live. Ballfields, golf courses, bicycle and walking trails, malls, and botanical gardens give the residents of Burnaby a generous variety of recreational activity.

The economic base in Burnaby has changed considerably over the years, from the historical industries of logging and agriculture to today's service, commercial and industrial trades. Businesses representing such sectors as software development, insurance, forestry products, telecommunications, tourism, technology manufacturing, education, biotechnology, retail, film and television, petroleum, community support societies, and both local and national media exist in Burnaby. Several major technology firms such as Electronic Arts, Ballard Power Systems, and Eastman Kodak-owned Creo have home bases in Burnaby. On the shores of Burrard Inlet, Chevron Corporation and Petro-Canada have oil refineries, and the Internet-based eBay has offices in Burnaby as well.

Private Colleges & Universities

• University of Phoenix

Public Colleges & Universities

• Simon Fraser University

Professional Schools

• British Columbia Institute of Technology
• Open Learning Agency

Selecting a school and program may present a challenge for the prospective student since there are quite a variety of programs to choose from within the post-secondary institutions of Burnaby. Some programs offered are as follows but are not limited to:

Communication, Computing Science, Engineering Science, Interactive Arts & Technology, Kinesiology, Anthropology, Archaeology, Cognitive Science, Community Economic Development, Contemporary Arts, Criminology, Economics, Gerontology, Hellenic Studies, Labor Studies, Latin American Studies, Linguistics, Master of Publishing, Philosophy, Public Policy, Sociology, Women's Studies, Actuarial Science, Biochemistry, Biological Science, Chemical Physics, Environmental Science, Environmental Toxicology, Geography, Management and Systems Science, Mathematical Physics, Quaternary Studies, Accounting, Finance, Management and Organization Studies, and Marketing.

With so many programs available, how can a student choose? First and foremost, a student should look at his/her strengths and interests. Secondly, a student may want to look at the industry around the location of the school if there is interest in remaining in the area after graduation.

"We're a hub for high-tech companies," says Darlene Gering, Executive Director of the Burnaby Board of Trade. "We have the top four alternative power companies here. Ballard Power Systems is number one." Ballard is known worldwide as a leader in the design, development, and manufacture of fuel cells. "Xantrex Technologies is number two, followed by Greenlight Power Technologies and Azure Dynamics Corporation," she adds.

Economic demands may help to assist decision-making as well. "We're very urbanized now as opposed to 50 years ago, when the industry was mainly agriculture," says Gering. "We have the top three electronics hardware manufacturers in British Columbia," she continues, and "we have four of the top 10 telecommunications companies in British Columbia… including Rogers Communications and Nokia."

However, Burnaby is not all power companies and telecommunications. Along with these business sectors, the city is home to the entertainment industry in this province. "We have 50 percent of the film companies in British Columbia here in Burnaby," says Gering, "including Hollywood North and Bridge Studios."

Private

• University of Phoenix - $12,720 full-time; $424 per credit part-time

Public

• Simon Fraser University - $13,713 international tuition; $3,711 non-provincial resident; $145.20 per credit hour, undergraduate, non-international

Technical/Professional

• British Columbia Institute of Technology - $14,270 international tuition; $5,420 provincial resident

The above listed tuition rates only include base tuition and do not reflect additional costs, such as room and board, books, lab fees, and other miscellaneous expenses, all of which should be researched during the selection process.

Beyond bursaries, there are government and private loans. For Canadians with permanent residency status there are the Canada & provincial student loan programs. Two examples of these are the Canada Student Loan program and the BC Student Assistance Program. These programs are not available to US students. For US students, there are US loans such as the Federal Stafford and Federal Plus loans as well as private loans.

Lastly, there are scholarships. Some of these are international scholarships available to those that meet specific requirements. Other scholarships are of special interest, limited to people of a geographic region or a particular field of study.

Some scholarships specific to students of Burnaby are as follows:

• Prospera Credit Union Education Award Program - $1000-$2500
• Rabin Scholarship for the Advancement of Peace and Tolerance - $10,000
• Terry Fox Humanitarian Award - $6,000
• Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited Scholarship Fund for Disabled Students - $5,000
• ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund - $5000
• Government Finance Officers Association - George A. Nielsen Pubic Investor Scholarship - $5,000
• Isabel Loucks Foster Public Health Scholarship Fund - $5000
• Irving K Barber Scholarship - $5000
• Gillis Purcell Memorial Journalism Scholarship for Native Canadians - $4,000
• Orville Erickson Memorial Scholarship Fund - $3,000
• Xerox Aboriginal Scholarships Program - $3,000
• John Gyles Education Awards - $3000
• Jim Allard Broadcast Journalism Scholarship - Canadian Association of Broadcasters - $2,500
• Mattinson Endowment Fund Scholarship for Disabled Students - $2,500
• Phyllis P. Harris Scholarship - Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada - $2500

These scholarships and many more are available. Visit Financial Assistance Search for additional information.

One example of an outstanding internship program is the non-profit Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems Society (MITACS), at Simon Fraser University. "Supporters from industry, government, and research have come together to create new research opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the workplace," stated Arvind Gupta, Scientific Director of MITACS. The society has offered 40 internships to date. Gupta continues, "Students are getting the kind of training that we can't give them at the university", thanks to these internships.

Visit Nextwave for more information.

Darlene Gering again comments "We have the largest post-secondary institution here, BCIT. They send students directly to these companies and that's why the companies locate themselves here."

Simon Fraser University has a similar program, the SFU Co-operative Education Program. The program partners with employers from government, non-profit, private, and public sector organizations to offer an array of educational resources that assist students in achieving educational goals and provides smooth transition from classroom to workplace.

Employment and Education Statistics for the Burnaby Area:

• The workforce grew 1.2 percent in the past year.
• The workforce grew 11.8 percent in the past 5 years.
• The unemployment rate is 6.8 percent.
• 23 percent of people have a university degree.
• 43 percent of people have other post secondary training.
• 58 percent of people are proficient in a language in addition to English.

Visit www.statcan.ca for more information