The Professional Indigenous Lands Management Certificate will appeal to individuals who are interested in Indigenous lands management, land use planning, community planning, or other topic areas relating to Indigenous communities, issues of sustainability, resource management, and a changing regulatory landscape. This credential may be taken:

As the post-secondary certificate requirement to enable students to qualify for the National Aboriginal Lands Managers Association’s (NALMA) Professional Lands Managers Certification*;
As an embedded additional credential in conjunction with an undergraduate degree at Vancouver Island University; or
As a stand-alone Certificate for those interested in expanding their knowledge of Indigenous land use and community planning issues.

*Students entering the Certificate Program through sponsorship from the federal government/other agencies must meet all other requirements of that organization/agency.

The five face-to-face courses (ILMC 100, ILMC 110, ILMC 120, ILMC 130, and ILMC 140) are generally offered in the summer months. Each course is offered as an intensive, one-week (Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm) session with the potential for overnight stays relating to field experiences. There may be additional pre- and post-course requirements. It is possible that all courses could be completed in one intensive summer experience along with the completion of the online course in the following fall semester, although students may choose to take any combination of one or more courses in any given year and complete the remaining courses across the next year or more.

Students can register in ILMC 150 once all five face-to-face courses have been completed. Registration in ILMC 150 is over one term. There is no requirement to complete the Certificate within a specified timespan.

Students who choose to complete this as an embedded credential within a VIU undergraduate degree program would take the required courses over the summer months and qualify for the Certificate upon completion of all six courses. The ILMC courses could be considered for use towards the elective requirements of the student’s primary degree.

This Certificate meets all requirements of the post-secondary component for the National Aboriginal Lands Manager Association’s (NALMA) Professional Lands Managers Certification Program. Students who are accepted into the NALMA Program may complete the VIU Indigenous Lands Management Certificate, and then complete all subsequent requirements with NALMA.