Opinion

Top Engineering Schools In Canada

Indian engineers seeking to study abroad are increasingly turning to Canadian universities. The reasons are numerous: strong schools, high quality of life, open immigration policies, and many more. Most importantly, Indian students in Canada will not only learn quantitative information but will also learn how to be a leader in an increasingly diverse world.

Below are three of the top Canadian engineering schools, which all provide students with a high-quality education and the skills to thrive in the modern world.

University of Waterloo

When Canadians think about the University of Waterloo, its Faculty of Engineering immediately comes to mind. With more than 2,000 graduate and 8,000 undergraduate students across six departments and two specialized schools, Waterloo boasts the titles of both Canada’s largest engineering faculty and its most innovative university.

Waterloo is famous for its co-op program, which enables students to attain work experience between academic terms. This knowledge then helps them apply their education to a workplace setting. In fact, the Waterloo region has been called the “Silicon Valley of Canada”, and employers are taking note: firms like Google and Amazon flock to hire Waterloo grads, who are the second-most hired in Silicon Valley (behind graduates of the University of California, Berkeley).

Graduate students at Waterloo can choose between research degrees (MASc, March, or PhD) or professional degrees (MEng, MSc, or MBET). Entrepreneurially-minded students may partake in the one-year Master of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MBET) at the Faculty’s Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business. The MBET is an MBA alternative that immerses students in experiential learning that helps them turn innovations into commercial ventures.

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is one of Canada’s top-ranked universities, and its engineering school does not disappoint. The Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering (affectionately known as “Skule”) has more than 5,200 undergraduate and nearly 2,500 graduate students across five departments, one division, and two specialized institutes.

Graduate students can choose between research degrees (MASc or PhD) or professional degrees (MEng or MHSc). Undergraduate students are required to complete at least 600 hours of engineering work by graduation, which is typically completed through a Professional Experience Year where students work at an engineering company for 12 to 16 months. And all students can take advantage of the newly-opened Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which provides academic and entrepreneurial opportunities to graduate students – including providing support to translate pioneering research into entrepreneurial ventures.

University of British Columbia

Located on Canada’s West Coast, the University of British Columbia is routinely ranked as one of Canada and the world’s top universities. The Faculty of Applied Science, which includes not only engineering but also architecture, community and regional planning, and nursing, has more than 6,100 undergraduate and 1,400 graduate engineering students. The University of British Columbia is routinely referred to as Canada’s most international university: nearly a quarter of students at the Vancouver campus are international.

Graduate students can choose between research degrees (MASc or PhD) or professional degrees (MEng or MEL), though only the MEng and MASc offer co-op options similar to the University of Waterloo. The Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) program is a one-year hybrid business and engineering degree that expands students’ technical knowledge and business acumen through courses at both the Faculty of Applied Science and the Sauder School of Business.

The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer

Canadian engineers not only benefit from a world-class education, but they also partake in a tradition that goes back nearly 100 years.

Since 1925, graduating engineering students (both at the undergraduate and graduate levels) have attended the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, a Canadian tradition that symbolizes the obligations and ethics associated with the profession. During this ceremony, all graduates are awarded an iron ring to be worn on the pinky of the graduate’s dominant hand as a symbol of engineering pride, humility, and responsibility.

Canadian legend states that the rings are made from the remnants of the Quebec Bridge, which collapsed during construction in 1907. Seventy-five workers died due to poor planning and design by engineers. The rings symbolize the lessons learned from that collapse, and that lives rest on engineers’ shoulders.

A Canadian engineering degree could save lives!

Show More

Leave a Reply

Back to top button