Undergraduate Programs

The Faculty of Engineering offers undergraduate Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degrees in Bioengineering, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Materials Co-op, Mining Co-op and Software Co-op. The Faculty also offers a Bachelor of Science (Architecture) degree.

Through a challenging curriculum, students in the McGill Faculty of Engineering acquire a strong foundation in science and technology and develop valuable interpersonal and teamwork skills.

All programs provide a strong background in math, basic sciences, engineering science, design and complementary studies.

The first year of the program for students entering the Faculty of Engineering from outside Quebec constitutes a full year of basic science courses (mathematics, physics and chemistry).

If you are entering university from Cegep (Quebec education system), please see the specified curriculums. If you are entering university from a high school or other non-Cegep institution, please see the non-Cegep curriculums.

Architecture

Architecture is the art and science of creating space – at the scale of an object like a piece of furniture, a room, a building a group of buildings, or an entire city. Architects use art, science and technology to shape the way we interact in our buildings and in our cities by designing environments that are aesthetically pleasing, structurally sound, and responsive in every way to the needs of the people who use them. For more information please refer to the following program curriculum:

Bioengineering

Bioengineering uses analytical methods to quantitatively describe biology, but also draws upon the sophistication of living systems as a tool to design and create. This very rapidly growing research area covers a broad range of topics, such as materials science, biomedical applications, biophysics, molecular biology, and environmental engineering.

At the application end, Bioengineering involves the implementation of knowledge from various engineering disciplines in life sciences and medicine, such as: biomaterials; tissue engineering and regenerative medicine; drug delivery systems and high throughput screening devices for drug discovery; imaging, monitoring and diagnostic devices, and biomedical microdevices and biosensors. At the conceptual end, Bioengineering learns various lessons from nature and attempts to reverse-engineer naturally occurring biological solutions, devices and procedures, such as complexity in environmental systems; biomimetic materials and structures; energy efficient biomimetic propulsion systems; neuromorphic intelligent machines; molecular motors; biological communication and computation; and biologically inspired robots.

These are the three program streams:

Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineers design processes and systems that produce everything from plastics and paper to pharmaceuticals, processed foods and advanced materials. What a chemist might produce in a test tube, chemical engineers produce by the ton. This requires efficient and effective systems. They also apply their knowledge of scientific processes to such diverse fields as manufacturing and bioengineering. For more information please refer to the following program curriculum:

Civil Engineering

Civil engineers create the infrastructure of modern society and are responsible for everything from roadways to water management to the buildings we live and work in. Civil engineers develop techniques to solve environmental problems; they design buildings to be structurally solid, resisting gravity, wind and earthquakes; they imagine, construct and maintain the complex transportation systems that keep our society rolling. They ensure that water and electricity are delivered to communities, and that roads, train lines, bridges and airports are properly built and maintained. For more information please refer to to the following program curriculum:

Computer Engineering

It’s almost impossible to imagine our contemporary world without computer technology. Almost every facet of our society, whether in industry, health care, or domestic life, is dependent on computers in some form or another, and computer engineers make it all possible. They design and develop the hardware and software systems that have made computers so central to contemporary life. They research, design, develop, test, and oversee the installation of computer hardware and software and supervise its manufacture. For more information please refer to the following program curriculum:

Electrical Engineering

Our society is powered by electricity and electrical engineering can be found at the core of the rapidly evolving high-tech industry. Electrical engineers design, build, test, and supervise the manufacturing and operation of a variety of electrical devices: from the power generation and distribution networks that power our homes and industries to the microchips that control our computers, video games and hospital equipment; from mobile phones to the internet and fibre optic and satellite communications; from robots in spacecraft to cars and industrial systems. For more information please refer to the following program curriculum:

Materials Engineering (Co-op)

The work of materials engineers is necessary everywhere since everything is made out of materials. In particular, they help in developing super-strong alloys for the aerospace industry, lighter materials to reduce the environmental consequences of the transport industry, miniaturized and higher performing materials for the electronics industry, as well as ceramic composites used in artificial hips and bone replacements. The recycling industry also relies heavily on materials engineers to discover new ways to re-use and recycle materials and reduce their toxic impact on the environment. For more information please refer to the following program curriculum:

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineers are involved in the conception, design, implementation and operation of mechanical systems in many aspects of life, from bicycles and space shuttles to espresso machines. Their broad range of expertise, from thermodynamics and fluid flow to solid-state physics and fundamental electronics are highly valued in aerospace, energy, manufacturing, machinery and transportation. For more information please refer to the following program curriculum:

Mining Engineering (Co-op)

Mining engineers design, develop and implement the processes and technologies for the economic extraction of minerals from the earth crust while maintaining safety and protecting the environment:

Software Engineering (Co-op)

Software engineers design, develop and test complex software that applies computer technology to specific practical ends such as booking an airline ticket on-line, downloading e-mail or scanning items through a check-out line at the grocery store. They perform many of the same functions as general computer programmers, but software engineers apply the principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software that enables computers to perform their many applications. For more information please refer to the following program curriculum:

Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)

The Faculty of Engineering cooperates with the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in providing courses of instruction for a curriculum in agricultural and biosystems engineering to meet requirements for a professional degree awarded in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Some of the courses offered by the Department of Bioresource Engineering (subject code BREE) may be of interest to students in the Faculty of Engineering. For details, refer to the Department of Bioresource Engineering of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Computer Science (Faculty of Science)

The School of Computer Science offers an extensive range of courses for Engineering students interested in computers. Several of these courses are required in the Computer, Electrical and Software Engineering programs. The Faculty of Engineering also offers a Minor in Computer Science for Engineering students interested in pursuing studies in this area (see “Minor Programs” below).  For more information about Computer Science courses and programs, refer to the School of Computer Science in the Faculty of Science.

Minor Programs

Students can choose to either broaden their background or attain in-depth coverage of a particular subject by enrolling in Minor programs. Minors are coherent sequences of courses that may be taken in addition to those required for the BEng degree. If students plan their programs well, they normally take only one extra semester beyond the BEng degree program to complete the Minor.

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