TISED Newsletter 

Sign up today
Home

Master of Engineering: Sustainability in Engineering and Design

NEWS ALERT

red and white megaphoneThanks to the generous support of our donors, we are now able to offer several fellowships and excellence awards to our students. Applicants are considered for this merit-based competitive funding at the time of application to TISED’s MEng program. No additional forms or applications are required.

back of a female graduate student in cap and gown overlooking campusMaster of Engineering (M.Eng., non-thesis, 45 credits) in Sustainability in Engineering and Design trains engineers, architects, and urban planners to tackle complex sustainability problems in an interdisciplinary environment.

The program's core courses will equip you with the necessary concepts, skills, and tools to perform engineering and design towards more sustainable products, infrastructure, and services. You will understand multiple sustainability concepts and paradigms, appreciate the complexity of sustainability problems, analyze complex problems using systems-based frameworks, evaluate sustainability metrics, and understand professional and leadership roles in addressing sustainability challenges.

Upon completion of the program, you will be equipped to devise solutions using holistic strategies, apply sustainability and systems-thinking, and assess proposed solutions against quantitative sustainability metrics.

The program has a core of eight required sustainability courses (27 credits) that provide a solid foundation in sustainability issues, systems thinking and important analytical skills. This foundation is reinforced through six complementary courses (minimum 18 credits) centered around four specific sustainability domains, or streams:

  1. Renewable energy and energy efficiency;
  2. Sustainable industrial processes;
  3. Sustainable infrastructure, and:
  4. Sustainable urban development.

The four complementary course streams are built from courses from multiple departments and schools of the Faculty of Engineering.

Apply Now

M.ENG: Sustainability in Engineering and Design

(45 credits)

Core Courses (27 credits)
  • SEAD 500 Fndns of Sust for Eng & Des 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • SEAD 510 Energy Analysis 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • SEAD 520 Life Cycle-Based Env Footprint 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • SEAD 530 Econ for Sust in Eng & Des 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer
  • SEAD 540 Industrial Ecology and Systems 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • SEAD 550 Dec-Making for Sust: Eng & Des 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • SEAD 660 Strategies for Sustainability 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • SEAD 670 Collaborative Des for Sustain 5 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

plus sign

Complementary Courses (minimum 18 credits)

Choose Courses from the four stream options or the approved course list 
STREAM Description Courses

solar panel and wind mill

 Stream 1: Renewable energy and energy efficiency

 This stream focuses on the generation and distribution of low-/no-carbon energy and its relation to storage and energy-carrier systems. Students will be trained in technology assessment for sustainable energy supply and use, and the nexus between energy systems and water resources. The synthesis of renewable fuels from 63 biomass, waste, and carbon dioxide will be covered. This stream includes the study of various pollution control and mitigation technologies to lessen the impact of power-generation systems and combustion processes on the environment. Given the critical need to urgently determine many effective pathways for reducing energy production and use, and their impacts on greenhouse gas emissions and climate warming, this stream represents a critical area for advanced sustainability education.
  • CHEE 511 Catal for Sust Fuels&Chemicals 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CIVE 677 Water-Energy Sustainability 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer
  • ECSE 562 Low-Carbon Power Gen. Eng. 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • MECH 534 Air Pollution Engineering 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

blueprint, green gear and leaf

 Stream 2: Sustainable industrial processes

 This stream teaches leading approaches in industrial manufacturing with the aims of reducing energy use, water, materials and resource use, and environmental impacts, while producing improved functional goods. Courses in this stream also relate to assessments of the impact of industrial chemicals and nanomaterials on the environment, and the necessary technologies, policies and institutions for implementing sustainable solutions are also covered. Students will learn about the importance of iterative feedback between the design stage, the manufacturing and production stage, and the use and end of life phase for products towards achieving sustainable industrial products and systems. There is an overarching emphasis on prospective or consequential life-cycle assessments of products and processes towards systems-thinking.
  • CHEE 511 Catal for Sust Fuels&Chemicals 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CIVE 512 Advanced Civil Engrg Materials 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

    OR
    CHEE 521 Nanomat & the Aquatic Environ 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CIVE 663 Environ Fate of Org Chemicals 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CIVE 677 Water-Energy Sustainability 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • MECH 534 Air Pollution Engineering 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer
  • MECH 560 Eco-design and Product LCA 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • MIME 511 Adv Subsurface Ventilation&AC 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • MIME 588 Reliabil Analys of Mining Sys 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • URBP 506 Envrnmntl Policy and Planning 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

roads with sustainability icons floating

 Stream 3: Sustainable infrastructure

 The rapidly growing urban populations, particularly in the developing world, and issues stemming from aging infrastructure and urban sprawl has created a critical need for re-thinking our current urban spaces and systems. Currently, 55% of the world’s population lives in cities but this is expected to increase to 68% by 2050 (UN DESA, 2018). This provides opportunities for developing sustainable urban environments. The students will be taught the theory and applications of sustainable design and development in the urban context. Thus, the stream’s courses explore the design and re-engineering of urban environments, residential and public places in the global and local context towards urban renewal, growth and densification to achieve reduced natural resource consumption, waste generation, and energy use. Transportations systems are considered as an integral part of the built environment. The stream examines urban development in a holistic and interdisciplinary manner by integrating, socio-cultural and environmental considerations in urban planning and architecture.
  • ARCH 515 Sustainable Design 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • ARCH 564 Design for Development 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CIVE 540 Urban Transportation Planning 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CIVE 621 Sust Design of Municip Systems 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CIVE 623 Durability of Const.Materials 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer
  • CIVE 629 Sust Design: Water & WW Facil 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CIVE 652 Bioproces for WW Res Recovery 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • SEAD 515 Climate Change Adapt&Eng Infra 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • URBP 620 Transport Economics 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • URBP 651 Redesigning Suburban Space 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

world and sustainability icons

 Stream 4: Sustainable urban development

Critical urban and regional infrastructures such as buildings, bridges, transportation networks, water supply, waste disposal need to be built and operated to reduce natural resource consumption, waste generation, and energy use, towards achieving urban sustainability. Cities account for a significant amount of energy consumption and greenhouse emissions. UN Habitat reports that cities consume 75% of global primary energy and emit 71-76% of all CO2 emissions. In addition, the common materials used for infrastructure: steel, cement and glass have high energy and greenhouse gas footprints. Thus, this stream represents a critical area for establishing critical sustainability pathways such as through development of new construction materials and systems for resource and energy recovery from waste. Extreme weather events comprising of intense storms, flooding, and extreme hot days can disrupt cities causing catastrophic loss of life and property. Thus, retrofits and development of infrastructure is urgently needed for adapting infrastructure for climate change through future climate scenario-informed design criteria, materials use and operation strategies. The courses in the stream provide an extensive coverage of these topics.
  • ARCH 515 Sustainable Design 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • ARCH 517 Sustainable Residential Dev 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • ARCH 564 Design for Development 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer
  • MECH 534 Air Pollution Engineering 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • URBP 504 Planning for Active Transp. 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • URBP 620 Transport Economics 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • URBP 651 Redesigning Suburban Space 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer
0-6 Credits of List A complementary courses:
  • BIEN 520 High Throughput Bio Devices 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • BREE 518 Ecological Engineering 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • BREE 520 Food, Fibre and Fuel Elements 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CHEE 541 Electrochemical Engineering 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CHEE 543 Plasma Engineering 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • CIVE 550 Water Resources Management 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • ECSE 507 Optimization & Optimal Control 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • MECH 535 Turbomachinery and Propulsion 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • MECH 559 Eng. Systems Optimization 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • MIME 556 Sustainable Mtls. Processing 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • URBP 551 Urban Design and Planning 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • SEAD 600 Sustainability Research 1 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • SEAD 602 Sustainability Research 2 3 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

  • URBP 619 Land Use & Transport Planning 4 Credits
      Offered in the:
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Summer

Length of Program

The target time to complete the program is 16 months (or three academic semesters in the sequence of fall, winter and fall semesters) for all students. There will be no summer lecture courses offered, but students may undertake their research project courses (SEAD 600 and 602).

Apply Now

Stay Informed with TISED: Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

 
1 Start 2 Complete
Back to top