The graduate degree programs offered in the School of Engineering include a course-work MEng and research thesis programs at the MASc and PhD levels. All programs are offered as full- or part-time studies. These programs provide for specialization in seven fields of study:

1. Biological Engineering
2. Biomedical Engineering
3. Computer Engineering
4. Environmental Engineering
5. Engineering Systems and Computing
6. Mechanical Engineering
7. Water Resources Engineering.

• Biological Engineering is broadly categorized as biochemical, food, or biomaterials engineering. Research is conducted in many areas such as: physical, chemical and thermal processing of food or biomaterials; bioprocess engineering for biologics, biopharmaceuticals, biochemicals; biofertilizers; physical properties of biological materials; process control; remote sensing; meta-omics technologies; nanotechnologies for sustainable bioprocessing and biomanufacturing.
• Biomedical Engineering is broadly categorized as the application of engineering principles to the medical field. Research is conducted in many areas such as: medical imaging; image analysis; AI & machine learning; nanomedicine; bioinstrumentation design; development of medical diagnostics; biomechanics with applications in ergonomics, rehabilitation, orthopaedics, and prosthetics; and design of implants and surgical tools for human and veterinary applications.
• Computer Engineering is about the design and implementation of computer devices and systems. Driven by the ubiquity of integrated computing systems, Computer Engineering has expanded from a discipline with a few core areas, mainly focused on the design of microchips, to a broad field with widespread ramifications. It involves mapping computing ideas into physical implements and software components. Some active research areas include: artificial intelligence, robotics, integrated circuits and microprocessors, digital systems design and computer architecture, high-performance and configurable computing, telecommunication and cloud-computing networks, operating systems and software engineering.
• Environmental Engineering involves methods to prevent or mitigate damage to the environment by the reduction, treatment, or reclamation of solid, liquid, or gaseous by-products of industrial, agricultural and municipal activities. Emphasis is on the behaviour and fate of contaminants in the environment. Recent research topics include the following: composting of organic solids; control and remediation of chemical spills; wastewater treatment; soil/site remediation technology; policy innovations; air pollution and meteorology; vapour exchange and supercritical fluid extraction; air-surface pollutant exchange measurement; bio-filtration and membrane technologies; modelling of environmental processes.
• Engineering Systems and Computing involves development of digital or microelectronic devices, computer or robotic technologies and their application to manufacturing, computing, mechatronic or embedded systems. Some active research areas include: artificial intelligence, soft computing and neural networks; autonomous robots; intelligent control systems; micro-electromechanical (MEMS) devices; embedded systems and special purpose computing; VLSI circuit design and layout; analog integrated circuits and system-on-chip design; integrated sensor systems and networks; digital devices and signal processing; wireless and optical communication systems; cryptographic systems.
• Mechanical Engineering combines individual depth of experience and competence in a particular chosen major specialty with a strong background in the basic and engineering sciences. It strives to develop professional independence, creativity, leadership, and the capacity for continuing professional and intellectual growth. To help support the objectives of graduate degree programs at Guelph, an interdisciplinary learning environment is provided. Research areas that are pertinent and in line with Guelph's vision include: sustainable energy, sustainable mobility, sustainable design, life-cycle design and assessment, systems modernization, materials and manufacturing , thermo-fluids, solid mechanics, remanufacturing, intelligent control system, closed-loop supply chain management, product life assessment and engineering management.
• Water Resources Engineering involves investigation, analysis and design of systems for control and utilization of land and water resources as part of the management of urban and rural watersheds. Research areas include: water quality control and safety; resource use and groundwater quality; hydrologic modelling; design and planning of urban water and sewage infrastructure; rural waste treatment systems; erosion control; non-point source pollution and mitigation; Geographic Information Systems (GIS); sediment and contaminant transport; irrigation and drainage modelling.

Administrative Staff

Interim Director
Ibrahim Deiab (Richards Building 2521, Ext. 58391)
ideiab@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Coordinator
Syeda Tasnim (Richards Building 2413, Ext. 54013)
soeadgr@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Assistant - MEng
Lauren Fyke (Thornbrough 1405, Ext. 52404)
soegrad.course@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Assistant - MASc and PhD
Chantelle Prigione (Thornbrough 1404, Ext. 56187)
soegrad@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Assistant - Admissions
Luisa Cazzola (Thornbrough 1407, Ext. 58764)
soe.gradmiss@uoguelph.ca

Graduate Faculty

This list may include Regular Graduate Faculty, Associated Graduate Faculty and/or Graduate Faculty from other universities.

MEng Program

Admission Requirements

Applicants must be graduates of an honours engineering program with at least a 70% average in the past four full semesters or the last two complete undergraduate years or the equivalent. International degree and grade equivalents will be determined by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Applicants must demonstrate acceptable analytical ability by having taken a sufficient number of courses in mathematics, and the physical sciences.

Biological Engineering applicants must have a minimum of three of the following courses or equivalents:

• Biological/Food/Bioprocess Engineering
• Engineering Unit Operations
• Bioreactor Design
• Bioinstrumentation Design
• Food Process Engineering Design
• Digital Process Control Design
• Heat and Mass Transfer
• Process Engineering

Biomedical Engineering applicants must have a minimum of three of the following courses or equivalents:

• Bioinstrumentation Design
• Digital Systems
• Systems and Control Theory
• Electrical Circuits
• Materials Science
• Solid Mechanics
• Dynamics
• Heat and Mass Transfer
• Engineering Biomechanics
• Biochemistry
• Cellular and Molecular Biology
• Signal Processing

Computer Engineering applicants must have a minimum of three of the following courses or equivalents:

• Circuit Analysis
• Programming
• Digital Systems
• Microelectronics
• Computer Organization
• Telecommunications

Environmental Engineering applicants must have a minimum of three of the following courses or equivalents:

• Introduction to Environmental Engineering
• Engineering Unit Operations
• Water Quality
• Air Quality
• Solid Waste Management
• Water and Wastewater Treatment

Water Resources Engineering applicants must have a minimum of three of the following courses or equivalent:

• Fluid Mechanics
• Water Management
• Hydrology
• Water Quality
• Urban Water Systems
• Watershed Structures
• Soil and Water Conservation

Engineering Systems and Computing applicants must have a minimum of three of the following courses or equivalents:

• Electric Circuits
• Digital Systems
• Systems and Control Theory
• Programming
• Electronics
• Robotics

Mechanical Engineering applicants must have a minimum of three of the following courses or equivalents:

• Thermo-fluids
• Heat Transfer
• Solid Mechanics
• Material Science
• Dynamic System and Controls
• Manufacturing Processes
• Electrical Circuits
• Machine Design
• Quality Control
• Intelligent Manufacturing

Applicant qualifications may be assessed via an entrance interview/oral examination conducted by the proposed advisor and one member of the School of Engineering Graduate Program Committee. Students deficient in certain areas will be required to take make-up undergraduate courses. Such students will be admitted and allowed to continue on provisional status for a maximum of two semesters or until the requirements are completed. These courses will not count toward the student's graduate credit requirements.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the MEng, student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate specialized and advanced knowledge within one’s field of engineering.
2. Apply an existing body of knowledge to solve problems, make justified decisions, and develop informed judgements on complex issues.
3. Find, summarize, analyze, and synthesize information from primary literature, reviews, textbooks, and other sources.
4. Discuss impact of engineering innovations and trends on the engineering workplace.
5. Demonstrate an appreciation for the impact of engineering decisions on goals of global significance, such as sustainability, resilience, and equity.
6. Effectively communicate (sometimes across cultures) engineering information in written, visual, and oral forms appropriate for general and specialist audiences.
7. Demonstrate the growth of professionalism.
8. Apply ethical reasoning, teamwork, and collaboration in the completion of coursework and during interpersonal interactions with people from diverse backgrounds.

Program Requirements

The objective of the course-work Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree program is to provide an opportunity for engineering graduates to advance their understanding of engineering principles and increase their grasp on the application of these principles to the solution of complex, practical problems in a professional context. Many students are returning to learn about recent technological developments that have occurred since graduation in their field. 

Students must complete 4.0 credits according to the following:

• Students will select 2.0 credits from a combination of List 1A (Engineering Core) and List 1B (Professional Restricted Electives). At least 1.0 credit of study must be from List 1A, and at least 0.5 credit of study must be from List 1B. 
• Students will select 2.0 credits of study from the appropriate List 2 (Field Restricted Electives), specific to their field of study.

We recommend that students complete List 1A courses as early as possible in the program.

While most courses in the M.Eng. curriculum do not have prerequisites, please note that ENGG*6970 Applied Engineering Design II - Major Research Project requires the prior completion of ENGG*6960 Applied Engineering Design I.

If students wish to complete an independent, discipline-specific Major Research Project (ENGG*6180 Final Project in Biological Engineering, ENGG*6308 Final Project in Biomedical Engineering, ENGG*6390 Final Project in Mechanical Engineering, ENGG*6590 Final Project in Engineering Systems and Computing, ENGG*6900 Final Project in Water Resources Engineering, ENGG*6950 Final Project in Environmental Engineering, or ENGG*6990 Final Project in Computer Engineering), they must contact potential advisors within their first semester of study. This study option must be confirmed and approved by the Associate Director, Graduate Studies at the beginning of the student’s second semester.

With School approval, up to 1.0 credit of Field Restricted Electives (List 2 courses) can be substituted for a 3000- or 4000-level undergraduate engineering course, a non-engineering graduate course, a course from List 1A, or a course from a different field-specific list. Students may request this through submission to the Graduate Program Assistant.

List 1A - Engineering Core

Select Special Topics offerings may also be used toward meeting this requirement. Students may request permission from the School by submitting a request to the Graduate Program Assistant.

List 1B  - Professionalism Restricted Electives

Select Special Topics offerings may also be used toward meeting this requirement. Students may request permission from the School by submitting a request to the Graduate Program Assistant.

List 2 - Field Restricted Electives

Mechanical Engineering 

Computer Engineering/Engineering Systems and Computing

Biomedical Engineering

Biological Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Water Resources Engineering

MASc Program

Admission Requirements

In addition to the general admission standards of the university, the school has adopted additional admissions criteria for MASc studies. Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• Baccalaureate degree in engineering or equivalent. Applicant must be a graduate from an honours engineering program with at least a 75% average in the past four full-time semesters or the equivalent. International degree and grade equivalents will be determined by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
• Bachelor of Science degree or equivalent. At least a 75% average in the work of the last four full-time semesters or the last two complete undergraduate years of an honours science degree. Applicants must demonstrate acceptable analytical ability by having taken a sufficient number of courses in mathematics and the physical sciences (chemistry and physics). Applicants lacking background in specific topics related to their research project must be prepared to complete make-up undergraduate engineering courses without receiving graduate credit.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the MASc program, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate specialized and advanced knowledge within one’s field of engineering.
2. Apply an existing body of knowledge to solve problems, make justified decisions, and develop informed judgements on complex issues.
3. Find, summarize, analyze, and synthesize information from primary literature, reviews, textbooks, and other sources.
4. Recognize the quality, validity, significance and limitations of current research and research methods in the field, such as through the medium of literature review.
5. Demonstrate an appreciation for the impact of engineering decisions on goals of global significance, such as sustainability, resilience, and equity.
6. Effectively communicate (sometimes across cultures) engineering information in written, visual, and oral forms appropriate for general and specialist audiences.
7. Demonstrate the growth of professionalism.
8. Apply concepts of academic integrity in generating written and oral communications.
9. Apply ethical reasoning, teamwork, and collaboration in the completion of coursework and during interpersonal interactions with people from diverse backgrounds.
10. Demonstrate, through the master’s thesis, critical awareness of current issues within one's field of engineering, as well as relevant knowledge outside the field.
11. Develop, with advice from their advisory committee, a research project that aligns a review of existing knowledge with a rationale for proposed research, and development of a clearly stated problem, hypothesis, or question.
12. Demonstrate mastery of relevant research methods or approaches by applying them to new problems. 
13. Contribute to the improvement of engineering skills, techniques, tools, practices, theories, approaches, or materials.
14. Discuss the importance, broader implications, and limitations of one’s own work, and recommend future work.
15. Express one’s research as a thesis written to high academic standard that describes a practical solution to an engineering problem.
16. Demonstrate the growth of intellectual independence.

Program Requirements

The MASc program is intended to provide advanced training in engineering sciences, analysis, design, and research methodology. This objective is achieved through a combination of course work, applied research, and thesis writing. Upon graduation students will be able to analyse and research an engineering problem and apply their acquired skills and knowledge in a practical solution. A final examination is conducted following a public seminar presentation of the student's thesis.

The prescribed program of study must consist of no fewer than 2.0 credits, of which at least 1.0 must be engineering graduate courses. Of the remaining 1.0 credits, 0.5 credits must be at the graduate level, and the other 0.5 credits may be graduate credits or senior undergraduate engineering credits. Depending on the student's background, the advisory committee may specify more than four courses, including undergraduate make-up courses. If make-up courses are deemed necessary, they will be considered additional courses.

PhD Program

Admission Requirements

The minimum academic requirement for admission to the PhD program is normally a recognized Master's degree in engineering. Applicants are usually required to have completed a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from a recognized post-secondary institution and must have achieved a minimum B average in their Master’s program. Applicants must also have demonstrated strong potential for research. A strong recommendation from the MASc advisor is necessary. Direct admission to the PhD program from a Bachelor's program is rarely granted. Applicants requesting direct admission must hold a bachelor's degree with exceptionally high academic standing and have related research experience. Such applicants should discuss this option with the Associate Director, Graduate Studies at the earliest opportunity.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the PhD, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate specialized and advanced knowledge within one’s field of engineering.
2. Apply an existing body of knowledge to solve problems, make justified decisions, and develop informed judgements on complex issues.
3. Find, summarize, analyze, and synthesize information from primary literature, reviews, textbooks, and other sources.
4. Recognize the quality, validity, significance and limitations of current research and research methods in the field, such as through the medium of literature review.
5. Demonstrate an appreciation for the impact of engineering decisions on goals of global significance, such as sustainability, resilience, and equity.
6. Effectively communicate (sometimes across cultures) engineering information in written, visual, and oral forms appropriate for general and specialist audiences.
7. Demonstrate the growth of professionalism.
8. Apply concepts of academic integrity in generating written and oral communications.
9. Apply ethical reasoning, teamwork, and collaboration in the completion of coursework and during interpersonal interactions with people from diverse backgrounds.
10. Demonstrate, through the qualifying examination, thorough understanding of a substantial body of knowledge that is at the forefront of one’s engineering field, as well as relevant knowledge outside the field. 
11. Develop an advanced and original research project that aligns a review of existing knowledge with a rationale for proposed research, and development of a clearly stated problem, hypothesis, or question.  
12. Independently apply established or modified research methods to generate new knowledge at the leading edge of the field.  
13. Contribute significantly to the advancement in engineering skills, techniques, tools, practices, theories, approaches, or materials. 
14. Evaluate the importance, broader implications, and limitations of one’s own work, and recommend future work. 
15. Express one’s original and creative research as a written thesis of a quality to satisfy peer review and merit publication. 
16. Demonstrate intellectual independence and emerging research leadership.

Program Requirements

The PhD program prepares candidates for a career in engineering teaching, research, or consulting. The program is designed to provide both broad knowledge of engineering science and training in advanced research. Doctoral research carries the expectation of making an original contribution to the body of existing knowledge or technology. It is also expected that the responsibility of problem definition and solution is that of the student, and that the student's advisor acts truly in an advisory capacity. Therefore, graduates are expected to have acquired autonomy in defining and analysing problems, conducting research, and preparing scholarly publications. These objectives are achieved through a combination of course work, independent research, a qualifying examination, and the production and defence of a research dissertation.

The prescribed program of study must consist of no fewer than 2.0 credits in addition to those taken as part of the MASc degree. At least 1.0 of the credits must be engineering graduate courses. Of the remaining 1.0 credits, 0.5 credits must be at the graduate level, and the other 0.5 credits may be graduate credits or senior undergraduate engineering credits. Depending on the student's background, the advisory committee may specify more than 2.0 credits, including undergraduate make-up courses. If make-up courses are deemed necessary, they will be considered additional courses.

The qualifying examination as outlined in the Graduate Calendar is held by the end of the fourth semester but no later than the fifth semester after the student has completed the required courses.

Collaborative Specializations

International Development Studies

The School of Engineering participates in the MEng, MASc and PhD collaborative specialization in International Development Studies (IDS). The International Development Studies collaborative specialization provides an interdisciplinary framework for the study of international development combining training in a selected academic discipline with exposure to a broad range of social science perspectives. This collaborative specialization will add the designation “International Development Studies” to your program. Applicants apply directly through the School of Engineering and must meet the University of Guelph and department program admission requirements. Students should consult the International Development Studies listing to confirm the IDS collaborative specialization requirements.

Artificial Intelligence

The School of Engineering participates in the collaborative specialization in Artificial Intelligence. MASc students wishing to undertake thesis research with an emphasis on artificial intelligence are eligible to apply to register concurrently in Engineering and the collaborative specialization. Students should consult the Artificial Intelligence listing for more information.

Regenerative Medicine

The School of Engineering participates in the collaborative specialization in Regenerative Medicine. MASc and Doctoral students wishing to undertake thesis research or their major research paper/project with an emphasis on regenerative medicine are eligible to apply to register concurrently in Engineering and the collaborative specialization. Students should consult the Regenerative Medicine listing for more information.

One Health

The School of Engineering participates in the collaborative specialization in One Health. Master’s and Doctoral students wishing to undertake thesis research or their major research paper/project with an emphasis on one health are eligible to apply to register concurrently in Engineering and the collaborative specialization. Students should consult the One Health listing for more information.

Courses