Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements

Find the requirements for your program below.

Doctoral Studies

Program completion requirements

All PhD students are required to register in the Thesis course, MECH 699, all year around (i.e. for both winter and summer terms). The seminar course is only mandatory for students who belong to the biomedical, applied mechanics and design, and mechatronics and manufacturing research groups in each winter term (no seminars are held over the summer). Seminar policies may vary from group to group.

Seminar and thesis courses

Course Credits
MECH 698 (Seminar) 3
MECH 699 (Thesis) 0

Students normally register in the full session section of the course (Term 1-2). The Term 1 only or Term 2 only section may be used by new students arriving at other than usual registration periods, or by students nearing completion of their studies.

For a comprehensive list of academic policies that apply to research graduate students, visit Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Master of Applied Science

  • 30 credits of coursework, including the seminar (if applicable) and thesis
  • Full Guidelines: MASc Program Guidelines

All MASc students are required to register in the Thesis course, MECH 598, all year around (i.e. for both winter and summer terms). The seminar course is only mandatory for students who belong to the biomedical, applied mechanics and design, and mechatronics and manufacturing research groups in each winter term (no seminars are held over the summer). Seminar policies may vary from group to group.

Seminar and thesis courses

Course Credits
MECH 598 (Seminar) 2
MECH 599B (Thesis) 12

Students normally register in the full session section of the course (Term 1-2). The Term 1 only or Term 2 only section may be used by new students arriving at other than usual registration periods, or by students nearing completion of their studies.

For a comprehensive list of academic policies that apply to research graduate students, visit Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Master of Engineering (MEng)

Requirements are different for each MEng program we offer. Please see the information relating to your specific program.

Program Requirements

All Mechatronics Design MEng students are required to complete a minimum of 30 credits for their degree and the program is designed to be completed within 12 months (September to August).  The link below provides a general overview of the 12 month program. Note that all core courses are only offered once per year, so it is not possible to take them in a different term than what is listed. If students wish to take a technical elective (T.ELEC) in term 2 instead of term 1, that is also permitted, however it will make your term 2 course load heavier. Registration for graduate students opens in June of each year (registration dates). All students are expected to register for their courses as soon as possible to maintain their spot in the program.

Detailed program requirements, including a list of acceptable courses, can be found in the Program and Registration Guidelines:

Contacts

  • Registration Enquiries: all enquiries should be directed to students@mech.ubc.ca.
  • Director: Dr. Yusuf Altintas, Kaiser 3102

Core Curriculum Program Requirements

All MEng students will be required to take a total of 30 credits in the following five categories:

Cat. Credits Courses
A 9 from the list of Core Mech Graduate Courses:

MECH 501 – Thermodynamics
MECH 502 – Fluid Mechanics
MECH 503 – Linear Elasticity
MECH 506 – Linear Vibrations
MECH 507 – Analytical Dynamics
MECH 509 – Controls
MECH 572 – Convective Heat Transfer

B 9 MECH graduate course electives (500 level)
C 6 Electives from within the Faculty of Applied Science (300, 400, or 500 level)
D 6 UBC graduate course electives (500+ level)

There are 9 credits of mandatory courses from core courses that cover fundamental topics (Category A).

The remaining 21 credits may be selected from Categories B, C, and D. Students taking an MEng in Mechanical Engineering must fulfill most of their credits in MECH courses, but they may explore other topics within the Category C and D courses.  These categories are inclusive of MECH graduate courses; taking externally offered courses is not a requirement.

NOTE: It is an MEng requirement that only 6 credits from undergraduate level courses can apply towards the total credit requirement for a Masters degree.

Registering for non-MECH courses

Registration in courses outside of MECH are at the discretion of the department/program offering the course, and students should contact the corresponding department for assistance with registration or questions about prerequisites.

MECH 597 (6) Project for MEng Studies

This is a 6 credit course, but credits must split between Category C and D

Students are encouraged to take MECH 597 (6) - Project for MEng Studies, but it is not required. As a 6 credit course, up to 3 credits may be applied towards the requirements for Category B, and the other 3 credits must be applied to Category D (students doing a MECH 597 project can only include 3 course credits from outside of Applied Science in their 30 credit total).

Specialization Requirements

Students are encouraged to specialize in one of the areas listed below but it is not required; you may pursue your own interests within the category credit requirements above. Specializations do not appear on the degree parchment or on the transcript. If you wish to pursue a specialization, you must take specific courses within each category. Please see the requirements below for each specialization.

Applied Solid Mechanics

Category A - Must take:

  • MECH 502 – Fluid Mechanics
  • MECH 503 – Linear Elasticity
  • and either:
    • MECH 506 – Linear Vibrations; or,
    • MECH 507 – Analytical Dynamics

Categories B/C/D to include at least 9 credits from:

  • MECH 512 (3) Experimental Methods in Mechanics
  • MECH 514 (3) Linear FEA in Solids and Heat Transfer
  • MECH 515B (3) Advanced Mechanics of Materials
  • CIVL 507 (3) Dynamics of Structures I**
  • CIVL 509 (3) Nonlinear Structural Analysis**
  • MTRL 494 (3) Composite Materials*

Biomechanics and Medical Devices

Category A -  Must take at least two of:

  • MECH 503 – Linear Elasticity
  • MECH 506 – Linear Vibrations
  • MECH 507 – Analytical Dynamics

Categories B/C/D to include at least 9 credits from from:

  • MECH 533 (3) Biofluids
  • MECH 535 (3) Orthopaedic Biomechanics
  • MECH 536 (3) Fundamentals of Injury Biomechanics
  • BMEG 510 (4) Anatomy and Physiology with Applications to Biomedical Devices***
  • BMEG 550 (3) Biomedical Engineering Technology***
  • BMEG 556 (3) Clinical and Industrial Biomedical Engineering***

Computational Engineering

Category A - Must take:

  • MECH 502  – Fluid Mechanics
  • MECH 503 – Linear Elasticity

Categories B/C/D to include at least 9 credits from:

  • MECH 358 (3) Engineering Analysis*
  • MECH 514 (3) Linear FEA in Solids and Heat Transfer
  • MECH 587 (4) Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • MECH 588 (3) Advanced Topics in Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • CHBE 552 (3) Optimization Methods**
  • CPSC 516 (3) Computational Geometry***
  • CPSC 517 (3) Sparse Matrix Computation***
  • CPSC 521 (3) Parallel Algorithms and Architectures***
  • CPSC 522 (3) Artificial Intelligence***
  • ELEC 542 (3) Nanoscale Modelling and Simulations**
  • MATH 521 (3) Numerical Analysis of Partial Differential Equations***

Energy & Environment

Category A - Must take two of:

  • MECH 501 – Thermodynamics
  • MECH 502 – Fluid Mechanics
  • MECH 572 – Convective Heat Transfer

Categories B/C/D to include at least 12 credits from:

  • MECH 411 (3) Air Pollution, Technology, and Society*
  • MECH 470 (3) Energy Conversion Systems*
  • MECH 473 (3) Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning*
  • MECH 477 (3) Aerospace Propulsion*
  • MECH 576 (3) Combustion
  • MECH 577 (3) Fuel Cell Systems
  • MECH 578 (3) Internal Combustion Engines
  • CHBE 575 (3) Air Pollution Control**
  • CHBE 583 (3) Energy Engineering**
  • CHBE 588 (3) Carbon Capture, Conversion and Sequestration Technologies**
  • CIVL 562 (3) Environmental Data Collection and Analysis**
  • CIVL 569 (3) Environmental Biotechnology**
  • EECE 555 (3) Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems**
  • RES 520 (3) Climate Change: Science, Technology and Sustainable Development***

Fluid Mechanics

Category a - Must take:

  • MECH 502 – Fluid Mechanics
  • MECH 572 – Convective Heat Transfer

Categories B/C/D to include at least 12 credits from:

  • MECH 386 (3) Industrial Fluid Mechanics*
  • MECH 479 (3) Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics*
  • MECH 484 (3) Aircraft Design: Aerodynamics*
  • MECH 488 (3) Introduction to Ship Hydrodynamics*
  • MECH 533 (3) Biofluids
  • MECH 581 (3) Low Speed Aerodynamics
  • MECH 582 (4) Experimental Fluid Mechanics
  • MECH 586 (4) Turbulent Shear Flows
  • MECH 587 (4) Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • MECH 588 (3) Advanced Topics in Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • CHBE 554 (3) Momentum, Heat and Mass Transfer**
  • CIVL 541 (3) Environmental Fluid Mechanics**

Manufacturing Technology

Category A - Must take:

  • MECH 503 – Linear Elasticity
  • MECH 509  – Controls
  • and either:
    • MECH 506 – Linear Vibrations; or,
    • MECH 507 – Analytical Dynamics

Category B/C/D to include at least 9 credits from:

  • MECH 392 (2) Manufacturing Processes*
  • MECH 420 (3) Sensors and Actuators*
  • MECH 464 (3) Industrial Robotics*
  • MECH 540E (3) Mechanical Behavior in Manufacturing Processes
  • MECH 541 (4) Computer Control of Multi-Axis Machines
  • MECH 542 (3) CAD/CAM Principles and Practice
  • MECH 544 (3) Machine Tool Structures and Vibrations
  • EECE 589 (3) Introduction to Robotics**
  • ELEC 546 (3) Micro and Nano Fabrication Technologies

Advanced Controls

Category A: must take

  • MECH 503 – Linear Elasticity
  • MECH 509  – Controls
  • and either:
    • MECH 506 – Linear Vibrations; or,
    • MECH 507 – Analytical Dynamics

Category B/C/D to include at least 9 credits from:

  • MECH 520 (3) Control Sensors and Actuators
  • MECH 529 (3) Modelling of Dynamic Systems
  • MECH 562 (3) Multivariable Feedback Control
  • MECH 541 (4) Computer Control of Multi-Axis Machines
  • MECH 542 (3) CAD/CAM Principles and Practice
  • CHBE 565 (3) Advanced Process Control**
  • EECE 554 (3) Advanced Power System Control and Dynamics**

* Courses within the specializations that are either 300- or 400-level must be included in Category D: a maximum of 6 credits at the undergraduate level can be applied towards the MEng course credit requirements.
** Courses within the specializations that are not in MECH but that are from other engineering departments in APSC must be included in either Category C or D.
*** Courses not in engineering must be included in Category D.

There are often “special or emerging topics” courses offered at both the undergraduate (MECH 410x) and graduate (MECH 500x, 515x, 530x, 540x, 570x, 590x) levels that may not appear on the lists of courses above but that nevertheless would be acceptable for meeting the requirements of some specializations, with the permission of the MEng Director. Similarly, there are courses in Masters of Engineering Leadership programs which would be acceptable for meeting the requirements of the some specializations, where students would need both permission from the instructor (which will depend on class size) and the MEng Director.

Contacts

  • Registration Enquiries: all enquiries should be directed to students@mech.ubc.ca.
  • Director: Dr. Kendal Bushe

Please visit the NAME website for the list of program requirements.

Master of Engineering Leadership – NAME & CEEN

Please visit the MEL website for detailed lists of the program requirements for the MEL Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering (NAME) and MEL Clean Energy Engineering (CEEN) programs.