Invest in your future
Join us as a graduate student at UBC Engineering and be part of a community at the forefront of research and discovery. Working alongside globally renowned leaders, you will deepen your technical skills, advance new knowledge, connect with industry and build your career.
Whether you want to advance your professional career as an engineer or push the frontiers of research, our graduate programs can help you reach your goals.
Study at one of the world’s best universities
UBC is recognized the world over as one of the world’s top universities. Our engineering program is consistently ranked as one of the best in Canada and within the top 50 in the world. We’re a university that makes an impact far beyond the campus: in 2024, we ranked fourth in the world for our impact on social and environmental sustainability.
Learn from leaders in their fields
Whether you’re pursuing a master’s or PhD, you’ll be studying with innovators and changemakers – researchers who are advancing new knowledge, tackling challenging problems and developing and implementing the practical solutions our world needs. Our faculty are invested in your success and will help you develop your technical and professional skills so you can build the career you’ve dreamed of.
Make full use of state-of-the-art labs and equipment
As a graduate student at UBC Engineering, you’ll benefit from access to state-of-the art labs and specialized research equipment. Major infrastructure is often shared across departments, allowing for the cross-pollination of ideas and techniques and the benefit of multidisciplinary perspectives.
Choose the degree that’s right for you
Discover the course-based master’s degree or research-based master’s or doctoral degree that will enable you to gain expertise and advance in your career.
The Master of Engineering (MEng) and Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) are professional programs for engineers who want to deepen their technical skills to accelerate their careers in industry. The Master of Applied Science (MASc), Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) are research-based research programs for students who want to advance new knowledge.
Degree comparison
| Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) | Master of Engineering (MEng) | Master of Applied Science (MASc) | Master of Science (MSc) | Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) | |
| Education required | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree | Master's degree |
| Thesis Required | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Duration of program | 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time* | 12 to 16 months | 24 months | 24 months | 48 months |
Course-based programs:
- Master of Engineering (MEng): Vancouver and Okanagan campus. This course-based degree is for students with an undergraduate degree in engineering who want to advance their technical knowledge. The program accepts students with or without professional experience, including those applying directly after completing an undergraduate engineering degree. The program is taught wholly within UBC’s Faculty of Applied Science.
Vancouver campus
- Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering
- Master of Engineering in Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering
- Master of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Master of Engineering in Geological Engineering
- Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering
- Master of Engineering in Mechatronics Design
- Master of Engineering in Mining Engineering
- Master of Engineering in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering
Okanagan campus
- Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering
- Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering
- Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering
- Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL): Vancouver campus. This course-based degree is open to engineers and technical leaders with three or more years of industry experience. The interdisciplinary degree includes courses taught through both the Faculty of Applied Science and the Robert H. Lee Graduate School at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. The MEL supports students to develop technical and business knowledge in sector-specific programs that include Clean Energy Engineering, High Performance Buildings, Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering and Urban Systems
Research-based programs:
- Master of Applied Science (MASc): Vancouver and Okanagan campus. This thesis-based degree is for students with an undergraduate degree in engineering.
Vancouver campus
- Master of Applied Science in Biomedical Engineering
- Master of Applied Science in Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering
- Master of Applied Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Master of Applied Science in Materials Engineering
- Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering
- Master of Applied Science in Mining Engineering
Okanagan campus
- Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering
- Master of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering
- Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering
- Master of Science (MSc): Vancouver campus. This thesis-based degree for students with an undergraduate degree in science.
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): A doctoral-based research program for students with an undergraduate and graduate degree
Vancouver campus
- Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy in Mining Engineering
Okanagan campus
- Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering
Research supervisors for MASc, MSc and PhD students
If you are pursuing a thesis-based research degree like an MASc, MSc or PhD, you will need a supervisor who will help you achieve your academic potential. Review the supervisor requirements for your planned degree – for some programs you will need to secure the commitment of a thesis supervisor before you apply. Learn more research supervisors, including which faculty members are currently accepting students and the important role they play in your research journey.
Make an impact
Researchers and students at UBC Engineering are working to create a prosperous, healthy, inclusive and equitable world by designing and engineering solutions for individuals, communities, cities and our planet. We are innovators who are pushing what’s possible, making an impact from the level of smallest nanoparticle to the world itself.
