Engineering graduates enter the workforce with proven skills, hands-on experience and the confidence to succeed on the job. Compared to many educational pathways, engineering students are some of the most workforce-ready individuals in today’s job market.
UBC Engineering is a great choice if you want to be highly employable as soon as you graduate:
- You can start working in your field right after you gradate – no need for extra years of education or technical training.
- You’ll gain specialized skills related to your program of study, whether that’s mining, environmental, chemical, computer or any of the other 14 options available at UBC.
- You’ll develop transferable skills that enable you to succeed and advance in your career.
- Co-op or other related work experience can help you build an impressive resume of relevant on-the-job experience that sets you apart from others.
- Your final-year capstone project – often completed with an industry partner – provides tangible proof of your ability to work on complex open-ended real-world problems.
Looking for a career with growth potential?
BC Student Outcomes Survey
Each year, BC Student Outcomes reaches out to people who graduated from the province’s post-secondary institutions two years after completing their programs. The survey asks questions about employment, salary, job relevance and how helpful their education was at developing job-specific skills.
BC Student Outcomes includes an interactive tool you can use to search for outcomes by institution, program area (such as business or applied science) and specific engineering disciplines.
The numbers consistently show that engineering students outperform graduates from other programs.
- The following list shows how graduates from UBC Vancouver compare within program areas two years after graduation. Note that the Faculty of Applied Science includes engineering as well as other programs, and that graduates might not be in the labour force because they are pursuing additional education.
Here’s how the different programs compare for mean average salary and labour force participation:
- Applied Science: $85,000 mean average salary; 88% in the labour force
- UBC Vancouver overall: $70,000 median annual salary; 85% in the labour force
- Business: $ 78,000; 94% in the labour force
- Biological Science and Life Sciences: $51,980; 70% in the labour force
- Physical Sciences and Math: $65,285; 83% in the labour force
You can also use the BC Student Outcomes tool to compare outcomes for specific engineering programs.
What’s behind the numbers
The data from the BC Student Outcomes survey show that UBC Engineering students are in high demand, working in their fields and earning strong salaries just two years after graduating. This reflects the knowledge, skills and experience UBC Engineering students develop over the course of their degree.
As a UBC Engineering student, you’ll develop specific knowledge related to your chosen program (we offer a whopping 14 programs at UBC Vancouver and four programs at UBC Okanagan).
You’ll also develop the core transferable skills of critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, leadership and teamwork that will set you up to succeed in any job (and in life!). Many alumni tell us that these skills are what propelled their career growth and enabled them to successfully pursue new opportunities.
Finally, another reason UBC Engineering students are in such high demand is because they graduate with extensive experience. This can come from participating in co-op, where students work for top employers or from being part of design teams, student-led groups that tackle that work on meaningful technical challenges. It also comes from hands-on experience acquired through project work in courses or the year-long capstone project where students work on an open-ended problem, often in collaboration with an external partner.
Turn ideas into impact: Hands-on, project-based capstone experience
Choosing a major that sets you up for success
Your choice of undergraduate major influences your employability, career pathways, salary expectations and long-term job security.
As outlined above, engineering is a great choice if you want in-demand skills, strong job prospects without additional training, a higher-than-average salary, and entry into a future-proof profession.
And UBC is one of the best places in Canada to study engineering, thanks to our ranking as one of the world’s top universities, strong industry connections, extensive program offerings and commitment to student success.
BC Student Outcomes data shows that when you graduate as a UBC Engineering student, you join the many thousands of alumni before you who have gained the skills and experience that makes them a top choice for employers.
