3.1 Schulich School of Engineering - Admissions

Admission Requirements

New applicants should refer to A.2 Undergraduate Admission in the Admissions section of this Calendar for regulations regarding University admission. Students wishing to enrol in the Schulich School of Engineering must meet minimum admission requirements for Standard Admission as set out in the Admissions section (A.5.1.1) of this Calendar. Application deadlines are indicated in Section A.3 of the University Calendar.

For admission of students who have been previously required to withdrawal from the Schulich School of Engineering or another institution, see A.7 Required to Withdraw and Suspended Students.

Students who have been admitted to SSE Indigenous Pathways Program under the Indigenous Admissions Supplementary process, section A.5.6.2 Indigenous Admission Supplementary Process, will enter into the SSE Pathway within the common core. The pathway is individualized to each student and will be finalized after admission in consultation with the Indigenous Pathways Program Coordinator. In the program, students will be required to successfully complete (with a minimum grade of "C-") one or more of the following foundations courses (or equivalents): Engineering Foundations 111, 121, 131, 141, English 251. Students in the SSE Pathway may take courses in the First Year Curriculum after completing the foundation course prerequisite. After successful completion of the courses in the common core, students who started in the Indigenous Pathways Program will be guaranteed entry into their engineering major of choice.

Applicants who have a CEAB-accredited engineering degree may be considered for admission to a subsequent engineering degree at the University of Calgary if the degree program requested is determined by the Associate Dean (Student Affairs) to be sufficiently different from the prior degree program. A minimum of 30 units is required for completion of a University degree. Students admitted under this regulation may, depending on how much transfer credit they are granted, have the Minimum Residence Time regulation waived.

Student Athletes

The Schulich School of Engineering encourages applications from student athletes. The school maintains a program that allows Varsity and National team students in first year to balance their academic workload with athletic responsibilities.

Admission to Engineering Program

Choice of an engineering program (Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Engineering Physics, Geomatics, Mechanical, Software, or Sustainable Systems Engineering) is normally made during the Winter Term of the first year of studies. While a place in at least one of the programs is assured for every student advancing to second year with satisfactory performance, it is not always possible to accommodate every student's first choice of program. Students will not normally be admitted to a program if they are deficient in more than two courses from the first-year program or if they are deficient in any courses which are prerequisites for second-year courses in the program of choice.

Students in the BSc in Energy Engineering, as well as students entering the BSc in Geomatics Engineering via the Polytechnic Transfer Pathway, are admitted directly into their program.

In the event that the number choosing a program exceeds the program capacity, students will be admitted to the program in order of academic performance until the enrolment limit is reached. Academic performance is judged on the student's GPA for those courses required for the engineering program and taken during the last review period. Priority is generally given to students who have taken a full course load in their last review period and who have all courses in the first-year program complete. The exact policy for prioritization of students is determined by the Associate Dean (Student Affairs) and may be revised from year to year. Students may obtain information on current policy from the Engineering Student Centre.

Students admitted to a program at the second-year level include the continuing students who have completed their first year successfully in the School and transfer students. Many transfer-student files are not complete and thus no admission decision has been taken at the time registration starts in the summer. To give transfer students a fair opportunity for admission to their program of first choice, a certain number of places will be allotted to the continuing students and the remaining places will be retained for transfer students. The number of places in the two categories will be decided each year based on an assessment of the demand, with the objective of admitting transfer and continuing students to each program with equivalent qualifications. Transfer students are assessed for program admission on an equivalent basis to continuing students in terms of (a) the courses for which they have obtained transfer credit towards the engineering technical program, and (b) their GPA on those courses. Students who have not been admitted to a program will not normally be permitted to register in courses specific to that program, even if there is room in one or more courses specific to a program.

Admission to the BSc in Energy Engineering Program

Applicants must have a Diploma in Engineering Technology from an accredited engineering technology program in a technology discipline relevant to Energy Engineering or equivalent. Admission is competitive based on the admission average calculated as described in A.5.1.1 Undergraduate Admission Requirements of the University Calendar. Applicants must also  meet the Schulich School of Engineering high school course requirements or equivalent to be eligible for admission consideration.

Students who completed all or parts of their engineering technology diploma more than eight years prior to the start of their first term at the University of Calgary will be required to demonstrate that their technical knowledge remains current. Evidence may include employer references and other documentation of recent employment or coursework (including continuing education and professional development) requiring up-to-date technical knowledge.

Admission to the BSc in Geomatics Engineering via the Polytechnic Transfer Pathway

Applicants must have a Diploma in Geomatics Engineering Technology from an accredited engineering technology program. Admission is competitive based on the admission average calculated as described in A.5.1.1 Undergraduate Admission Requirements of the University Calendar. Applicants must also meet the Schulich School of Engineering high school course requirements or equivalent to be eligible for admission consideration.

Students who completed all or parts of their engineering technology diploma more than eight years prior to the start of their first term at the University of Calgary will be required to demonstrate that their technical knowledge remains current. Evidence may include employer references and other documentation of recent employment or coursework (including continuing education and professional development) requiring up-to-date technical knowledge.

Admission to Minors

Application to a Minor within an engineering program is made during the Winter Term.

To be considered for admission into a minor, students must apply in their first year of studies and will be evaluated based on the most recent 10 courses (pertaining to degree requirements) completed at U of C at the time of selection. For the Manufacturing or Petroleum Minors in Mechanical Engineering, and the Structural or Transportation Minors in Civil Engineering, students must have completed (or be on-track for completion of) third-year curriculum in the appropriate program. Students admitted to Mechanical Engineering in Fall 2019 or earlier may seek admission to the Mechatronics Minor for Fall 2021 (for their fourth year of studies) and will follow the 2020-21 Calendar for program requirements.

To be considered for admission into the Minor in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (MEED), students must apply in their first-year of studies. Requests from upper year students for MEED will be considered if space permits; see the Engineering Student Centre for details. For the Petroleum minor, a student must be first placed into Chemical Engineering; and for the MEED minor, a student must first be placed into a program. Students will be evaluated for these two Minors as outlined in Admission to Engineering Program (above).

To be admitted to any Minor, a student must be in good standing on their most recent academic review. In the event that the number choosing a Minor exceeds the number that can be accommodated, students will be admitted to the Minor in order of academic performance as described above, until the enrolment limit is reached.

Allowable Minors and Concentrations Combinations

Limited Enrolment

Enrolment in the Schulich School of Engineering is limited. Applicants will be accepted on the basis of academic standing in high school and/or previous course work completed. As a consequence of the limitations in enrolment, the following procedures apply. In addition, refer to information given under the heading Admission to Engineering Program.

Readmission after Voluntary Withdrawal

Students who withdrew voluntarily from the Schulich School of Engineering for two consecutive terms (Fall and Winter Terms of one academic year, or Winter Term and the following Fall Term) and who wish to return, must re-apply for admission by the prescribed deadlines and will be considered in competition with all other applicants. Students are encouraged to consult with the Associate Dean (Student Affairs) prior to making a decision concerning voluntary withdrawal.

Transfer of Course Credits

The Schulich School of Engineering may grant transfer credit to students for courses taken in another post-secondary educational program. Students must normally have obtained an acceptable overall academic standing to be eligible for transfer credit. Transfer credit will be considered for courses which are approximately equivalent to courses in the Engineering program and in which grades of "C-" or higher have been obtained. Transfer credit for a course will not be granted unless the student has obtained credit for the prerequisites for that course (as listed in this Calendar). The maximum number of transfer credits for technical courses that will be awarded is 45 units, except that more may be awarded to a student admitted after completing a CEAB-accredited Engineering degree. Transfer credits for third- and fourth-year technical courses will only be granted if the instructor(s) of the transferring courses hold a P.Eng. or the equivalent in jurisdictions recognized by the CEAB. Credit for Engineering 513 will only be granted when the transferring course is from another CEAB or Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accredited program (or the equivalent in jurisdictions recognized by the CEAB).

Credit will not normally be granted for courses taken eight or more years prior to the date of admission to the Schulich School of Engineering.

Minimum Residence Time

To qualify for a degree, a transfer student must successfully complete at least four regular terms of full-time study and a minimum of 60 units while registered in the Schulich School of Engineering.

Second Baccalaureate Degree

Students who have received one or more approved undergraduate degrees (BA, BSc, BEd, etc.) may apply for admission to programs leading to a Second Baccalaureate Degree with a Major Field or a Second Baccalaureate Degree program with Honours in a Major Field.

Students must apply to the Admissions Office and meet all deadlines and requirements. For more information regarding admission to a second undergraduate degree, refer to A.5.5 Second-Degree Students in Admissions.

Back to 3. Schulich School of Engineering Regulations