Master of Engineering (MEng)

Program DetailsEECE 597 – Directed ResearchMEng AdmissionsProgram Forms

ECE’s Master of Engineering (MEng) program is designed for students who want to pursue their electrical and computer engineering education beyond the undergraduate level but are looking for an alternative to a thesis-based research program. The MEng program is also suited to students who have had experience working in industry after their previous academic program.

The MEng program typically takes 12-16 months to complete, but students have up to 5 years to complete the program if they choose. Students are required to complete 30 credits of course work, with an option of completing a supervised project (EECE 597). Students are free to choose among a number of graduate and senior undergraduate courses to complete the program.

Applicants who are considering a Ph.D. in the future should apply for admission to the M.A.Sc. program rather than the MEng. program.

Prospective and current MEng students are welcome to email help@ece.ubc.ca with any of their questions.

MEng Program Details

MEng students are strongly advised to keep track of their credits throughout their program, to ensure that they are meeting the program requirements sufficiently and are completing their courses with satisfactory standing.

Minimum Requirements to complete the MEng Program:

  • a minimum of 30 course credits using one of our three program structure options (see below) is required
  • MEng students registered as full-time students are required to spend at least one winter session at the University

In the MEng program, the following minimum grades are applied:

  • A minimum grade of 68% is required to Pass a course.
  • A grade between 60-67% (inclusive) is classified as a Marginal Pass. A maximum of 6 credits at the marginal pass level may be applied toward satisfying the degree requirements.
  • Any grade below 60% is classified as a Fail.
  • Any course that was previously failed must be repeated.
  • A minimum grade of 74% is required to pass a previously failed course that is being repeated.

Program Structure – Three Options

MEng students have three options for completing the necessary 30 credits. ECE courses must make up at least 15 of the overall 30 credits, and directed studies coursework can only count for a maximum of 3 credits towards the degree.

The MEng degree is an Electrical and Computer Engineering degree; there is no sub-classification on the certificate, and all courses taken during your time in the program will appear on your transcript.

Option 1

EECE/ELEC/CPEN 500 LevelEECE/ELEC/CPEN 300/400/500 LevelAny Subject Code 500 LevelAny Subject Code 300/400/500 Level
12 credits3 credits12 credits3 credits

Option 2

EECE/ELEC/CPEN 500 Level or aboveAny Subject Code 500 LevelAny Subject Code 300/400/500 Level
15 credits9 credits6 credits

Option 3

EECE/ELEC/CPEN 500 Level or aboveAny Subject Code 500 LevelAny Subject Code 300/400/500 LevelSupervised Project EECE 597
12 credits6 credits6 credits6 credits

For Option 3, if a student takes 4 courses in each of the first two terms, plus the EECE 597 project course during the summer, the MEng requirements would be completed in one calendar year. Students who chose Option 3 will need to find a supervisor and work with that supervisor to develop a project. Although the requirements may vary between projects, all EECE 597 students must submit a final report to be graded by their project supervisor.

Common questions and policies for MEng students:

What if an MEng student fails a course?

  • A maximum of two failed courses are permitted in the program. A student that fails more than two courses is automatically withdrawn from the MEng program on the grounds of unsatisfactory academic performance.
  • All failed courses must be repeated and passed to satisfy the degree requirements.
  • A grade of 74% or higher is required when repeating a failed course. Any grade below 74% counts as an additional failed course and is not applied toward satisfying the degree requirements.
  • An application to repeat a failed course must be completed and sent to help@ece.ubc.ca.
  • The above regulations only apply to courses that are eligible to be applied toward satisfying the degree requirements.

What if a previously failed course is not available to be repeated?

  • If a previously failed course is not available to be repeated, a replacement course from a similar subject area may be proposed on the application form. The eligibility of the replacement course is determined by the MEng Program Advisor when the application is processed.
  • A grade of 68% or higher is required when taking a replacement course.  Any grade below 68% counts as an additional failed course and is not applied toward satisfying the degree requirements.

How do I close my program and graduate?

MEng students can apply for graduation on their SSC account once the graduation portal opens. Please note that students can apply for graduation on their SSC account before their program has been officially completed.

In April each year, ECE Staff will review an MEng student’s program for completion and approve their May graduation application. Program completion letters will be provided through your SSC account upon successful completion. If a customized letter of completion is required, MEng students can email help@ece.ubc.ca.

If you would like your program to be closed in August or December, MEng students are required to email help@ece.ubc.ca to request their program to be reviewed for completion.

What about Co-op?

Taking part in a Co-op program does not count for credit towards the MEng program requirements. Doing a co-op position or an internship while in the MEng program is not required for completing the program. A co-op position will increase the total program completion time, but may also lead to a project suitable for the EECE 597 project course.

Can I complete the program part-time?

Candidates who are Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada can also complete the M.Eng. on a part-time basis, and must register as part-time students by submitting a Schedule B form to help@ece.ubc.ca before their program start date. Please note that we are unable to change a program back to full time once a program has started. In either full or part time, the program must be completed within 5 years of initial registration, and students must be registered in at least one course in every term (unless the student is taking a leave of absence).

Part-time status requires that students pay at least 9 tuition installments (3 academic years in the program) and part-time students must have continuous registration each term in the program (unless they have applied for a leave of absence). For further information, please see the UBC tuition schedule.

What about transfer credits?

A maximum of 12 credits can be transferred into the MEng program from courses taken at another university or from another masters degree at UBC. The first step to request transfer credits is to email help@ece.ubc.ca and one of our staff members will respond with further information.

Transfer credits will only be considered for approval if they meet the following requirements:

  • The courses were not used to satisfy the requirements of another credential;
  • The courses were not used as a basis for admission to the graduate degree program;
  • At least a B standing (UBC 74%) was obtained in courses considered for transfer;
  • The courses considered for transfer credit have been taken within five years of commencement of the current degree program.

Recommended Course Groupings

Students are free to choose any selection of courses they wish within the MEng program requirements, and we encourage students to review all available courses on the UBC course calendar when designing their course schedules. However, the following groupings of core courses are recommended for students with specific interests. There is no guarantee that the listed courses will be offered in a particular year, but an effort will be made by the department to offer the courses in the lists below.

Please note that an “X” next to a course number indicates that the specific course lettering may change in future terms.

Communications
ELEC 431 – Communication Systems
ELEC 433/EECE 571E – Fundamentals of Error Control Coding
ELEC 400X/EECE 571X – Fundamentals of information processing
ELEC 400M – Machine Learning Fundamentals for Engineers
EECE 562 – Statistical Signal Processing with Applications in Wireless Communications and Defence
EECE 564 – Detection, Estimation and Learning
EECE 565 – Communication Networks
EECE 566 – Information and Coding Theory
EECE 571X – Mathematical data science
EECE 571X Advanced Machine Learning Tools for Engineers
EECE 571X Convex Optimization

Computer Systems
CPEN 511 – Advanced Computer Architecture
EECE 571E – Electrical Engineering Seminar and Special Problems – PARA COMP PLTFRM
CPEN 513 – CAD Algorithms for Integrated Circuits
CPEN 502 – Architecture for Learning Systems

Energy Production
EECE 553 – Advanced Power Systems Analysis
EECE 554 – Advanced Power System Control and Dynamics
EECE 560 – Network Analysis and Simulation
EECE 571D – Power System Dynamics and Stability

Energy Utilization
EECE 549 – Dynamic Modeling of Electric Machines and Controls
EECE 550 – Topics in Power Electronic Design
EECE 559 – Energy Storage Systems
EECE 561 – Alternative Energy Sources

Micro/Nano Electronic Systems
ELEC 544 – Advanced Microsystems Design
ELEC 546 – Micro and Nano Fabrication Technologies
EECE 580 – Emerging Electronic Materials and Devices
EECE 588 – Analog Integrated Circuit Design

Signal Processing
EECE541 – Multimedia Systems
EECE562 – Statistical Signal Processing with Applications in Wireless Communications and Defence
EECE570 – Fundamentals of Visual Computing
EECE586 – Wavelets, Principles and Applications in Signal Processing

Software Engineering
CPEN 522 – Software verification and testing
CPEN 542 – Topics in Computer security
CPEN 541 – Human Interface Technologies
EECE 571B – Big Data Systems

EECE 597 – Directed Research Course

For all details on the requirements and procedures of registering for the EECE 597 Directed Research Course, please see our EECE 597 Directed Research Page

EECE 597 is a 6-credit directed research course specifically for MEng students, where students can conduct an engineering project culminating in a written report in their area of specialization. The EECE 597 course is not mandatory to complete the program. In order to complete the course, students need to identify a project and supervisor. Students will receive guidance from their project supervisor in developing the research topic.

MEng Admissions

Applications for September 2024 admission are now closed

Our MEng program is highly competitive, so we recommend that applicants review our admission requirements below to ensure they qualify before submitting an application to the program. We are unable to admit applicants that do not meet our minimum requirements, and in most cases simply meeting the minimum requirements does not lead to admission. We typically only offer admission to students who exceed the minimum requirements and have earned previous degrees from universities that are ranked highly on global university ranking scales. We encourage applicants to consider the strength of their application in light of these points when making the decision to apply.

We also recommend that prospective MEng students consider their financial situation and the costs of living in Vancouver during a graduate program. For information on the financial requirements of living in Vancouver and studying at UBC, please visit the tuition Costs page.

Questions about MEng Admissions can be directed to our student services staff by emailing help@ece.ubc.ca. Looking for suggestions on how to apply to UBC and gathering all required application materials? Click here for some advice!

How To Apply

Submit Your Application Online through UBC’s admission portal

The online application system will ask several ECE-specific questions and will require you to follow the application instructions listed in the sections below. Please think about the following questions in advance of beginning your online application:

  • Is applying to UBC and living in Vancouver financially feasible for you?
  • Do you have all of the required application documents and language scores?
  • Which area are you interested in for your coursework?
    • BIOT: Biomedical Technologies
    • COMM: Communication Systems
    • COSE: Computer and Software Systems
    • EPES: Energy Systems
    • MINA: Micro and Nano Technologies

Dates and Deadlines

Applications for September 2024 admission are now closed. Late applications are not accepted.

Applicants who submitted an application by the January 15th deadline will be able to continue to submit references, other application documents, video interviews and test scores until January 31st, 2024.

Students applying will be notified of a decision in the Spring. This rough timeline of results depends on the number and competitiveness of applications being reviewed.

Applications for September 2025 admission will open October 15th, 2024.

Please note: There is no January intake for the MEng program.

Acceptance Deposits and Tuition Costs

Applicants who receive an offer of admission to the MEng program will be required to pay a mandatory $1000.00 CAD acceptance deposit in order to accept the offer of admission. Acceptance deposits are credited towards tuition, resulting in no increase in the total cost of the program when you enroll.

The acceptance deposit is non-refundable.
If a student requests a deferral and the deferral request is approved, any already paid acceptance deposit will be transferred to the new start date. 

For full information on cost of tuition at UBC, please visit UBC Tuition Costs

As Vancouver and UBC can be an expensive place to study, work, and live, we encourage all prospective applicants to consider the financial costs of attending our program at UBC. UBC’s graduate student Cost of Living Calculator can be used to help determine if attending UBC is the right decision for prospective students.

Application Requirements

Applicants to the MEng program must have an accredited (by UBC) four-year Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering or a closely related field. It is preferred that MEng applicants have some industrial experience. Please note that applicants are not required to obtain a supervisor when applying, as the MEng program is not a research-based program.

Grade Requirements:

Applicants to our MEng program from the US or Canada must have a minimum B+ (3.3 on a 4.0 point scale) overall average in their Bachelor’s degree. For specific CGPA requirements for applicants from other countries, please check the UBC minimum requirements. Please note, due to the competitiveness of our MEng program, it is unlikely that an application will be successful unless the CGPA is in the first-class range.

Language Requirements:

1. All MEng students are required to submit a response to a video interview question as part of their application. Instructions are included on the online application when you apply. We do not provide the interview question in advance.

2. Applicants who have recently completed a degree in one of the following countries do not need to submit a language score. Degrees must have been completed within the past 5 years of the date of application to our department in order for this language score requirement to be waived:

Australia, Botswana, Canada, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the English-speaking countries of the West Indies.

Other applicants, including Canadians and Permanent Residents, who have completed their most recent degree in other countries must submit a current, official TOEFL or Academic IELTS score, regardless of the language of instruction.

TOEFL requirements: Total of 100 on the IBT with minimum component scores of 22 (reading, listening) and 21 (writing, speaking);
Academic IELTS requirements: Total of 7/9 with a minimum score of 6.0 in each component. The General IELTS test is not acceptable.

Please note, the department may request proof of English proficiency from any candidate where there are concerns that their language skills may interfere with success in the program.

Due to the competitiveness of the MEng program, if your TOEFL or Academic IELTS score does not meet the minimum requirements, your application will not be considered for admission.

Application Documents

Hardcopies of documents are not required to apply. If you are admitted, further instructions on submitting hardcopies will be sent to you directly. We will require the following when you submit your online MEng application:

Official Transcript from each post-secondary institution you have attended (college, university, etc.): You are required to upload a PDF version of your official transcript that clearly shows your university grading scale. Please note that we do accept current transcripts from degrees that are in progress at the time of application.

  • UBC students do not need to provide transcripts to their applications for their UBC degrees, as we already have UBC transcripts on file.
  • Please upload a PDF version of your overall GPA calculation if your GPA is not clearly indicated on your official transcript. For Canadian and US universities, GPA is calculated using only upper-level (300, 400, and graduate-level) courses. For international students, GPA is calculated using all grades listed on the transcript.

Curriculum Vitae (CV): Your CV should outline professional employment experience, education, publications, and awards which you feel should be taken into account in considering your application for admission and/or scholarships. Please ensure that you list the titles of research projects / graduation theses. If your thesis or other writing is available online, please consider including links to your work.

UBC-Specific Statement of Purpose: A clearly written (two pages maximum) Statement of Purpose outlining your goals for your program. Specifically, you should detail why you would like to attend UBC to engage in studies leading to a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Please describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in your interest area, including your preparation for this field of study, your academic plans or research goals, and your future career goals. Additionally, please indicate whether you have been awarded or have applied for any scholarships for your time in our program, and include amount of funding, duration of funding, etc.

Official TOEFL or IELTS scores (if required): See above for specific language requirements. Please note that current, official TOEFL or Academic IELTS scores must be sent in via ETS transfer from the test centres directly. Self-reported scores entered when submitting an application are not sufficient. We are unable to accept any other means of TOEFL or IELTS submission.

  • For TOEFL submissions, please use the UBC institution code 0965 when sending in your scores to UBC. If asked for a department code, please indicate the Electrical and Computer Engineering department.
  • For IELTS submissions, we only accept academic test scores (NOT general). Please indicate on the IELTS application form the following:
    • Name of institution: The University of British Columbia
    • Name of person/department: Graduate School Admissions
    • Address: 170-6371 Crescent Road, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2, Canada

**If an official score is not sent and matched to your application electronically by the document deadline, your application will be considered incomplete and not eligible for admission. Please make sure that the personal details on your score submission match the details on your MEng application exactly, otherwise your scores may not be received successfully.**

A scan of your Permanent Resident Card (if applicable): If you are a Permanent Resident of Canada, you are required to submit a PDF scan of both sides of your Permanent Residency card or, if you have not yet obtained a card, of your Record of Landing in Canada.

Three Reference Letters: All three reference letters must be submitted by your referees to your application. It is mandatory that at least one of your referees be in an Academic position (ex. a previous course instructor/university professor). Your referees should be able to detail your academic achievement and explain how you would perform in a graduate-level degree program. Please be sure to contact your referees in advance of your application so that you have their correct contact information. When you apply, you will be asked to provide the following referee information, and an email will be automatically sent to them asking for their reference submission via either our e-reference form or uploading a written letter:

  • First name
  • Last name
  • An official institution email address – please note that we are unable to accept e-mails from Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, MSN or other free e-mail accounts for referees.
  • Contact information at his/her institution
  • Title or position held

GRE scores are not required: All applicants are welcome to submit a GRE score in support of their application if they wish, but it is not required for a complete application. If you choose to submit a GRE score, please ask GRE to submit their examination report to UBC using the institution code 0965.

MEng Forms

Repeating a Failed Course Form
Voluntary Withdrawal from MEng Program Form
MEng Application for Schedule B (Part-Time)
MEng Leave of Absence Form
MEng Change Academic Record Form