Engineering classes have been taught at the University of Alberta since it opened in 1908.
Programs
Undergraduate
The undergraduate bachelor's degree program for engineering is based on a 4-5 year program. The traditional program involves taking two terms for four years to complete a degree. The co-op program involves intermittent work placement terms, within a 5-year period. Co-op programs are usually in higher demand by students than the 4 year "Traditional" programs, and thus the entrance GPA tends to be higher. New students to engineering must first take two terms of general engineering courses before specializing into various departments. These courses include introductory chemistry, waves and light, statics, dynamics, calculus, linear algebra, computer programming and one complementary studies elective. This is structured to give students a feel of their areas of interest and strength, before fully entering into a specialized program. It also allows for ranking each student on a level playing field to decide program admission in second year. A sixth course in each term must also be taken as an introduction to both the engineering profession, and as a means for each department to recruit students.
Departments
The departments in engineering at the University of Alberta are as follows:
Chemical and Materials Engineering - The Chemical Engineering program is the top program in Canada by a wide margin and is in the top 5% in North America. This ranking is against 177 programs in both the U.S. and Canada. This ranking is based on total refereed publications over a 5-year period as listed in the Science Citation Index of ISI.
The Alberta Centre for Surface Engineering and Science – A $20M multi-disciplinary integrated surface characterization and modification facility.
The Oil Sands Tailings Research Facility – A facility designed to support substantial fundamental tailings research at a pilot scale and accommodate multiple, concurrent interdisciplinary research projects.
Faculty of Engineering facilities are located mainly in the north-west corner of the University of Alberta campus and have experienced much growth since 2001. The joint Engineering Teaching and Learning Complex and Electrical and Computer Engineering Research Facility was completed in February 2002. ETLC contains the main Faculty of Engineering offices, several lecture halls, and many electrical and computer engineeringlaboratories. ECERF houses department and faculty offices as well as for lab space for graduate and postdoctoral work. The Allan P. Markin/Canadian Natural Resources Limited Natural Resources Engineering Facility was added on October 1, 2004, and houses most civil and environmental engineering programs. Most recently, the National Institute for Nanotechnology was opened in June 2006. As a joint venture between the federal and provincial governments of Canada and Alberta and the University of Alberta, the institute houses some of the world's best nanotechnology facilities. It is Canada's quietest research space, filtering out all electromagnetic, acoustical and vibrational noise. Other facilities include the Mechanical Engineering and Chemical/Materials Engineering buildings, both of which are connected to ETLC by pedway. A new structure, the Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering was erected between the Chemical and Materials Engineering Building and the Windsor Car Park. The new building will provide approximately 28,400 square metres of space to support expanded educational and research activities in the Faculty of Engineering. The building houses faculty members, staff, and students from every engineering discipline.
