Materials Engineering

at UBC's

Vancouver Campus

From the smallest nano-particles to massive mining challenges – materials engineering expertise is sought after in multiple industries worldwide. You'll start with the core material groups: metals, ceramics, polymers. and composites. By fourth year, you’ll be solving process-design problems and materials-selection solutions for diverse applications in transportation systems, fuel cells, supersonic aircraft, advanced computers, sports equipment, and biomedical devices.

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Program information

  • Campus: Vancouver
  • Faculty: Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering)
  • Degree: Bachelor of Applied Science (Engineering)
  • Length 4 yrs
  • Co-op Yes
    You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
  • Honours No
    You can study intense specialization in a single field.

Materials Engineering is concerned with the characterization, processing, and use in design of metallic and non-metallic materials. An optional Co-operative Education program is available that allows you to obtain twenty months of related experience in the last three years of your program.

Campus features

Leading-edge research is conducted by the Department of Materials engineering in biomaterials, ceramics, composites, hydrometallurgy, metals processing, and microstructure engineering. The Centre for Metallurgical Process Engineering at UBC is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary research centre focused on the development of advanced metallurgical processes and products.

The Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Laboratory (AMPEL) is a multi-disciplinary research centre with participation of research groups of engineers, scientists, and health scientists. AMPEL brings together top-level basic and applied research groups working at the forefront of research on materials and devices in a collaborative environment sharing expertise and modern research facilities.

Your future

Your career opportunities will vary widely across a range of fields including electronics and advanced computers, automotive, medicine, consumer products, mining, equipment design and development, aerospace and manufacturing, and others.

Program requirements

English-language requirements

English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.

General admission requirements

IB Diploma Programme

  • Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.

IB Certificate Courses

  • IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
  • IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the UBC Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.

Degree-specific requirements: Applied Science (Engineering)

  • IB Math Analysis and Approaches SL or HL, or IB Math Applications and Interpretations HL. (IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, are not acceptable.)
  • IB Chemistry 
  • IB Physics 
  • Academically strong candidates missing either IB Chemistry or IB Physics may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis

Related courses

The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.

  • Language Arts
  • Mathematics and Computation
  • Sciences
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