Mechanical Engineering

Investigate practical, hands-on ways of creating and improving physical systems to meet the demand of modern industries, from aircraft and energy systems to biomedical, mechatronics, and manufacturing.

This program is also offered at UBC's Vancouver Campus

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Program information

Campus: Okanagan
Faculty: School of 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.

The teaching approach in Mechanical Engineering combines hands-on activities with traditional academic teaching to give you the practical and analytical skills needed to become a successful engineer. Mastery of fundamental engineering concepts and application of practical design skills are particularly emphasized.

The program is accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers.

Specializations

Aerospace Concentration
Biomedical Concentration
Mechatronics Concentration

Consult with a School of Engineering Advisor about these Concentrations.

Experiential learning and research

In fourth year you can complete the Engineering Capstone Design Project, where you design a project – which can be multidisciplinary or in a specialized area of engineering – in response to an actual engineering problem. You will then submit a comprehensive project report and deliver a formal presentation. Through Engineering Co-operative Education, you can work in BC, across Canada, or around the world while gaining international insight and developing technical skills, industry networks, and mentoring opportunities with professionals. As an engineering student, you can apply for a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada undergraduate student research award, and gain valuable work experience while working with a faculty member on one of their research projects.

From Women in Engineering to Engineers Without Borders to the Concrete Toboggan Club, UBC’s Okanagan campus has engineering-focused student clubs and associations that will help you meet your peers, have fun, and find opportunities for career growth in the process.

Campus features

The engineering program on UBC’s Okanagan campus has superb new facilities for teaching and research, which include undergraduate laboratories for mechanical engineering courses and research labs for robotics, mechatronics, materials and manufacturing, microfluids, and more.

Teaching and research facilities

What can you do with this major after graduation?

Your Mechanical Engineering career options

APSC 169 - Fundamentals of Sustainable Engineering Design
Theory and practice of sustainable engineering. Awareness and risk analysis of potential impacts on society and the environment over the lifecycle of engineering projects. Engineering design process, project lifecycle, and professional responsibility. Team-based design project.
APSC 177 - Engineering Computation and Instrumentation
Computer systems, software development, operating systems, compilers, programming in a high-level language, selection and loop structures, functions, arrays, pointers, files, data acquisition, solving engineering problems with computer programs.
APSC 181 - Dynamics
Kinematics of particles, curvilinear motion, normal-tangential, polar, cylindrical coordinates, force and acceleration, equation of motions, work and energy, conservation of energy. Applications of linear algebra in dynamics.
APSC 182 - Matter and Energy I
Thermometry, states of matter and phase change, ideal and real gases, 1st law of thermodynamics, 2nd law of thermodynamics, liquids, solutions, solid crystals, atomic structures and bonding.
APSC 178 - Electricity, Magnetism, and Waves
Coulomb's law, electric field, Gauss' law, electric potential, conductors, capacitance, electric currents, resistance, DC circuits, magnetic fields and forces, sources of magnetic fields, electromagnetic induction, mechanical waves, electromagnetic waves, light propagation, geometrical optics.

APSC 246 - System Dynamics
Linear time invariant system, impulse response function, operator, convolution, system characterization, complex numbers, solution of linear ordinary differential equations, Laplace transform and its applications, transfer function, frequency response, solution to system of linear differential equations. Fourier series and transform.
APSC 252 - Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer
First and second laws of thermodynamics. Applications to simple thermodynamic processes and cycles. Heat transfer modes, design of heat exchange equipment, and electrical devices.
APSC 254 - Instrumentation and Data Analysis
Data acquisition, sensors, instrumentation, measurement techniques and their limitations, experimental design, and data analysis; statistics, basic probability; application of statistics to data analysis.
APSC 256 - Numerical Methods for Analysis
Complex numbers, partial differential equations, Fourier series, and numerical methods. Engineering applications to the design and analysis of networks, structures, and hydraulic systems.
APSC 258 - Applications of Engineering Design
Principles of engineering design, applied to a team-based design project. Use of probability, decision making, economic principles, systems theory, and technical communication in design projects.

ENGR 310 - Fluid Mechanics II
Review of principles, differential conservation, equations and solutions, boundary layers, compressible flows, and turbomachinery.
ENGR 375 - Energy System Design
Primary energy sources and carriers. Energy conversion. Analysis of thermal systems. Reacting systems and combustion. Thermal systems design including steam power plants, gas turbines, internal combustion engines, and refrigeration systems.
ENGR 377 - Manufacturing Processes
Metal forming processes, plastic deformation, rolling, forging, drawing, extrusion, sheet metal forming. Machining processes and machine tools, turning, milling, drilling, grinding. Metal fabrication, welding, casting. Introduction of process planning, measurement, quality control.
ENGR 380 - Design of Machine Elements
Product design methodology; static and fatigue failure theory; design/selection of components including shafts, springs, bearings, gears, brakes, and clutches; design of bolted joints, power screws, and welds; design evaluation and optimization; interaction of materials, processing, and design. Major design project.
ENGR 385 - Heat Transfer Applications
Steady and transient conduction heat transfer, radiation heat transfer, convection heat transfer, introduction to heat exchanger, and heat transfer labs.

ENGR 413 - Law and Ethics for Engineers
The Canadian legal system. Companies, partnership, independent contractors. Contract documents, specifications, liability, torts and liens. Intellectual property. Agency; evidence; expert witnessing. Employment law. Engineer Act, Code of Ethics, APEGBC.
ENGR 476 - Mechanics of Materials II
Beam deflections; column buckling; Castigliano's theorem; statically indeterminate beams, frames, and rings; bending of curved beams; bending of beams with asymmetric cross-sections; shear centre; principal stresses and stress invariants in three dimensions; yield and fracture criteria.
ENGR 477 - Mechanical Engineering Laboratory
Experiments in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, mechanics of materials and vibrations. Instrumentation, data acquisition, and data manipulation using modern computational tools.
ENGR 499 - Engineering Capstone Design Project
A capstone design project in response to an actual engineering problem. The project can be multidisciplinary or in a specialized area of engineering. Students are required to submit a comprehensive project report and deliver a formal presentation.

Your future

A UBC education will introduce you to people and ideas from around the world, open doors to new opportunities, and take you places you never imagined. You’ll graduate not only with expertise in your chosen field, but with the skills you need to continue growing, learning, and evolving with your career over time.

Program requirements

Canadian high schools
International high schools
International baccalaureate

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