We are Globally Responsible Engineering Leaders: The world’s cultural and commercial convergence makes for an unprecedented richness in opportunity for Engineering. The University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering is pioneering this reality by enabling our community of today’s students and tomorrow’s Engineering leaders to build a stronger global society.

Key Messages

Proof Points

Our economic prosperity, health and overall quality of life depend on innovations that engineers create every day.

In 2009, the Faculty created Canada’s first Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN), which serves as the focal point to showcase, invigorate and expand our globalization activities. The Centre continues to draw upon the resources of our alumni and faculty, who continue to be invaluable in advancing the innovation agenda of our country in our collaborative globalization goals.

The Faculty’s rich cultural, ethnic, academic and geographic backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences bring us closer to our goal of becoming a truly inclusive and global community.

In 2009, the Faculty appointed the first position of: Professor, Globalization. Global engineering leader and MIE graduate Murray Metcalfe holds this position.

An engineering education is a life-long foundation for transformational leaders and outstanding citizens. The Engineering Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) program offers opportunities for students to develop leadership skills through workshops, lectures, and a certificate program on Team Skills.

Our optional Professional Experience Year (PEY) paid internship program is a 12- to 16-month work experience for Second or Third Year Engineering students. More than 55% of Third Year students undertook a PEY in 2008-09; many come back to finish their degree with a job offer in hand that is 20% or higher than the starting salary of non-PEY graduates. PEY students work across Ontario, Canada, and in 16 regions around the world and make an average of $45,000 per year. By participating in these longer termed placements, our PEY student have the opportunity to take on more challenging responsibilities as they grow with the job compared to those on 4 month placements.

Engineering at U of T ranks 8th in the world, 5th in North American and 1st in Canada according to the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings in 2009.

We recently created minors in Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, and launched the Centre for Global Engineering to bring together the global research and learning opportunities in our Faculty and ensure they become a regular part of our curriculum. For instance, knowing how energy systems can be more efficient in Canada is critical. But, what about applying that same knowledge to impoverished states in Africa that do not have access to technology? Then, why not travel there over the summer to apply your knowledge through Engineers Without Borders? In today’s globalized society, engineering is a global profession and our community of globally diverse students, professors, and alumni naturally help us create a stronger educational foundation that makes your Engineering degree stronger.

The University of Toronto has a large number of support services available to help ensure your success as a university student. In Engineering, we also have services available that complement the U of T services and are tailored for the specific needs of Engineering students needing Engineering-related support, such as: First Year Office, Engineering Communication Centre, Math Aid Office, Engineering Career Centre, and the Registrar’s Office.

We live in a dynamically changing world with unprecedented opportunities for engineers to make contributions. Now, more than ever, we need the creative, innovative, and insightful solutions of engineers.

Engineers at U of T provide innovative engineering solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges of our time.

An Engineering degree comes with the responsibility to make a difference in the world.

An engineering degree can lead to a variety of professions in addition to engineering. Our graduates have successful careers in medicine, law, dentistry, business, and, of course, engineering.

Engineers play a fundamental role in advancing economic growth and improving the quality of life. And globalization trends further highlight how engineering and technology can influence the course of human development.

Today, the world’s population is linked across geographic space as never before – living in the same environment and climate, using the same energy resources, and sharing interlinked economies and sociopolitical systems. In the face of the new realities that face society, the Faculty is developing an educational paradigm that will prepare graduates to work across cultures and disciplines. As such, we are preparing the next generation of engineers to meet the unparalleled opportunities, responsibilities and challenges they will face in the future.

We Provide a Unique Student Experience: We prepare well-rounded future world leaders who flourish in the breadth and depth of our challenging, inter-Faculty academic and co-curricular programs.

Key Messages (Graduate Students)

Proof Points

U of T Engineering provides an extraordinary graduate student experience for engineering leaders who want to change the world.

The Faculty’s MEng degree received considerable attention and both its enrolment and its curriculum have grown quickly. In 2007, the Faculty launched a graduate certificate, as part of the MEng, for engineers interested in pursuing higher-level leadership roles in their profession. The first of its kind in Canada, this certificate in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Innovation and Technology in Engineering (MEng/ELITE) grew in enrolment by 140% in the past year.

In addition to the MEng/ELITE, the Faculty created a MEng graduate certificate in Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) in 2009, in collaboration with the U of T School of Public Policy and Governance.

The Prospective Professors in Training (PPIT) program, offered by the Faculty since 2006, prepares future faculty for the rigors of academia, deepens the academic environment, and enriches the experience of our graduate students.

Graduate students can actively contribute to the Faculty’s cross-disciplinary research and can specialize in one of two graduate certificates to further enrich their educational experience.

Our innovative graduate programming fosters the next generation of leaders in research and innovation, who will help ensure the future economic prosperity of our province and our nation.

Our graduate students work in an environment where innovation thrives and where they play a vital role in groundbreaking research.

U of T Engineering has a long tradition of collaborative and cross-disciplinary initiatives that enhance the student experience and promote research excellence. The breadth and depth of our programs, centres, and institutes provides an extraordinary range of opportunities for cross-disciplinary research and teaching.

Key Message (Undergraduate Students)

Proof Points

We are Canada’s largest Engineering program, which means we can offer the greatest variety of co-curricular activities and the greatest breadth of cross-disciplinary courses and opportunities for tomorrow’s global Engineering leaders.

Co- and extra-curricular programming have developed in step with the Engineering curriculum. The Galbraith Scholars Program, created for academically gifted students, joins the Faculty’s pioneering Professional Experience Year Internship Program and Engineering Leaders of Tomorrow in enhancing the student experience and furthering the academic mission of the Faculty.

The energy and enthusiasm of our undergraduate population is reflected in some 59 student clubs ranging from the Nanoclub to the U of T Concrete Canoe team.

Pierre Lassonde teaching undergrad course

U of T Engineering was the first university in the world to offer an undergraduate degree in nanoengineering, and the first in Canada to offer a biomedical engineering program.

The Faculty launched two new minors in 2009 - one in Sustainable Energy and a second in Environmental Engineering.

A new major in Energy Systems Engineering launched in 2008 for Engineering Science students.

Collaborative and cross-disciplinary educational and research programs are a fundamental part of the Faculty of Engineering, and the faculty continues to expand its offerings. In 2008-2009, the Faculty created two new areas of cross-disciplinary excellence: the Centre for Global Engineering; and the Identity, Privacy and Secure Institute.

Since the Formula SAE team’s inception 10 years ago, they have earned three championships and they currently rank 4th overall in the world among 505 student teams.

Our minors in Bioengineering, Environmental Engineering, and Sustainable Energy provide students with the tools to make advances in medical technologies, like using nanotechnologies in drug delivery systems to better target cancer cells, or learning about environmental public policy and how to harness solar power to effectively produce energy systems around the globe. We are working to introduce three new undergraduate certificates and minors for fall 2010 in: Globalization; Engineering and Business; and Engineering and Public Policy.

Co-President of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), Mike Klassen (EngSci 1T0) is one of several Engineering students involved in summer volunteer-expeditions in Africa through EWB. Stationed in Zambia, Klassen was introduced to government staff working on water issues, HIV/AIDS, community development, and health; as well as NGO’s like PLAN International, Development Aid from People to People, and Total Control of the Epidemic. Klassen and others like him, help bring the voices of villagers to the table, when designing and implementing interventions that address the needs of villagers. For his contributions, Klassen was recently recognized with the Leaders of the Future Award by EWB Canada and the Professional Engineers of Ontario Foundation for Education.

Employers want engineers with traditional technical skills who can communicate their designs and ideas effectively with clients. For this reason, we embed strong design and communication components into engineering curriculum at U of T, starting in First Year with Engineering Strategies and Practice (ESP) and Praxis courses.

In First Year, all Engineering students are required to take a design and problem formulation course. Core 8 and TrackOne students take the national award-winning ESPcourse. More than 50 service organizations and community groups provide real-world Engineering problems for our First Year students to solve. Students work together with a faculty advisor to present their solutions and a number of companies implement the technology and ideas in the end.

All First Year Engineering Science students are required to take Praxis. This course targets local challenges in Toronto and has focused on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) for the past two years. Students showcase their solutions to TTC staff, the media, professors, peers, and the general public.

Whether you want to be a student volunteer at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, help provide proper sewage technology to rural communities in Africa with Engineers Without Borders, or learn from established leaders in one of our student-alumni mentoring programs, U of T Engineering students have a variety of opportunities to reshape our world.

In his third year of Engineering Science, William Li worked with Engineering Professor Tom Chau to develop a home video game for children with Cerebral Palsy to help strengthen motor skills and improve range of motion. The equipment provided a cheaper and more convenient option for therapy. William graduated in 2009 and is pursuing his graduate degree at MIT.

Mark Stirpe (MSE) developed a new, ultra high tacky and high viscosity paste flux for a new surface mount technology process during his Fourth Year thesis as a research assistant at Celestica Inc.

We provide a unique academic environment unlike any other in the world.

You will work and study alongside industry thought-leaders who are connected to the people and organizations that drive progress in the dynamic urban centre of Toronto and around the world.

Our undergraduate students participate in an innovative and evolving curriculum. The U of T Engineering curriculum is among the most pioneering in the globe, which ensures you will have the opportunity to change the world.

With a U of T Engineering degree, you will have a strong Engineering foundation, practical knowledge, and innovative mindset to become a global leader.

U of T Engineering is increasing the tradition of collaborative and cross-disciplinary scholarship that enhances the student experience and promotes research excellence. The breadth and depth of our programs, centres, and institutes provides an extraordinary range of opportunities for cross-disciplinary research and teaching.

Engineers have the knowledge and ability to create and to provide innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing global problems – from building stronger materials that create more stable bridges and roadways, to providing technological advances that keep our drinking water clean – engineers have the opportunity to enact change. With a U of T Engineering degree, you have the potential to make a difference in the world.

We have a Strong Tradition of Excellence in Innovative Research, Education, and Community Outreach: Our longstanding tradition and spirit of innovation in Engineering leads us to excel at integrating creative techniques and ideas from dynamic, evolving sources to catalyze meaningful new research directions that address the needs for building a stronger global community.

Key Messages (tradition of excellence)

Proof Points

The Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto dates back to a little red ‘skulehouse’ constructed in 1873. Assembled to address an Ontario legislature calling for the creation of the School of Practical Science, diplomas in mining, engineering, mechanics and manufacturing were offered through the modest building. On June 20, 1906 the School of Practical Science officially joined the University community and became the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. It is now the centre of immense inspiration, remarkable innovation and endless possibilities.

MSE Alumnus Gino Palumbo runs Integran Technologies Inc., one of North America’s most successful nanostructured materials research companies. They have contacts with the U.S. Air Force and NASA. Integran holds the first U.S. patent issued in nanotechnology. Hana Zalzal, CivE alumna, created multimillion-dollar cosmetics company CARGO. Courtney Cox and Evangeline Lilly are among the celebrities who use Hana’s eco-friendly cosmetics in their own custom lip shades. Astronaut and space pioneer Julie Payette is an ECE graduate. Co-founder of eBay, ECE graduate Jeffrey Skoll forever changed the way we buy products. ChemE graduate Lew Urry developed the first commercially viable alkaline battery, which eveolved into the Energizer battery. He was voted one of the 100 greatest inventors of the millennium. ECE graduate Peter Munk is a world leader in the gold mining industry, and now a generous philanthropist. MSE graduate, Gerald Heffernan, helped reshape the world’s steel industry by pioneering the mini-mill steel manufacturing process. Our Civil Engineering graduates have been credited for much of Canada’s major civil engineering projects, from public transit systems to sewage and water systems. A graduate of 1886, Thomas Thomson, is credited for developing more than 20 skyscrapers in New York City, in addition to bridges and tunnels in Manhattan.

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering graduate, William Shaw, received an Oscar for his role in creating the IMAX projection system. A number of Engineering Science graduates have gone on to lead major corporations, including William Blundell, who was Chairman and CEO of General Electric Canada. ECE graduate Mike Branch started his own software company, Inovex Inc., six months after graduation, and has developed it in six years to a profitable company that employs 10 people. Inovex Inc. is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and Independent Software Vendor focusing on web and mobile applications With a BASc and MASc in Industrial Engineering, Andrea Cassano-Piché is a Human Factors Engineer at University Health Network in Toronto. She conducted detailed analysis of public health crises that included the SARS outbreak in Toronto and the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy outbreak in the UK. Professor Joe Paradi, ChemE, is a textbook example of a prosperous entrepreneur. His first business, Dataline Inc., a computer services firm, brought in sales of $25 million and employed 185 people in 1987. Professor Paradi led Dataline for 20 years then joined the University of Toronto. Professor Paradi's measure of success does not come from the profits generated from his organizations but from the success of his people, a mantra he has extended through the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering in his teachings and leadership, as well as the creation of an undergraduate certificate in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small Business Management.

Since its inception, the Engineering Faculty has earned an international reputation for excellence in education and knowledge creation and is known as a forward-thinking resource to address world concerns. With a focus on interactive and collaborative research, Skule™ curriculum reflects global needs in every way. Just look around to see testaments far and wide. Our graduates are now leaders in pinnacle companies across the globe spanning diverse industries and professions.

The history of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering is but the biography of the great men and women who have walked through its halls. In this Faculty, Engineering students and professors come together to share knowledge and benefit from a progressive environment where great ideas and innovations are born.

Never underestimate the power of knowledge and perseverance. The potential for greatness lies within each of us.

Key Messages (research excellence)

Proof Points

Our faculty are leaders in research, technical education and innovation on both national and international stages. They are recognized not just through the awards and honours they receive, but also through their contributions to knowledge creation, technology transfer, and by the volume of research funding they generate.

In 2008, the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering received more than $60M in funding – an increase of 35% over 2000 – and we led all Canadian institutions on this measure.

Over the past five years, we have received the largest share of funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) among our Canadian peers.

The Faculty’s collaborative multidisciplinary initiatives also received strong support in 2008-2009, securing three NSERC CREATE programs and more than $15.5M from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Our faculty members hold 28 Canada Research and Industrial Research Chairs, and 28 Endowed Research Chairs, among other prestigious research appointments.

The Faculty excels at turning research into innovations. Engineering faculty have accounted for 43% of all invention disclosures at the University of Toronto over the past eight years and, since the 1950s, U of T engineers have launched more than 100 spin-off companies.

IBBME Professor and ChemE graduate Michael Sefton was honored with the Killam Prize - Canada’s most distinguished award for outstanding career achievements in engineering and related fields. University Professor Sefton is a world-renowned pioneer in tissue engineering and a world leader in biomaterials, biomedical engineering, ChemE and regenerative medicine.

Key Messages (educational excellence)

The U of T Engineering curriculum is among the most pioneering in the globe.

Members of our Faculty have created more than 100 spin-off companies working with their research teams to launch new inventions. In his third year of Engineering Science, William Li worked with Engineering Professor Tom Chau to develop a home video game for children with Cerebral Palsy to help strengthen motor skills and improve range of motion. The equipment provided a cheaper and more convenient option for therapy. William graduated in 2009 and is pursuing his graduate degree at MIT. Our First Year Engineering Strategies and Practice (ESP) design course received Canada’s prestigious Alan Blizzard Award for collaborative teaching. Our professors are award-winning teachers. Professor Susan McCahan received Canada’s top teaching award: the 3M National Teaching Fellowship.

Our students and professors come together to share knowledge and benefit from a progressive environment where great ideas and innovations are born. Our graduates are leaders in pinnacle companies across the globe spanning diverse industries and professions.

Historically, our Faculty has been a leader in creating dynamic curriculum that meets the changing needs of the next generation of engineers. Our goal is to provide an engineering education that enables our students to create and manage innovation in a global multinational environment.

The Engineering Faculty has earned an international reputation for excellence in education and knowledge creation and is known as a forward-thinking resource to address world concerns. With a focus on interactive and collaborative research and design, our undergraduate academic programs reflect global needs in every way.