Progress in the engineering profession: A Canadian perspective
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Engineering in Canada
To be a practicing engineer in Canada, a license is required from a provincial or territorial association within the national organization of Engineers Canada/ Ingénieurs Canada.1 The gateway to engineering for early-career Canadians is through four-year accredited programs at universities. There are hundreds of accredited degree programs across more than 45 universities in the country. Both English and French programs exist, and bilingual engineering degrees are offered (e.g., at the University of Ottawa/ l’Université d’Ottawa). The most popular programs of study include chemical, civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Materials engineering (or Génie des matériaux) is offered at only seven universities, but variations such as materials and metallurgical engineering (Génie des matériaux et de la métallurgie) and closely related degrees such as nanotechnology are available. Dedicated ceramics and metallurgy programs have fallen along the wayside in recent decades. In practice, materials science and engineering careers arise from education in a wide range of disciplines other than materials engineering (e.g., chemistry,2 physics, and other engineering backgrounds). Cooperative education entails work terms of four months or longer, interspersed with periods of academic study. Co-op programs are offered at 55 universities, 26 colleges, and three institutes in Canada;3 about half of the universities with engineering programs have co-ops.4 Engineering co-op programs can also be found in Australia, Britain, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, Philippines, and United States. An iron ring is presented to graduating Canadian engineering students during the ceremony, The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, a practice dating back to 1922. The ring is worn with pride on an engineer’s working hand. The ring and its facets act as a symbol and reminder of the obligations and ethics
associated with the engineering profession. Since 1970, members of the United States Order of the Engineer wear a similar Engineer’s Ring. Licensure requirements include academics, work experience, language, good character, professionalism, and ethics. Because Canadian university programs are accredited, many graduates simply pass the mandatory Professional Practice Examination (affirming knowledge of ethics and Canadian law as it relates to engineering) after obtaining the necessary years of work experience and providing reference letters. A province or territory issues the licenses; provision for transfer to other regions of Canada is straightforward.
Engineering education at Canadian universities
There are two key aspects to education—students (the trainees) and faculty (the trainers). It is important to consider if the students represent the population and examine the areas they choose to study and why. Faculty members drive research, teach, and mentor and train students and postdoctoral scholars. However, whom the faculty represents is also important because utilizing and developing talent, serving as role mode
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