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Queen’s Engineering’s Graduate Studies: Taking it to the next level

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Faculty News

Faculty News

Brian Surgenor PhD, PEng, FCSME

“As a country, we have to

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produce more innovators to remain competitive internationally,” says

Surgenor. “That’s why we promote graduatelevel, industry-sponsored projects funded by organizations such as

MITACS and NSERC, which support the growth of the Canadian economy ” by using our graduate professionals.

Queen’s began offering graduate studies in engineering in the early 1950s. By 1970, the number of graduate students was slightly more than 100. Today, 40 years later, the Faculty has more than 500 graduate students from around the world studying in one of its 15 programs. The growth reflects the Faculty’s increased interaction with industry and its demands for more applied research, as well as Queen’s strategic focus on becoming a more research-intensive university.

The research-focused master’s (MASc) and doctoral (PhD) programs continue to produce highly trained engineers with the advanced skills and knowledge Canada needs to remain competitive. “However, the past 10 years has seen a push from all levels toward more research in direct collaboration with industry,” says Brian Surgenor, Vice-Dean (Research and Graduate Studies), Sc’77, PhD’83.

As an example, Surgenor points to MITACS, a national, not-for-profit organization that provides funding for graduate students to work in industry as part of their studies. This allows them to apply skills they acquire in university to real-world problems. MITACS’s goal is to equip the next generation of innovators with vital scientific and business skills.

“As a country, we have to produce more innovators to remain competitive internationally,” says Surgenor. “That’s why we promote graduate-level, industrysponsored projects funded by organizations such as MITACS and NSERC, which support the growth of the Canadian economy by using our graduate professionals.”

In addition to the thesis-based MASc and PhD programs, the Masters of Engineering (MEng) offers a graduate degree based on coursework. It’s an eightto 12-month program that provides a mix of technical and professional skills; it’s best suited to those who are interested in learning advanced engineering skills that will enhance their employment opportunities.

“Some undergraduate students completing their four-year engineering degree feel they need that extra fifth year to be more competitive in today’s job market,” says Surgenor. “In some areas, it’s difficult to fit all you need to learn into four years, so the MEng is ideal to give that added edge.”

Graduate studies also include professional development programs such as the Community Relations for the Extractive Industries, a graduate certificate program first offered in 2012. Intended for mining engineers who wish to learn more about corporate social responsibility and how extractive industries manage their relationships with local communities, the certificate consists of four distance education courses.

The people you’ll meet in the following pages are studying for their graduate degrees or have completed their studies. Each of them has found meaningful and exciting ways to put their Queen’s education to good use.

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