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Undergraduate program
An undergraduate mechanical engineering degree at UBC. The first years typically build shared engineering foundations before you spend more time in the mechanical discipline — including possible co-op, which is a separate process, not an automatic extra year.
Explore this program and related study options.
A BASc in Mechanical Engineering is an accredited-style engineering first degree: mathematics, physics, design, thermofluids, materials and mechanics, with labs and team projects as the faculty currently organises them.
UBC Engineering typically uses a first-year (or early-year) structure before placing students in a discipline. Mechanical is one of those disciplines — admission to the faculty is not the same as a guaranteed place in Mechanical if placement is competitive.
Co-operative education exists for many UBC engineering students. It is optional in the sense that you apply and must be accepted; it is not a hidden module on this page.
You learn to model, design and analyse mechanical systems, and to work in labs and teams. The calendar — not this summary — lists the current required courses.
Mathematics, physics and introductory engineering subjects usually dominate the early years.
Later years typically include solid mechanics, thermofluids, materials, design and control as the department defines them.
Expect practical and team-based work. That is part of engineering education, not an internship promise.
Where offered, electives let you lean toward areas such as biomechanics, manufacturing or energy. They change by year.
Four academic years is the standard full-time map. Co-op, if you take it, interleaves work terms and usually extends calendar time.
Read how UBC currently admits to Engineering and how students are placed into Mechanical. Do not assume direct-entry into the discipline if the faculty uses a common first year.
If you want work terms, check the Faculty of Applied Science co-op rules, eligibility and timeline.
Engineering licensing in Canada is a provincial professional process after graduation. The degree is academic preparation, not a P.Eng. licence.
Engineering has subject prerequisites — typically higher-level mathematics, chemistry and physics, depending on your curriculum — plus a competitive overall standard.
UBC publishes required senior-level subjects for Engineering. Missing physics or calculus is a common hard stop. Check the list for your high-school system.
Many UBC undergraduate applications include a personal profile as well as grades. Engineering is no exception unless the current cycle says otherwise.
Transcripts and, where required, English language evidence. Follow the international undergraduate checklist.
Placement into Mechanical after first year, if that is the current model, can be competitive. Read the faculty’s placement notes.
UBC publishes undergraduate English language pathways. Engineering uses those rules unless a more specific note appears on the faculty page.
Some applicants meet the requirement through recognised English-medium study. Others need an accepted test. We do not reprint unofficial scores.
Confirm the current requirement for your intake before you book a test.
International engineering tuition at UBC is published by programme and year. It is not an arts fee. Co-op work terms have their own cost and income pattern — do not net them out as if they were a scholarship.
Use the official international fee for the BASc and your entering year. Engineering rates differ from other faculties.
If you study at the Vancouver campus, housing is a large part of the year. Okanagan costs differ. We do not invent a monthly rent figure.
Fees change. Official tables only.
UBC International Scholars is listed here for undergraduates, typically considering academic strength and financial need, with nomination steps. It is highly competitive and not an automatic engineering award.
University of British Columbia · Need-based award
View detailsMechanical engineering can support pathways into design, manufacturing, energy, transportation, robotics or further study. Licensing, if you want it, is a separate provincial process.
Graduates may explore roles titled “mechanical engineer” or adjacent design and analysis work. Employers set their own bars. This page does not place you.
A master’s or PhD in engineering is a different application. So is an MBA later — not an automatic add-on.
UBC’s Vancouver campus is a large site at the edge of the city; Okanagan is smaller. Engineering is not identical on both campuses. Confirm where Mechanical is offered.
Study permits, typical costs of living and how Canadian undergraduate engineering is organised are covered on the Canada page.
The Winter Session (autumn) is the standard start. International undergraduate deadlines for UBC are early. Co-op has its own later internal deadlines if you join it.
Autumn, once a year, for this BASc.
Check UBC’s current international undergraduate deadline and any Engineering-specific notes. We do not print a calendar date here.
Short answers for orientation. Official course pages remain the source of truth for your year of entry.
Undergraduate mechanical engineering: foundations, mechanical core subjects, labs and design work as the faculty currently lists them. The calendar is the course list.
Typically four academic years. Co-op, if you take it, usually adds time. Confirm the current map.
Competitive grades plus required senior sciences and mathematics, and often a personal profile. Placement into Mechanical may have further faculty rules.
UBC’s published undergraduate English language requirement, unless a more specific Engineering note applies. Confirm for your intake.
International tuition is published for the BASc. Living costs depend on campus. We do not quote unofficial figures.
It may prepare you for mechanical and related engineering work or further study. It does not guarantee a job, a P.Eng. licence, a salary or a visa.
Typically through EducationPlannerBC, with UBC Engineering’s published steps. Application Support can help you plan.
Other programmes we currently list in the same study area, university or level — a comparison set, not a ranking.
Practical reading while you decide whether this programme — and this university — may fit.
Universities and programs
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