When you drive across a bridge, make a telephone call, fly in a plane or use a computer, you experience, first-hand the work of engineers. The results of their work can also be seen in satellites orbiting Earth, on offshore oil rigs and in tall buildings rising from the heart of Canada’s metropolitan cities.
Engineers prove, every day, that anything’s possible!
The Nuts and Bolts
Basically, engineers are problem-solvers. They put scientific knowledge to practical use, applying science and math to solve problems creatively. They are involved with the design, construction and operation of everything from bridges to computer chips to mountain bikes to roller coasters. In fact, without engineers, our modern way of life would not be very modern at all!
Thinking about a career in engineering? How would you answer the following questions?
- Are you good at math and science? Do you look forward to these classes in school?
- Are you creative and imaginative? Do like to build new things, or improve the way things work?
- Do you have good communication skills? Do people find you interesting to talk to?
- Do you like working in teams? Are you a member of a school club, the band or a sports team?
If you answer yes to some of these questions, you might have what it takes to be an engineer!
Step One: Math and Science in Grade School and High School
Learn how math and science can be used to solve real-world problems. Study hard! Stick with it!
Step Two: Engineering Program in University
For most would-be engineers in Canada, the first step is to be admitted into an accredited engineering program at a Canadian university. Accredited means that the program has been evaluated by the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers and found to meet the high standards set by the engineering profession. This process ensures that students who graduate from an accredited program have the technical, design and hands-on skills they need to begin a career in engineering.
There are many different fields, or disciplines, of engineering to choose from, and even more accredited engineering programs. More than 30 Canadian universities offer accredited engineering programs. To find out more about these universities and programs, click here.
Step Three: Becoming a Professional Engineer
Engineering, like medicine and law, is a self-regulated profession. This means the profession is responsible for overseeing the conduct of its members, and for establishing practice guidelines, professional standards and codes of ethics for them to follow.
To do this, engineering regulatory associations have been established in each province and territory of Canada. The associations/ordre license engineers who meet the profession’s high standards, and govern the profession of engineering.
Licensed engineers can use the designation "P. Eng." ("ing." in Quebec) after their names. P. Eng. stands for "professional engineer" (ing. = "ingénieur"). It’s engineering’s stamp of quality. No one can call themselves a professional engineer, use the P. Eng. designation, or carry out engineering work in Canada without a licence.
Like doctors and lawyers, Canada’s 160,000 professional engineers are required to take responsibility for their work. They have a duty and ethical responsibility to protect public safety. It’s part of what makes being a professional and a P. Eng. so special.
Once you have a degree from an accredited program, you’re on your way to becoming a professional engineer. Next steps?
- Register with your provincial/territorial association/ordre of professional engineers.
- Get three to four years of practical engineering experience (depending on your province/territory), under the supervision of a professional engineer.
- Pass the professional practice exam (on ethics and law).
You will then be granted the P.Eng., your license to practice engineering.
For more information, visit the P.Eng. Web site, at www.peng.ca.
Areas of Specialization
Engineers have lots of options!
There are nearly 20 areas of specialization, or disciplines, to choose from, and most offer a wide range of career options.
Once you’ve chosen your specialty, there’s lots of room for crossover, and you will probably have a chance to work with engineers from many other specializations. You can understand why engineers need to be team players, when you think about how the many specialties of engineering join together to create a major project.
So, regardless of your specialty, you’ll probably be involved in several kinds of engineering. You will also be at the forefront of innovation, because the Engineering you do will shape our vision of the future.
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| Specialization |
Description |
Activities |
Work Environments |
| Aerospace |
- the research, design and production of aircraft, spacecraft, aerospace equipment, satellites and missiles
|
- improving performance of commercial and military aircraft
- developing robotic systems in spacecraft
- advancing communications and broadcasting
|
- commercial aerospace companies
- government departments like Department of National Defense, National Research Council
|
| Agricultural |
- the development of solutions to problems involving plants and animals and the natural environment
|
- enhancing crop and animal production on the farm, land and resource management, environmental issues, machinery for non-traditional crops, bio-energy development and value-added processing of biological materials
|
- laboratories
- offices
- farming areas
|
| Biomechanical and Biomedical |
- researching and designing equipment that assists in human movement, such as artificial limbs and organs
|
- designing prostheses, developing movement systems for people with spinal injuries, developing equipment for athletes in high-performance sports
|
- health care
- government
- colleges and universities
|
| Chemical |
- the design and operation of industrial equipment and methods to manufacture chemical products
|
- designing and producing fibres in clothing, soaps and detergents, dry-cleaning chemicals, leather, paints, pesticides and plastics
- designing, building, maintaining and managing the necessary plants, systems and equipment used in the manufacturing process
|
- industries which produce oil and gas, nuclear energy, biotechnology, synthetic materials
- food processing industries
- environmental protection industries/agencies
|
| Civil |
- the design, construction and management of highways, railways, transit systems, airports, harbours, bridges, tunnels and buildings
|
- one of the widest ranges of activities of any specialization
- one example is ensuring the availability of high-quality water supplies and sewage treatment facilities
|
- municipalities
- transportation
- construction
- research
- consulting
|
| Computer |
- the design, development and maintenance of computer systems
|
- designing, testing, programming and maintaining computers
- work can be done in a variety of areas such as software applications, microelectronics, telecommunications, power systems and instrumentation
|
- telecommunications
- research
- consulting
- governments
- hospitals
- manufacturing
|
| Electrical |
- the generation or production, transmission, distribution and application of electrical energy, as well as low power electricity that is the basis for telecommunications, television and computer technology
|
- working with the technology of electricity, such as the design and application of circuitry and equipment for power generation and distribution
- creating systems that control lighting, power, ventilation, heating, communications in buildings
- creating systems that control lighting, power, ventilation
|
- power supply industries (e.g. developing hydroelectric power stations)
- telecommunications
- aeronautics
- high tech
|
| Environmental |
- the development of technically- and economically-feasible solutions to environmental problems
|
- preventing pollution of the environment by designing systems for air and water quality control, vibration and noise reduction, and hazardous waste disposal
|
- government departments
- transportation
- energy
- consulting
- manufacturing
- oil and gas
- research
|
| Geological |
- the applying of geological data, techniques and principles to the study of rock, soil and ground water
|
- determining the suitability of various locations for buildings, dams, highways, airfields, pipelines and tunnels
|
- construction
- government
- mining
- oil and gas exploration
- environmental assessment
- environmental clean-up
|
Geomatics
(Surveying) |
- the collection and displaying of data about the Earth’s surface and its gravity fields for such uses as mapping, legal boundary delineation, navigation and monitoring environmental concerns
|
- helping airlines navigate, positioning offshore rigs and helping to align high-precision industry machinery
|
- computer-based information systems
- navigation and positioning mapping
- digital imaging
- oil exploration
|
|
Industrial and Manufacturing
|
- the combination of expertise in equipment, material, procedures, human resources and production methods to assist organizations to improve efficiency, effectiveness and productivity
|
- industrial engineers are concerned with the management side of operations
- manufacturing engineers focus on the manufacturing process
- using their expertise to help companies stay competitive
- facility layout and design, production planning, logistics systems, management and operations
|
- almost any industry, including management consulting firms, food processing plants, health care facilities, auto manufacturers and banks
|
|
Mechanical
|
- the applying of the principles of mathematics, material science, physics and economics to the design, manufacture and maintenance of mechanical equipment
|
- designing, testing and manufacturing household appliances, heating systems, cars, ships and airplanes
|
- outer-space
- in the ocean depths
- oil and gas industry
- fields of robotics, biomechanics or waste management
|
|
Materials
|
- the study of non-metallic materials (semiconductors, synthetic organic polymers, ceramics and composites)
- taking scientific principles established in mathematics, physics and chemistry and applying them to various problems or needs in society
|
- developing industrial ceramics such as Pyrex and the protective coating on the space shuttle
- working in raw materials such as metallic ores and ceramic powders, converting them into substances that have useful properties
- working with polymers used in plastic, rubber, fibres, films and composites
|
- chemical and manufacturing industries
- research labs
|
|
Metallurgical
|
- the study of the properties and characteristics of metals and other materials
|
- researching, developing and monitoring the processes for extracting metals from ores
- developing new alloys and metals to meet specific requirements
- producing metal and non-metal products
|
- primary metal producers
- large metal manufacturers
- research
- aircraft manufacturers
- business and engineering consulting firms
- petroleum, chemical and manufacturing industries
|
|
Mining
|
- the discovery, extraction and preparation of minerals from the Earth’s crust to be used by manufacturing and energy industries
- exploring, testing, mine design and construction, equipment, operations and management
|
- ascertaining the size of ore beds and determining if the ore can be extracted economically
- developing plans for the location of shafts, tunnels and chambers, underground openings, open-pit layouts, mine ventilation systems and drainage systems
- supervising mine workers and ensuring adherence to safety rules
|
- mining companies
- technical sales
- teaching
- research
- governments
- equipment manufacturers
- consulting
|
|
Naval Architectural and Ocean
|
- the conception, design and construction of ships, offshore structures and other marine vehicles
|
- working in a wide variety of fields covering many aspects of marine services
- designing and building ships and boats
|
- fisheries
- transportation
- government departments (e.g. Department of National Defence)
- oil and gas industry
- shipbuilding companies
|
|
Nuclear
|
- Research, development and application of nuclear technology to energy production, environmental protection, medical diagnosis and treatment, and the use of radioisotopes in construction, sterilization, and space systems.
|
- improving safety and efficiency at nuclear power plants
- improving detection and treatment methods for disease
- reducing global greenhouse gas emissions
- ensuring safe treatment of nuclear waste
- researching future clean energy sources
|
- uranium mines
- nuclear power reactors
- nuclear research facilities
- hospitals and health care facilities
- universities - research
- government organizations
|
|
Petroleum
|
- the exploration, recovery, development and processing of oil and gas
|
- determining the best location for drilling new wells
- operating oil and gas facilities
- monitoring and forecasting reservoir performance
|
- oil companies
- engineering consulting firms
- banks
- government agencies
|
|
Software Engineering
|
- The specification, design, development and maintenance of software systems and products.
|
- Responsible for the development and management of large-scale software projects where issues of public safety and the maintenance and evolution of software systems are of paramount importance.
|
- Telecommunications
- Information processing
- Banking
- Government
|
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If you have any questions about these areas of specialty, you can contact your provincial/territorial association/ordre or the Canadian Aboriginal Science and Engineering Association. Click here!
Additional Links
How much do engineers make?
The salary ranges for engineers depend on many variables, including their field of expertise and years of experience. This makes it difficult for us to tell you what kind of yearly income you might expect coming out of university, or after, say, five years of experience and earning your professional designation (P.Eng.). However, salary surveys of professional engineers have been conducted by some provincial associations.
Clicking on the province of choice will link you to the survey results for that province.
Atlantic Provinces
British Columbia
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
What a career!
There are wonderful opportunities in engineering both in Canada and around the world. Take the adventure! You’ll love it!
We extend a sincere thanks to those provincial associations who provided material for this page.
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