We are seeking approval in principle of expanded engineering programs at UNBC.  Specifically approval in principle is sought for three motions: 1) That a new Engineering Program be approved in principle  2) That a new Civil Engineering Program be approved in principle; 3) That a new Mechanical Engineering Program be approved in principle. 

It will be impossible to initiate an expanded engineering offering at UNBC without added resources including personnel and a new building with appropriate office, classroom and lab space.  Discussions are underway with ALMD respecting resource needs. 

The discussion at UNBC around approval in principle will address resource needs and will constitute a formal statement that expanding engineering is a priority at UNBC.  As such it will require consideration by the Board of Governors as well as Senate. 

Approval in principle will permit external peer reviews of the curricula that have been developed and which are attached for information.  Results of the peer reviews will be used to refine the curricula as appropriate prior to seeking formal approval from Senate.  Final formal approval through the UNBC Senate and Board will follow the external peer reviews of the curriculum and will be subject to commitment by the province of appropriate funding. 

Two new programs, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, are proposed for UNBC. The full proposal includes 65 motions: 60 new engineering course motions, 1 new chemistry course motion (from Chemistry), 1 course change motion (from Environmental Engineering), and 3 new program motions.  The three program motions include motions for each of the proposed new degrees (Civil and Mechanical Engineering) and one program motion to describe the common regulations and common first year of the two proposed degrees. The motions are being submitted for approval “in principle”.  Once approved in principle with the resources required to support the program established, the programs will be sent for external review.

This proposal is in response to strong community demand for an engineering program in Northern BC to train engineers in the north for the north.  The Northern Technology and Engineering Society of BC (NTES; www.NTES.ca) has been established to support new engineering education in Northern BC and demonstrates the broad based support across industry for the proposed programs. The engineering disciplines in greatest demand in Northern BC are Civil and Mechanical, as detailed in the Applied Technical & Engineering Education Consortium for Northern British Columbia report (ATEEC; “Labour Market Projections and Forecasts for Northern BC” at http://ateec.ca/index.php?q=node/10).  The Civil and Mechanical Engineering disciplines are highly complementary and meet a coherent set of regional development and resource sector needs and are the disciplines in greatest demand from potential students. 

The proposed new engineering programs were developed following the directives of the Engineering Advisory Council (EAC).  The EAC includes representatives from UNBC, CNC, community leaders and the engineering community throughout Northern BC.  These directives included following the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) requirements for curriculum content and for graduate attributes, an integrated laddering program with the Engineering Technologist Diploma at CNC, a northern focus, and strong industry interaction through internship and co-op opportunities for students. 

The proposed programs require a new building with specialized engineering laboratories, new library holdings, new faculty and support personnel for the Civil and Mechanical engineering programs, and support for existing programs which will be affected by the new engineering curriculum (one new Physics faculty, one new Math faculty, teaching resources and TA’s for new engineering course sections in Physics, Math, Chemistry, and Computer Science, NRES, and an Engineering co-op director).   The new programs will not start until new funding is in place and new facilities are prepared.  Funding for the new programs will be from external sources and the Board of Governors is not expected to approve these motions in detail until funding has been secured.  Therefore the proposed start date is “Upon approval by the Board and preparation for delivery”.

New Engineering programs are an exciting possibility for UNBC that will bring many benefits.  This proposal is a starting point and it is expected that the programs will evolve as they are developed and delivered.  For example, there is the possibility of refactoring how the 100-level Physics content is delivered, with a stream developed for engineering and physics students, and an opportunity to develop a geology course for civil engineers. If UNBC is interested in the implementation of block teaching, the proposed engineering programs will be an excellent starting point as engineering programs have well defined cohorts and highly prescribed curriculum requirements (few elective opportunities).