Wood Engineering (MEng Program)

Website: www.unbc.ca/engineering/meng-integrated-wood-design

Wood, known for its sustainable attributes, aesthetic beauty, durability, and ease of machinability, is becoming the leading building material in a new paradigm of sustainable and healthy building practices. Significant renewable wood resources in British Columbia and an international wood culture provide a strong impetus for UNBC, the province, and industrial partners to deliver a program centered on sustainable building practices using wood.

In order to meet the needs of the profession, the Master of Engineering in Wood Engineering develops students’ understanding of wood as a building material.

The program can be completed in one or two years, and is built on three pillars:

  1. Wood Mechanics and Timber Structures: Students gain a deep understanding of wood as an engineering material. Starting with the supply chain, students come to appreciate the nature of wood, its unique structure, and its physical properties, in relation to its application in load resisting components and building envelopes.
     
  2. Hands-on Experience: The only way to experience wood is to work with it. Students build small-scale structures to explore the versatility and complexity of wood.
     
  3. Team Work: At the core of successful design teams is the ability to communicate effectively and integrate different points of view. Students undertaking this program are immersed in the science and art of design team work.

Co-operative education is an optional but strongly recommended element of the program.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the admission application requirements outlined in General Admission of the Graduate Academic Calendar, applicants are required to hold a four-year (120 credit hours) baccalaureate degree in Civil Engineering from a recognized institution.

For entry into the Master of Engineering in Wood Engineering degree program, students who do not meet the exemptions indicated in English Language Requirements in Admissions and Regulations must meet one of the following criteria:

  • IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of at least 7.0 overall, with not less than 6.5 in any of the four modules;
  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 100 in the internet-based test, with not less than 25 in any of the Reading, Listening, Writing or Speaking components; or equivalent other TOEFL score;
  • or the equivalent level on another test of English language accepted by the University

Exceptional Admission

Applicants who have a four-year (120 credit-hour) baccalaureate degree (or equivalent) may be granted admission to the program if sufficient related engineering content can be demonstrated.

The pre-entry program as outlined in Pre-Entry Program in Admissions and Regulations is not applicable for applicants to gain entry to the Master of Engineering in Wood Engineering.

Requirements

ENGR 611-3 Introduction to Wood as a Building Material
ENGR 613-3 Wood Design I
ENGR 624-3 Envelope Design
ENGR 722-3 Project Design II
ENGR 723-3 Wood Design II
ENGR 727-3 Prefabrication and Digital Manufacturing in Wood Construction
ENGR 731-6 Master of Engineering Project

Electives

Two of the following:

ENGR 614-3 Engineering Vibration and Acoustics
ENGR 650-3 CAD/BIM in the Construction Industry
ENGR 729-3 Structural Dynamics and Seismic Design
ENGR 738-3 Finite Element Analysis and Computational Engineering

Updated: October 9, 2025