Work and academic experience that now seem exceptional for a student graduating with an undergraduate degree in engineering could become commonplace as UBC's engineering programs change with the times.
It's likely that within a few years, international work experience and problem-based research experience will grace the resumé of many undergraduate students in engineering at UBC, even before they complete their degrees, the dean of the Faculty of Applied Science said.
"A greater emphasis on research experience at the undergraduate level and increased opportunities to gain international work experience will ensure students graduating with a bachelor's degree in engineering are as well equipped as possible for employment in industry," said Axel Meisen.
Engineering programs, which have been developed at UBC since 1915, are continuing to evolve to meet the needs of industry, society and the students who choose to enter the profession.
There are now more than 2,200 undergraduate students and 700 graduate students enrolled in engineering programs. These include bio-resource engineering; chemical engineering; civil engineering; electrical and computer engineering; engineering physics; geological engineering; mechanical engineering; metals and materials engineering; and mining and mineral process engineering.
Meisen, who will step down this summer after 12 years as dean, lists a number of directions in which he expects the university's engineering programs to develop.
A greater integration of research and design early on in undergraduate level programs will introduce students to the sorts of problems they may face working in industry and give them the confidence and ability to tackle problems they have never encountered before, Meisen said.
He also anticipates a greater shift away from discipline-focused research toward problem-focused research, such as work on such societal issues as unemployment, automation and creating a better life for the aged through the application of technology.
The development of collaborative arrangements with industrial and academic partners in Canada and abroad will provide students with opportunities to gain not only relevant work experience through co-op programs, but also international academic experience. Meisen said that although a number of international agreements are in place, the trickle of engineering students taking advantage of exchange programs is relatively small.
"With the increasing internationalization of engineering, our graduates are very likely to find themselves in positions of either competing with or collaborating with engineering firms from around the world," he said. "A semester of study in Asia, or completion of a co-op work term in Latin America, will prove invaluable when it comes to dealing with colleagues or competitors in these areas later.
"Most of our co-op students are being placed in B.C. and in Canada. But I see that changing, particularly in the Asia Pacific and the Americas, including the U.S.
"We have to take advantage of being next to such a large, technologically advanced nation."
Despite a high level of UBC success in negotiating agreements with Asian partners, Meisen said increasing competition in the region will lead to fewer opportunities.
"I think we'll need to develop a second string to our bow, and that should be the Americas. They're in our own backyard and it makes strategic sense. If we don't develop in the direction of Latin America now we'll miss a major opportunity."
Increasing political and economic stability in Latin America, and well-established business relationships between Canadian industries -- particularly mining and forestry -- and Latin American partners, make the area attractive for UBC.
Other developments in UBC's engineering programs are likely to include growth in the areas of software engineering and bio-sciences, Meisen said.
"Tremendous advances have been made in the areas of molecular biology and genetic engineering," he said. "But these advances haven't found great expression in practice and application yet. UBC is extremely well-positioned with its multi-faculty expertise in that area."
There is also room for the introduction of a Doctor of Engineering program heavily weighted in course work and having a wider approach than the current PhD research programs, he added.