Masters in Civil Engineering in Canada: Top Colleges, Admissions, Fees, Scholarships, Jobs

Masters (MS) in Civil Engineering in Canada is a one to two year long course, best suited for recent graduates of Civil Engineering. Most Canadian universities offering a master’s degree in Civil Engineering have two-degree types for the program. These are Masters of Engineering(MEng) in Civil Engineering and Masters of Applied Sciences(MASc) in Civil Engineering. Admissions in most of the popular engineering colleges in Canada are offered in the fall and winter semesters. 

Tuition fee for the entire course of Masters in Civil Engineering from Canada ranges between 20,000-30,000 USD. Aspiring international candidates should maintain standard academic scores to study MS Civil Engineering in Canada. A civil engineer is hired at a minimum entry-level pay scale of 30,000 to 40,000 CAD in most of the top recruiting companies.  

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Civil engineering colleges in Canada offer the student a chance to explore various aspects across the country along with academic pursuit. The program focuses on learning effective techniques to evaluate and address evolving infrastructural issues. Designing, construction, maintenance, and the basic idea of how a static object behaves is what is required in an applicant who wants to pursue civil engineering programs. International aspirants mandatorily need to demonstrate their proficiency in English, LOR, CV and academic transcripts as part of the admission requirements.

Master’s in Civil Engineering: Top Universities in Canada

Masters in Civil Engineering in Canada is available at some of the top-ranking Canadian universities. Most of the top civil engineering colleges in Canada offer more than one type of degree for studying master's in engineering in Canada. Discussed below are some of the top engineering colleges in Canada with details of the program offered. These colleges have made it to the global civil engineering rankings as per QS Rankings. 

Masters in Civil Engineering from University of Toronto

Best suited for candidates with an impeccable academic record and sufficient money to spare, admission to Civil Engineering masters programs from UToronto are quite competitive. The number of applicants is high and it takes up to two weeks for the university to start reviewing your admission application after submission.

Note-**Prospective candidates for MASc Civil Engineering at UofT need to fill two application forms. These are:

School of Graduate Studies Application: Candidates are required to upload copies of previous academic transcripts on this application and pay the application fee.

Departmental (CivMin) Application: This supplemental application requires students to upload their statement of research, a resume, and contact info for 2 references.

Deadlines & Admission Decisions: The program starts in January and September. For the January semester, students need to apply by October of the previous year. Decisions to admission at UofT for the same will be announced from January to April/June on a rolling basis.

Masters in Civil Engineering from University of British Columbia

Globally ranked #46 for it’s civil engineering program, the University of British Columbia at Vancouver offers three graduate programs in Civil Engineering- MEng, MASc, & PhD. The former is offered in six areas of specializations whereas MASc & PhD programs have nine areas of specializations that students can choose from. 

The admissions policy for UBC is highly selective. This suggests that only fulfilling the academic requirements may not be sufficient for getting admissions at UBC. Hence, it is suggested that international applicants must have focus of additional requirements like GRE score, work experience, which can add value to their application package. 

Masters in Civil Engineering at McGill University

Ranked among the top 100 global universities offering civil engineering programs, McGill University offers both MS and MEng degrees to international aspirants. The basic details of both the programs offered at the university are detailed below. 

Masters in Civil Engineering from University of Waterloo

University of Waterloo is ranked 51-100 global universities offering civil engineering pg program. Given below are the necessary details of the program: 

Masters in Civil Engineering at Concordia University

Concordia ranks nationally #22, the graduate program in Civil Engineering at Concordia University is offered by Gina Cody School of Engineering & Computer Science. Tabulated below are the necessary details about the program required by international students.

Universities offering Masters in Civil Engineering in Canada

Apart from the above-mentioned universities, other universities in Canada offering the program and their details are tabulated below:

Why Study Civil Engineering from Canada

• Four civil engineering colleges in Canada are ranked among the top 100 Global universities for civil engineering as per QS rankings.
• Ranking #6 among the top 10 countries for highest paying jobs, Canada is one of the highest paying countries for civil engineers. 

• Civil Engineers in Canada earn anywhere between 25 CAD/hour to 61.54 CAD/hour. 
• You can work under a licensed engineer until you are issued your own license to practice has not been issued.
• Civil engineering is projected to be one of the top employment industries in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. 

Masters in Civil Engineering in Canada: Eligibility & Admissions

The admission and eligibility for some of the top ranking universities is discussed above. Given below is the general admissions and eligibility criteria for pursuing masters in civil engineering from Canada. 

• A four year bachelor's degree with a grade of minimum B. 
  • MENg aspirants should preferably have bachelors in engineering. 
  • Aspirants with other bachelors degrees in relevant fields can consider taking admissions in MASc/MS/MEngS degree. 
• English language proficiency: Proof of language proficiency is an important aspect of studying abroad. International applicants can take certain entrance exams to study in Canada, scores of these can be submitted as proof of proficiency
• Standardized test scores like GRE/GMAT should be submitted, if taken. However, most of the universities do not mandatorily ask for the scores.
• Work experience, statement of intent, statement of purpose are certain additional documents that are required along with the applications. 

Masters in Civil Engineering in Canada: Cost of Study

An international student willing to pursue studies from civil engineering colleges in Canada will incur various expenses. These can be broadly categorized into pre-departure expenses and post-arrival expenses. Pre-departure will be the sum of money spent before leaving hme country. However, latter include the expenses incurred after reaching Canada. 

Pre-Arrival Expenses 

The application fees of the universities you apply to, fees of various exams, and other one-time expenses (in CAD) are discussed briefly here:

• IELTS fee: 309-319
• GRE fee: 270
• TOEFL fee: 210-328
• Application fee: 120-140
• Visa fee: 300

Post-Arrival Expenses

International students spend a large sum of money on tuition and the cost of living in Canada. Given below is a graph detailing the annual cost of living in Canada while studying masters in civil engineering at popular engineering colleges:

Fig: Annual Cost of studying masters in civil engineering (including tuition) in Canada

Cost of Living in Canada

Making it to the list of one of the major expenses for an international student, cost of living in Canada varies depending on multiple factors. One of the most important factors being the student accommodations in Canada. Accommodations will cost you the most when studying abroad. However, other factors that will affect the cost you may have to incur include lifestyle choice, city you are living in, university opted, etc. The overall cost of studying at a particular university has already been discussed in the graphical image above. Given below are the expenses that an international student may have to spend on accommodations:

Masters in Civil Engineering in Canada Scholarships

The finances required to study in Canada can be cumbersome to handle for an international student on a budget. However, for financial requirement, there are various scholarships available in Canada. Once a student is familiar with the overall expense they will incur or pursuing this program, they can apply for funding available for masters students in Canada. This funding can be either government-funded, university-specific, or privately funded. Some of the popular scholarships that an international student who wants to study in Canada can apply for as listed below:

• Hira and Kamal Ahuja Award in Engineering: Offered to students of the University of Waterloo, Hira & Kamal Ahuja Award in Engineering offers an award of around 9000 CAD to engineering students enrolled. 
• Faculty of Engineering Awards: Offered to the students enrolled in engineering programs in University of Victoria. Award amount is around 1500 CAD. 
• Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship: Offering varied amount scholarships to international student pursuing PG degrees in Canadian Universities. 
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship: 5000 CAD to postgradaute students studying in Canada. 

Looking for more scholarships to study in Canada, click here.

Jobs in Civil Engineering in Canada

The highest paying province for civil engineers in Canada for a time span of over 10 years is Alberta followed by New Foundlans and Nova Scotia. Given below are some of the top recruiters in the industry and the entry-level package that they offer.

Some of the other top recruiters for civil engineers in Canada are Genviar, Hatch Group, Graham Group, Chandos Construction, Pomerleau, Stantec, Golder, etc. As per job bank canada, immigrants will be a major source of supply for around 1700 job openings from year 2020-2025. The detailed information on the source of supply is depicted in the graph below:

Figure: Number of immigrants and new entrants (graduates/postgraduates from the field) entering the new jobs for civil engineers in various provinces. 

Post completion of a Civil Engineering masters from Canada, you can apply for the following jobs in Canada:

Pursuing masters in civil engineering in Canada equips the students with superior education acknowledged across the world. The program will not only offer new horizons to explore academically but also culturally. Additionally, an increase of around 2500 jobs annually, makes masters in civil engineering from Canada a lucrative program to pursue. The expected immigrant labor supply to the industry is also projected to increase, making civil engineering your roadway to the country PR.

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