Software Engineering – Public Policy option

General information

With growing market demand, software engineering is one of Canada’s newest engineering disciplines; however, there are few software engineering programs in Canada. UOIT’s Software Engineering program focuses on the design of computer software and is exposed to software design for embedded systems, enterprise and mobile systems,  distributed systems, real-time control systems, multi-media, and man-machine interfaces. Courses including software design, user interface, advanced networks, design and analysis of algorithms, and software project management prepare graduates for successful careers in the software engineering field.

Engineering and Public Policy

Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) option is an interdisciplinary program that aims to provide students with strategies for developing, implementing and designing a set of insights and skills that will help them better deal with issues of technology and social/public policy that may arise in the course of their engineering careers, and to better exercise their ethical and social obligations as practicing professionals. Students study the complete engineering program and also gain essential knowledge in public policy and law. Students in this program take two semesters of Public Policy, Legal Studies, Political Science and Social Science courses for 30 credit hours after successfully completing the third year in Engineering. The regular fourth year of the engineering program is then taken in year five of the program. The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science offers EPP program options in:

• Automotive Engineering   
• Electrical Engineering   
• Electrical Engineering (Smart Grid)   
• Manufacturing Engineering   
• Mechanical Engineering    
• Mechanical Engineering (Energy Engineering)    
• Software Engineering   

Admission requirements

Engineering and Applied Science students are eligible to apply to the Engineering and Public Policy program in the second semester of their third year, for entry into the program in their fourth year (after completing all third year requirements for an engineering degree with a CGPA 3.0 or better). Prerequisite: SSCI 1470U – Impact of Science and Technology on Society .

Work placement/internship/co-op opportunities

The university’s proximity to some of the largest automotive and manufacturing companies in Canada provides many opportunities for work placements. In addition, a 12- to 16-month optional Engineering Internship program is available for students completing third year, and students may participate in two- to four-month work placements through the Engineering Co-op program. See course descriptions for ENGR 0998U – Engineering Internship Program  and ENGR 0999U – Engineering Co-op Program  for details.

Professional designation

All UOIT undergraduate engineering programs in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science have been fully accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. (Note: The new Mechatronics Engineering program will be reviewed for accreditation in 2019-2020, to coincide with the first graduating class, as per CEAB requirements.) Each graduate is eligible to apply for licensing as a professional engineer (PEng) in any province or territory in Canada.

Program details and degree requirements

Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) is a five-year program. Students in the EPP program follow the same program map as the four-year degree program for each option with one difference. After students complete all requirements for the third year of engineering, students admitted into the EPP program would spend their fourth year at the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, where they complete the specified course sequence for students in the EPP program set out below.  

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4 (30 credit hours)

Prerequisite: SSCI 1470U – Impact of Science and Technology on Society . All other course prerequisites will be waived for Engineering and Public Policy students.

Courses will be taken in the order they are scheduled.

Year 5

*Electives

Engineering electives

Courses selected for the Engineering elective must be approved by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Engineering courses from other engineering programs may be allowed as Engineering electives provided students have the prerequisites and the courses extend the students’ knowledge through greater depth in an advanced area, or greater breadth in a complementary field. Not all of the listed Engineering electives will necessarily be offered each year.

The following are approved courses as Engineering electives:

• SOFE 4800U – Advanced Operating Systems
• SOFE 4820U – Modelling and Simulation
• SOFE 4830U – Real Time Systems and Control
• SOFE 4860U – Computer Graphics Design
• SOFE 4870U – Special Topics in Software Engineering
• SOFE 4890U – Advanced Computer Networks

Science electives

Courses selected for the Science elective must be approved by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Science courses from other UOIT programs may be allowed as Science electives provided students have the prerequisites and the courses extend the students’ knowledge through greater depth in an advanced area, or greater breadth in a complementary field. Not all of the approved Science electives will necessarily be offered each year.

The following are approved courses as science electives:

• BIOL 1841U – Essentials of Biology
• ENVS 1000U – Environmental Science
• ENVS 2010U – Introductory Environment Science
• HLSC 1200U – Anatomy and Physiology I
• PHY 2900U – Astronomy I

Liberal Studies electives

Complementary studies, including courses in humanities, social sciences, arts, management, engineering economics, ethics and communication, are included in engineering programs to complement the technical content of the curriculum and thereby provide graduates with a broader perspective of their role in society. Inclusion of complementary studies also satisfies several accreditation criteria of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. Courses or parts of courses covering engineering economics, ethics, and the impact of technology on society, as well as courses that develop the student’s capability to communicate orally, visually and in writing, are essential to the education of an engineer and therefore are included in all engineering programs at UOIT.

Liberal studies electives are included in each engineering program to ensure adequate coverage of subject matter that deals with central issues, methodologies and thought processes of the humanities and social sciences. Such material is required in the education of an engineer. Liberal studies electives can include, but are not limited to, courses dealing with cultural analysis; historical analysis; literature and the arts; knowledge, cognition, and moral reasoning; and social and behavioural analysis.

Foreign language and business courses may not be used as liberal studies. Courses can be approved as liberal studies electives for students in engineering programs at UOIT by the dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (or designate), in accordance with these principles.

Courses selected for the liberal studies electives must be approved by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Liberal studies electives are subject to change. An updated list of liberal studies electives will be maintained online at engineering.uoit.ca.