Photograph of a chemistry instructor in the chemistry lab. Links to Chemistry faculty bios at https://scitech.viu.ca/chemistry/faculty.

Engineering Transfer Certificate

The Engineering programs at UBC and UVic (and most other engineering schools in Canada) are designed so that students take a common first year core of courses and then chose the specific engineering discipline when they go into second year. 

The VIU Engineering Transfer Certificate program (ETCP)  is designed to allow students to complete a set of twelve (12) courses that align with the BC Common First-Year Engineering Curriculum, providing access to the following institutions:

  • The University of British Columbia (UBC) with a minimum GPA and time of completion.  For UBC (Okanagan), incoming students will be required to take APSC 171 at its first available offering in order to validate their transfer
  • The University of Victoria (UVic) with a minimum GPA and no course less than a 'C'
  • Simon Fraser University (SFU) - School of Engineering Science with a minimum GPA.  Students are required to enrol in SFU ENSC 120 at its first available offering upon their arrival at SFU, and SFU ENSC 180 by their 3rd year of studies to validate their transfer
  • Simon Fraser University (SFU) - School of Sustainable Energy Engineering with a minimum GPA.  Students are required to enrol in SFU SEE 110 and SEE 101W by not later than their 3rd year of studies at SFU and prior to enrolling in both SEE 402 and SEE 410W
  • Simon Fraser University (SFU) - School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering with a minimum GPA.  Students are required to enrol in SFU MSE 100, MSE 110, and MSE 101W by not later than their 3rd year of studies at SFU and prior to enrolling in MSE 320, MSE 312, and MSE 401W 
  • Thompson Rivers University (TRU) with a minimum GPA and no course less than a 'C'.  Students are required to enrol in DRAFT 1520, MATH 1700, and SENG 1210 upon transfer to TRU.  They will receive credit for CHEM 1520, CMNS 1290, and MATH 1300, which are normally offered in Terms 2A and 2B at TRU.
  • The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) with a minimum GPA and no course less than a 'C-' will be guaranteed placement within the Bachelor of Applied Science (Engineering).  Note that VIU CHEM 122 may be required prior to transfer for some specializations at UNBC. 
  • The University of Alberta with a minimum GPA and no course less than a 'C-'. 

Upon transfer, students are placed into a common pool with all students (regardless of first-year institution) for competitive entry into their 2nd year Program choice. Average GPA for entry into a specific program at each receiving institution changes each year depending on the number of students applying and the number of seats available.

Admission

Students are not admitted directly to the Engineering Transfer Certificate.  Students wishing to graduate with an Engineering Transfer Certificate must enrol under the Engineering Transfer Diploma program.  Upon successful receipt of your acceptance letter into the Diploma program, you will be asked whether you plan to graduate with the certificate or diploma.  If you indicate the certificate, two courses (CHEM 150 in Term 1A and ENGM 141 in Term 1B) will be added to the standard Transfer diploma timetable, allowing you to complete all certificate requirements within one year. 

Fall Term

CodeCourse TitleHours (Credits)
CSCI 160Computing Science I
5 (4)
ENGR 112Engineering Design I
3 (3)
MATH 100(2)Calculus for Engineering and Physical Sciences I
4 (3)
PHYS 121Physics for the Physical Sciences I
7 (4)
ENGL 115University Writing and Research
3 (3)
 Total Hours (Credits)
22 (17)

All students, excluding those transferring to Software Engineering at UVic, must also enrol in:

CodeCourse TitleHours (Credits)
CHEM 150(1)Engineering Chemistry
7 (4)

 

Spring Term

CodeCourse TitleHours (Credits)
ENGL 204(3)Business and Technical Writing
3 (3)
ENGR 121Engineering Design II
3 (3)
MATH 101(2)Calculus for Engineering and Physical Sciences II
4 (3)
MATH 141Matrix Algebra for Engineers
4 (3)
PHYS 122Physics for the Physical Sciences II
7 (4)
 Total Hours (Credits)
21 (16)

 

Students must also take the following courses, as determined by their transferring institution and preferred discipline:

UBC / UVic / TRU / UNBC / University of Alberta

CodeCourse TitleHours (Credits)
ENGM 141Engineering Mechanics
4 (3)

 

UVic (Software Engineering)

CodeCourse TitleHours (Credits)
CSCI 161Computing Science II
5 (4)
  1. students may take CHEM 140/142A or CHEM 140/142 instead of CHEM 150
  2. students may take MATH 121/122 instead of MATH 100/101
  3. ENGL 204 qualifies as a complementary studies elective for those students transferring to UBC-V.  Students may replace this course with another complementary studies elective, but are required to confirm with UBC-V that the replacement course fulfills its requirements.  International students transferring to UBC-V should take ENGL 125 instead of ENGL 204 to fulfill the LPI and UBC's English language requirements. If you believe that you already fulfill these requirements, please see the Engineering advisor. Domestic students who achieved a final mark of less than "B" in English 12 must also take ENGL 125 in their first year
  4. ENGM 141 may be delayed until transfer to UVic

Program Completion

All students may apply for the Engineering Transfer Certificate in their last term of studies. If they meet the credentials of the program, they will be granted the certificate.

Students within the Engineering Transfer Certificate are expected to transfer to UBC, UVic, TRU, SFU or the University of Alberta to complete their engineering studies. Courses may also transfer to alternative institutions, but students must apply formally for admission to the receiving institution.

Students completing the Engineering Transfer Certificate are also eligible to continue in the Engineering Transfer Diploma, or transfer to the Integrated Engineering Technology Diploma at VIU. 

Updated as of 29-May/2020