Throughout the years many of our alumni have achieved various awards by the Faculty of Engineering and the Alumni Association.

These awards are given to those who are committed to the pursuit of excellence and play a significant role in helping McMaster University earn its reputation as one of Canada’s most innovative universities.

Alumni are recognized with awards at the following events:

• Applause & Accolades
• Faculty Awards

We encourage current students and alumni to stay connected with classmates, enhance their
professional skills and meet inspiring mentors at several events including:

• Backpack to Briefcase – Alumni & Student Networking Event
• class reunions
• graduate receptions
• Mac Eng Connect

The idea of a ceremony for the Obligation of Canadian Engineers dates back to 1922, when seven past-presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada attended a meeting in Montreal with other engineers.  The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, to be administered by the Corporation of the Seven Wardens Inc. was instituted with the simple end of directing newly qualified Canadian engineers toward a consciousness of their profession and its social significance, and indicating to more experienced engineers their responsibilities in welcoming and supporting the newer engineers when they are ready to enter the profession.

The Obligation Ceremony is not connected to any other engineering organization nor to any university, although many of them support the idea of the Obligation and may participate in the administration of the Ceremonies.

Reference: The above was adapted from the Iron Ring website.

Iron Ring – Contact List

The Corporation of the Seven Wardens Camp XIII has a history dating back to 1922, when seven past-presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada attended a meeting in Montreal with other engineers. One of the speakers was civil engineer Professor Haultain of the University of Toronto. He felt that an organization was needed to bind all members of the engineering profession in Canada more closely together. He also felt that an obligation or statement of ethics to which a young graduate in engineering could subscribe should be developed. The seven past-presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada were very receptive to this idea.

The object of the Ritual can be stated as follows: The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer has been instituted with the simple end of directing the newly qualified engineer toward a consciousness of the profession and its social significance and indicating to the more experienced engineer their responsibilities in welcoming and supporting the newer engineers when they are ready to enter the profession.

The Ritual is administered by a body called The Corporation of the Seven Wardens Inc./Société des Sept Gardiens inc. The seven past-presidents of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 1922 were the original seven Wardens. The Corporation is responsible for administering and maintaining the Ritual and in order to do so creates Camps in various locations in Canada. The Ritual is not connected with any university or any engineering organization; the Corporation is an entirely independent body. The Ritual has been copyrighted in Canada and in the United States.

The Iron Ring has been registered and may be worn on the little finger of the working hand by any engineer who has been obligated at an authorized ceremony of the Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer. The ring symbolizes the pride which engineers have in their profession, while simultaneously reminding them of their humility. The ring serves as a reminder to the engineer and others of the engineer’s obligation to live by a high standard of professional conduct. It is not a symbol of qualification as an engineer – this is determined by the provincial and territorial licensing bodies.

The deadline to complete the Application process (new application to be posted soon) is Friday, January 27, 2024.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Print and complete the External Application Form & complete the online payment via the online payment form. Submit your application by email to kipling13@mcmaster.ca Your application will not be reviewed until we receive your payment.

ELIGIBILITY:

Eligibility to participate in the “The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer” ceremony is open to any candidate who has graduated from a Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) accredited undergraduate engineering degree program in Canada. Undergraduate “Student Candidates” from an accredited Canadian engineering program are automatically qualified and invited to participate in the obligation ceremony. If you do not have an accredited Canadian undergraduate engineering degree you may also be considered for eligibility as an External Applicant, based on your academic qualifications or provincial licensing body membership.

To maintain consistency across Canada, all Camps adhere to a common academically based eligibility criterion for an engineer to be obligated (receive a ring), namely, completion of a Canadian accredited undergraduate engineering degree or its deemed equivalent. The criterion is aligned with the academic requirements for professional registration with Canadian provincial and territorial professional engineering licensing bodies. As Camp XIII is based in Ontario, the Camp aligns with Professional Engineers of Ontario’s (PEO) process for assessing academic credentials. External Applicants to Camp XIII are required to obtain confirmation of having met the academic requirements for licensure from PEO.

NOTE: Camp XIII is not qualified to assess academic credentials related to the McMaster University BTech program.

On May 15, 2023, PEO announced changes to the process for application for licensure which impact eligibility for External Applicants. Prior to May 15, 2023, Applicants could submit an application for licensure which would be accepted by Professional Engineers of Ontario. The Applicant’s academic qualifications would be assessed by PEO in the Applicant’s education (see below). PEO could provide confirmation of completion of academic requirements while the application remained in process until the applicant had acquired four years of professional experience and satisfied all requirements to obtain a license. Since May 15, 2023, PEO will not accept an application to practice engineering as a Professional Engineer until the applicant has completed all required elements (Academic requirements according to your academic stream, Experience requirement, Identification, Good Character Assessment). As a result, for those who apply after May 15, 2023, PEO will no longer confirm completion of academic requirements before the application is completed (including the 48 months of experience), and therefore External Applicants can no longer confirm equivalent eligibility to the Camps in that period.

1) Applicants who applied to PEO prior to May 15, 2023.

For External Applicants who applied to PEO prior to May 15, 2023, nothing has changed. PEO will continue to review and provide confirmation of academic qualification based on their pre-May 15 process. External Applicants must obtain a letter from PEO confirming completion of academic requirements and complete the Camp’s External Applicant form for review and approval by the Camp.

Further information regarding the academic requirements process may be found on the PEO website Pre-May 15 PEO .

2) Applicants applying to PEO after May 15, 2023

For External Applicants who apply to PEO after May 15, 2023, the new PEO application process will apply. Under the new process, Applicants must complete all elements prior to submitting their application for review (Academic requirements according to your academic stream, Experience requirement, Identification, Good Character Assessment). Note the 48 months of experience requirement must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Again, External Applicants must obtain a letter from PEO confirming completion of academic requirements and complete the Camp’s External Applicant form for review and approval by the Camp.

Further information of the new PEO application process is on the PEO website, PEO Application Requirements .

It is not known at this time if PEO will introduce a process for confirmation of completion or confirmation of academic eligibility prior to the final application review. The Camp will continue to monitor the process and will provide updates as they are made available.

Iron Ring Replacement:

If you are from Camp XIII and you have misplaced your ring, follow the steps below to receive your replacement.

1. The cost to replace your Iron Ring is $35.00.
2. If you know your size one can use the online ring replacement form and pay by credit card. Once we receive a successful submission, a replacement ring will be placed in the mail to the address provided. Please allow 10-15 business days for this process.
3. If you would like to do the replacement in-person, please email kipling13@mcmaster.ca to make an appointment as the office is not open daily.

Iron Ring Exchanges:

Camp XIII will offer ring exchanges only to new obligated engineers or new replacement purchases within 30 days of the processing date – please email kipling13@mcmaster.ca to make arrangements.

All potential BENG graduates are eligible to receive an iron ring.

Note: Students who are in the BTech or Computer Science program are not eligible.

BTech students must complete their PEO challenge exams before they are eligible for the iron ring.  This also applies to BTech students who have completed an MEng, MASc, or PhD (they must apply to the PEO and pass any exams they are assigned).

For more information on the application process, please visit this comprehensive guide for BTech students.

Iron Ring Sizing will take place in November – dates to be posted soon.

a) The actual ringing of the candidate may be done by any obligated engineer of your choice who has taken the obligation a minimum of 10 years ago. The intent of this requirement is to have Engineers of some experience, welcoming and encouraging you as a new Engineer.   An online Presenter form will be provided to candidates to fill out.

b) Seven Camp Wardens will be in attendance at the ceremony to present the rings to candidates who do not have presenters. In this case, the Presenter form does not need to be filled out.

IMPORTANT: If there is a possibility that a special circumstance exists concerning the individual you intend to ask to ring you, you must explain the circumstance in a written notice and submit it by email to kipling13@mcmaster.ca to be approved by the Camp Wardens.The online Presenter from will also need to be submitted at the same time with the letter/email.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  If your proposed Presenter has not been Obligated (i.e. has not received their Iron Ring at a prior Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer), they cannot present an Iron Ring, or otherwise participate in, the Ceremony.  This requirement stands even if your proposed Presenter is a Professional Engineer, but has not been Obligated.   It is mandatory that a Presenter must be an Obligated Engineer.  No exceptions.

The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer – Camp XIII Iron Ring Ceremony will take place on Friday March 22, 2024 at McMaster University in the Burridge Gymnasium.

You MUST attend the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer – Iron Ring Ceremony in order to get your iron ring. If you cannot attend, then you will have to wait until next year or may choose to participate in a Ceremony at another Camp – Iron Ring – Contact List