Experiential Learning

McMaster Engineering integrates experiential learning into every facet of the student journey. We offer co-op opportunities, community-focused co-curricular activities, clubs and teams, Canada’s largest undergraduate research program and much more.

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Experiential learning provides students with hands-on learning opportunities beyond the traditional lecture-style format. We are challenged to re-imagine engineering education as a holistic approach to educating the whole engineer. Through The Pivot, we are transforming the undergraduate experience into a rich experiential learning opportunity. Our students gain five key competencies from The Pivot. They are:

Discover + Create (DC)

Mentored research or project experiences to enhance technical competence and creativity.

Integrate + Solve (IS)

Understanding and bridging multiple and diverse ways of defining problems and posing solutions.

Business + Innovate (BI)

Understanding gained through experience that viable business models are necessary for the successful implementation of engineering solutions.

Global + Diversity (GD)

Understanding gained through experiences where serious consideration of cultural issues is mandatory to successfully implement engineering solutions.

Citizen + Community (CC)

Deepen social consciousness and motivation to address global and local societal problems because serving people is the vision of engineering.

Explore the variety of ways we are educating the whole engineer.

The Pivot

The Pivot is the first program of its kind that will transform McMaster Engineering’s undergraduate experience into a rich experiential learning opportunity to prepare students to be flexible in a rapidly changing world and to meet challenges not yet imagined.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PIVOT PROGRAM

Co-Op

The Engineering Co-op Program provides undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to gain valuable engineering work and experiential learning opportunities before they graduate. In 2018/2019, over 2,100 students participated in over 3,200 4-month co-op work terms across the globe.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ENGINEERING CO-OP PROGRAM

Clubs, Groups & Teams

There are over 60 engineering clubs, teams, committees, conferences, and competitions students can join to enhance technical and non-technical skills. Getting involved in these experiential learning opportunities enriches student life and contributes to social development and academic success.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLUBS, GROUPS & TEAMS

MacChangers

MacChangers is a co-curricular experiential program at McMaster University that pairs multidisciplinary teams with community members to propose innovative solutions to local challenges facing the Hamilton community, as well as the global community.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MACCHANGERS

Summer Research Program

McMaster Engineering has the largest undergraduate engineering research program in Canada. In 2018, more than 269 of our undergraduates (7%) were mentored by professors. The NSERC Research Experience Award and Dean’s Excellence Awards, give students the opportunity to spend their summers working in labs with professors, researchers and entrepreneurs across campus.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM

1P13

In the fall of 2020, McMaster Engineering introduced a new first-year, experiential learning-focused, project-based design course, called Integrated Cornerstone Design Projects in Engineering (1P13). In this course, students are exposed to a series of design projects that develop both technical and professional skills.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INTEGRATED CORNERSTONE DESIGN PROJECTS IN ENGINEERING COURSE (1P13)

Entrepreneurship

McMaster Engineering is supporting an infrastructure that's helping to launch Hamilton's next generation of star entrepreneurs. With the support of key partners, we are seeing the number of student-born start up companies continue to grow. In 2016, one third of the 27 companies housed in The Forge, McMaster University's start-up incubator, were engineering students.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Grand Challenge Scholars Program

The Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP) is an experiential learning initiative that spans across students' entire undergraduate careers. The first of its kind in Canada, the GCSP is designed to prepare the next generation of students for addressing the grand challenges facing society.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GRAND CHALLENGE SCHOLARS PROGRAM

On September 18, 2020, faculty, alumni and students came together to celebrate a special gift from Stephen Elop, a McMaster Engineering alumnus, tech giant and lead donor of The Pivot. Watch the video below to learn how we're transforming engineering education and learn more about Stephen Elop's generous gift.