Dalhousie University Courses

Civil and Resource Engineering

The Department of Civil and Resource Engineering believes in instilling in its students a genuine love for knowledge, exploration and experimentation so that they become excellent life-long learners.

It offers:

• Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Civil Engineering,
• Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Environmental Engineering
• Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Mineral Resource Engineering as undergraduate courses.

Postgraduate programs at the department are:

• MEng, MASc (Master of Applied Science) and PhD in Civil Engineering
• MEng, MASc and PhD in Mineral Resource Engineering
• MEng and MASc in Environmental Engineering.

MEng in CE (2 years) is oriented towards practical learning of advanced civil engineering skills, while MASc in CE (2 years) is oriented towards R&D.

Major course-areas are:

• Transportation
• Hydrotechnical Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Materials and Structural Engineering

MEng in Mineral Resource Engineering (2 years) combines project work with theoretical knowledge, while MASc in Mineral Resource Engineering is focused on creating professional and academic researchers. MEng specializations include my design and planning, Rock mechanics and ground control, Mineral processing, Petroleum Engineering and Mining geology. 

MEng in Environmental Engineering is aimed at skill upgrading for professionals, while MASc is research-oriented.

Research facilities for Civil Engineering include:

• Heavy Structures Lab
• Materials Testing Laboratories
• Geotechnical Testing Laboratories
• Petroleum Engineering laboratory
• Highway Materials Testing laboratories
• Hydraulic modeling laboratory
• Water and Wastewater laboratories

. Research in Mineral Resources is propelled by laboratories concentrated on:

• Rock mechanics
• Numerical modeling
• Rock sample preparation
• Rock test­ing
• Subsurface imaging
• Non-destructive testing
• Mine tailings
• Waste treatment
• Mineral processing
• Computer-aided mine design
• Petroleum engineering
• Mining geology

Besides a Mining Computer Laboratory equipped with the latest tools.

The department’s faculty members boast of valuable teaching and research experience in their areas. Dmitry Garagash from the department has recently made a valuable contribution to the understanding of the relationship between fracking and earthquakes.

The main research areas of the department include:

• Structural Engineering,
• Hydrotechnical and Water Resources
• Environmental Engineering
• Transportation Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Mineral Processing & Materials and Petroleum Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering believes in the pursuit of creating trend-setting technologies for humanity. It offers bachelor’s degrees in Computer Engineering (co-op and non co-op) and Electrical Engineering. 
The postgraduate programs offered by the department are project-based MEng (2 years) and thesis- or research-based (2 years) MASc, besides PhD. MEng students are required to complete 7 courses worth of 21 credits, a seminar course and a final project. MASc students have to complete 4 courses worth of 12 credits, a seminar course and a research thesis.

The focus areas in the master’s study are

• Applied electromagnetics
• Biomedical engineering
• Communications
• Computer engineering
• Microelectronics
• Optics/photonics
• Power and energy systems
• Robotics
• Signal processing

The department encourages master’s students to begin their careers as researchers early by encouraging them to publish their works in peer-reviewed journals right from the master’s level. Students also benefit from the vast experience of 5 adjunct and 5 emeritus faculty members. Dr. Mohamed was awarded the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 1906 Prize from the Standard Council of Canada in 2018.
The department has two research Chairs: Killam Chair in Wireless Technologies and CRC-II in Photonics as well as one NSERC-UFA.

The research thrust of the department lies in areas such as Applied Electromagnetics, Biomedical Engineering, Communications and Networks, Computer Engineering, Electronic Materials, Microelectronics, Ocean Engineering and Technology, Optics and Photonics, Power and Energy Systems, Robotics and Control, Sensing and Instrumentation, and Signal Processing.

Engineering Mathematics and Internetworking

The Department of Mathematics and Internetworking aims to provide world-class instruction in an area that is increasingly becoming the backbone of engineering disciplines. It is known for aiding other engineering departments in the university to push their frontiers in research and teaching.
The department offers various undergraduate courses to students from other engineering disciplines.

These include courses in:

• Engineering mathematics
• Computer programming
• Linear algebra
• Calculus
• Statistics
• Numerical methods
• Ecosystem modeling

At the post-graduation level, the department offers MSc and PhD in Engineering Mathematics and MEng in Internetworking. The MSc in Engineering Mathematics (2 years) is offered in partnership with other engineering departments and Faculty of Computer Science. MEng (2years) in Internetworking is a course-based program that covers topics such as information formats, characteristics of transmission media, methods of connecting disparate networks, network design and evolution and future of networking technologies. 

The lab resources for Internetworking include a number of state-of-the-tools that are accessible remotely.

Industrial Engineering

The Department of Industrial Engineering is geared towards designing systems that maximize productivity, efficiency and quality.
The department offers BEng in Industrial Engineering (co-op and non co-op).

At the postgraduate level, it offers MASc, MEng and PhD in Industrial Engineering. MASc (2 years) constitutes a minimum of 4 courses worth of 12 credits, a seminar, and a thesis, while MEng (2 years) requires students to complete a minimum of 7 courses (21 credits), a seminar and a project.

• Industrial Engineering Methodologies
• Industrial Work Systems Design
• Occupational Ergonomics
• Supply Chain Management
• Operations Research
• Stochastic Processes and Control
• Simulation of Industrial Systems
• Linear and Integer Programming
• Distribution Management
• Capital Investment and Capacity Expansion Planning
• Queueing Theory and Maintenance Engineering and Management

Are the main courses offered to the master’s students.

Research at the department is helped by

• Ergonomics Laboratory
• MARIN (Maritime Activity and Risk Investigation Network)
• Information Systems Research Lab
• Operations Research and Ergonomics

Are amongst the major research areas of the department.

Mechanical Engineering

The Department of Mechanical Engineering relies on out-of-the-box thinking, innovation and a dynamic learning environment to create technologies that would make the world a better place. 
The department offers BEng in ME (co-op) which is a 5-year program and BEng in ME (non co-op), which is a 4-year program.
It also offers

• MASc
• MEng and PhD in ME.

MASc (2.3 years) is a research-based program, while MEng (1.3 years) is a professional program. MASc requires at least 4 courses, a seminar and a thesis, while MEng requires a student to complete a minimum of 7 courses, a seminar and a project.

The main areas of study and research for the master’s students are:

• Stress analysis
• Heat transfer
• Multiphase flow
• Fluid and thermal power
• Robotics
• Design and manufacturing.

Innovation at the department is propelled by research facilities such as:

• Advanced Control and Mechatronics Lab
• Advanced Tribology Laboratory
• Biomass Conversion & CFB Laboratory
• Intelligent Grinding Laboratory
• Lab of Applied Multiphase Thermal Engineering (LAMTE)
• Powder Metallurgy Research Facility
• Renewable Energy Storage Lab and Smart Materials Centre.

Dr. Ted Hubbard from the department was recently awarded with the Wighton Fellowship which is one of the most prestigious in Canada. The major research areas at the department are Systems and design, Energy and heat transfer, Fluids, Applied mechanics and dynamics, Bio-medical engineering and Marine hydrodynamics and offshore engineering.

Process Engineering and Applied Sciences

The Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science (PEAS) was set up  on July 1, 2005. For undergraduate programmes, a BEng program in Chemical Engineering is offered. The graduate programmes on offer are masters (MEng, MSc and MASC) and doctoral (PhD) levels in disciplines for Biological and Chemical Engineering and Food Science. Graduates from the department are prepared for professional careers in related to process industries, including oil and gas, food and minerals. The department  places undue emphasis on the development of a sustainable environment. 

The Msc in Food Science and Technology provides coursework and research opportunities in fields like

• Food process technology
• Food microbiology
• Edible oils
• Engineering design
• Post-mortem biochemistry of muscle foods
• Proteins and enzymes
• Food rheology
• Beverage science.

The MEng, Msc, and PhD programs in Biological Engineering address environment, food and other biomaterial production and processing, renewable energy and reusable resources.The programs give emphasis on optimizing design performance  in the dealings of biological materials and systems while ensuring sustainability and protection of the environment.

The Meng, Msc, PhD programmes in Chemical Engineering provide opportunities to students for research in traditional areas of environmental control, plastics and polymers, pulp and paper, instrumentation and process control, petrochemicals, petroleum and natural gas processing, and energy conversion and utilization, as well as the growing fields of biotechnology, food processing, composite materials, corrosion and protective coatings, and manufacture of microelectronic components.

Biomedical Engineering

The School of Biomedical Engineering strives to create a healthier society through cutting-edge research in most pressing health problems and by proposing biomedical solutions. The school conducts some biomedical courses for undergraduate students of various engineering programs.

These include:

• Technology in Medicine
• Polymeric Biomaterials,
• Biomechanical Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering.

The school offers MASc and PhD programs in Biomedical Engineering. MASc (2 years) requires six half credit courses (over first 8 months), a thesis proposal presentation and a thesis.

The main course-streams available are

• Human Body Dynamics and Orthopedic Biomechanics
• Biomaterials Design, Drug Delivery and Prosthodontics
• Biomechanics of Tissues and Tissue Engineering,
• Respiratory Engineering,
• Medical Imaging
• Signal Processing.

The department’s Dr. Sarah Wells was recently awarded for her contribution to teaching and learning, Dr. Michael Lee for his distinguished academic service and Dr. Rob Adamson for breakthroughs in basic research.

Computer Science

The Faculty of Computer Science has dedicated itself to producing technologies and creating solutions that cater to the challenges of the present while opening the doorway to the leadership of the future. 
The faculty offers:

• Bachelor of Applied Computer Science
• Bachelor of Computer Science degrees.

It also offers a variety of graduate programs that include:

• Master of Computer Science or MCS (2 years)
• PhD in Computer Science
• Master of Electronic Commerce or MEC (2 years)
• Master of Health Informatics or MIH (2 years full-time and 4 years part-time)
• Master of Applied Computer Science or MASc in CS (16 months) with three-degree stream options

MCS requires 4 graduate courses in CS and a thesis. This degree is oriented towards research in areas such as big data analytics & machine learning, systems & networks, and human-computer interaction & visualization. MEC offers project, research paper and thesis options for the degree with courses related to technical, business, law and policy and research method courses. 

MIH does not require any prior degree in health informatics and is designed for students with a bachelor in medicine or related disciplines. It has an internship and thesis stream with coursework dedicated to the Management of health information and health data analytics, designing health information systems, evaluating health IT outcomes, health information research, and understanding and use of new health informatics technologies.

MASc offers internship, entrepreneurship and project stream with core courses in systems, communications and data management. Research at the department is powered by Institute of Big Data Analysis and DeepSense, which is a unique partnership for ocean research between academia, government and the industry. The department’s Stan Matwin was awarded the 2019 Canadian Artificial Intelligence Association (CAIAC) Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr Luis Targo has recently earned a Canada Research Chair.

The research thrust of the department lies in

• Big Data Analytics
• Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Visualization & Graphics
• Systems
• Networks & Security
• Algorithms & Bioinformatics. 

Pure Sciences 

The various departments of pure sciences fall under the Faculty of Science. 

1. Biology

The Department of Biology offers MSc (2 years) and PhD (4 years) in Biology besides a number of undergraduate courses.

Main research themes at the department are:

• Molecular
• Cellular & Developmental Biology
• Ecology & Evolution
• Genetics & Genomics
• Marine Biology.

2. Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry offers

• BSc, MSc and PhD in Chemistry.

It has a special Dalhousie Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Facility.

The Department of Earth Sciences offers a variety of undergraduate courses in Earth Sciences and MSc (2 years) and PhD (4 years) programs in Earth Sciences.

Its main research areas are:

• Tectonic Geodynamics
• Earth Surface Processes
• Geochronology
• Sedimentology
• Stratigraphy
• Petroleum Geoscience
• Petrology
• Marine Geology
• Geophysics 
• Mineral Deposits

3. Mathematics and Statistics

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers

• BSc/BA in Mathematics
• Statistics or Actuarial Science
• MSc (2 years) and PhD (4 years) in Mathematics or Statistics

The department has research groups dedicated to :

• Analysis
• Applied Mathematics
• Categories
• Algebra
• Topology
• Environmental Statistics
• General Relativity and Cosmology
• Graphs and Games
• Number Theory and Statistical Genetics and Bioinformatics 

4. Oceanography 

The Department of Oceanography offers

• BSc/BA in Ocean Science.
• MSc (2 years) and PhD (4 years) in Ocean Science programs

Research areas at the department include

• Biological oceanography
• Chemical oceanography
• Geological oceanography
• Physical oceanography

5. Physics and Atmospheric Science

The Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science offers:

• BSc/BA in Physics and Atmospheric Science
• MSc (2 years) and PhD (4 years) in Physics and Atmospheric Science
• MSc (2 years) and PhD (4 years) in Medical Physics