Admission to the Schulich School of Engineering normally takes one of two forms: (1) Students are admitted to the first year of the program directly from high school; (2) Students are admitted to the first year or second year of the program after having received advanced credits from another University of Calgary faculty or from another post-secondary institution.
The first year of the Engineering program is common to all students. In April of the first year of study, students apply for admission to a discipline: Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Geomatics, Mechanical, Oil & Gas, or Software Engineering. Admission to the discipline is based on the grade point average (GPA) and the courses taken during the first Review Period. During second year, students not only complete courses common for all disciplines, but also courses specific to their chosen discipline. In the third year students take specialized courses in their chosen discipline.
At the end of third year students at their option may enrol in the Engineering Internship Program (EIP); this program consists of 12 to 16 months of work in an industry setting where students gain valuable practical engineering experience (see 4.14 Engineering Internship Program). This academic program is available to all students who have completed third year and are in good standing.
In some disciplines during the fourth year of study (fifth year for Internship enrollees) students have the option to take a minor in one of several areas. In addition to the technical requirements, students take complementary studies courses in non-Engineering and non-Science subjects as an integral component of an Engineering education. This pattern is somewhat different for students who enrol in a combined degree program with one of the other faculties of the University of Calgary (see 4.12 Combined Programs).