UofC

Location: Schulich School of Engineering, Room E228
Program number: 403.220.4979
Fax: 403.284.1980
Email address: graduate@geomatics.ucalgary.ca
Web page URL: http://www.geomatics.ucalgary.ca/

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Master of Science (MSc), thesis-based
Master of Engineering (MEng), thesis and course-based

Specializations:

• Positioning, navigation and wireless location
• Earth observation
• Digital imaging systems (offered jointly with Biomedical Engineering)
• GIS and land tenure
• Energy and Environmental Systems (Interdisciplinary)*
• Environmental Engineering (Interdisciplinary)*

*See the Calendar section on Interdisciplinary Specializations for further information

See "Engineering Programs".

All programs are available to both full-time and part-time students.

Complete applications may be submitted any time up to and including January 1 for January admission, May 1 for May admission, July 1 for July admission and, September 1 for September admission, but applicants should allow up to four weeks for processing of their application. Shorter processing times may be possible if a potential supervisor has been identified.

In addition, international students should allow for the time required to apply for, and be granted, a Canadian student permit prior to their arrival. Please note that the time needed to obtain a Canadian study visa varies largely between country of origin and applicants are therefore encouraged to contact the Canadian Embassy in their respective countries to determine conservative processing times for this, including any necessary medical examinations that may be necessary. At the discretion of the supervisor, successful applicants who are unable to obtain a study visa in time may be allowed to defer their start date to a later time.

See "Engineering Programs".

In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements and the Schulich School of Engineering, the Department requires:

Master of Engineering (course-based)

See “Engineering Programs”.

Master of Engineering (thesis-based)

a) A minimum of four graduate half courses.

b) After satisfactory progress in the student's own research work, enrolment in the Geomatics Engineering 605 Research Seminar course. This course must be completed during a semester that is prior to the final oral examination.

c) A thesis related to original engineering analysis or design.

Master of Science

a) A minimum of four graduate half courses.

b) After satisfactory progress in the student's own research work, enrolment in the Geomatics Engineering 605 Research Seminar course. This course must be completed during a semester that is prior to the final oral examination.

c) Attend six seminars (Geomatics Engineering 605, 607, and/or 609) in total. One page report should be submitted for each seminar.

d) A thesis related to original engineering research.

Doctor of Philosophy

a) A minimum of three graduate half courses beyond the Master of Science course requirements. For students who transfer from a Master of Science to a doctoral program, a minimum of two graduate half courses beyond the Master of Science course requirements.

b) After satisfactory progress in the student's own research work, enrolment in the Geomatics Engineering 607 and 609 Research Seminar courses. Geomatics Engineering 607 must be completed during a semester that is prior to the candidacy examination. Geomatics Engineering 609 must be completed during a semester that is prior to the final oral examination.

c) Attend six seminars (Geomatics Engineering 605, 607, and/or 609) in total. One page report should be submitted for each seminar.

d) A written and an oral candidacy examination based on the graduate course work.

e) A thesis related to advanced original engineering research.

Independent Study Courses

Course-based Master of Engineering students can have no more than three independent study courses count towards their degree requirements.

Thesis-based Master of Engineering students and Doctor of Philosophy students can have no more than one independent study course count towards their degree requirements. Students who transfer from the Master of Science to the Doctor of Philosophy program can have no more than two independent study courses count towards their degree requirements.

None.

Only where appropriate to a student’s program may graduate credit be received for courses numbered 500-599, which are considered undergraduate courses.

See "Engineering Programs".

For thesis-based master's, or Doctor of Philosophy programs, see "Engineering Programs". For course-based master's programs, all students will be assigned an advisor at the time of registration.

Master’s Programs

See “Engineering Programs”.

Doctoral Programs

Doctoral Candidacy Examination
The candidacy examination has a written and an oral component. The student’s background knowledge in the field of Geomatics Engineering and in-depth knowledge in his/her chosen research specialization is examined.

The written examination is an open book examination of no longer than 6 cumulative hours. It consists of a comprehensive examination in the candidate’s field of specialization and of a general examination in at least one of the other graduate streams in Geomatics Engineering, referred to as major and minor parts in the following. The major part will usually be of three hours duration and will count for 2/3 of the mark of the written component. The minor part will last one-and–a-half hours and will count for 1/3 of the mark of the written component. Passing marks in both the major and the minor parts are required to pass the written examination. A recommended reading list for the written examination will be made available to the student upon request.

The oral examination will further test the candidate’s knowledge of his/her field of study in particular, and of geomatics in general, in addition to providing an opportunity to clarify, defend and extend answers in the written examination. Although the purpose of the candidacy exam is not to examine or approve the student’s research proposal, questions on the research proposal may be included in the oral candidacy exam to assess the background knowledge and preparedness of the student to conduct doctoral research of high quality in his/her field of study.

Doctoral Final Oral Examination
See “Engineering Programs”.

Master of Engineering (thesis-based)

A thesis proposal accepted by the supervisor is required no later than 16 months after initial registration. Contents of the thesis, reflecting an applied approach to a problem, should contain new elements of engineering principles and applications.

The thesis proposal should include the following:

1. Statement of the problem.
2. Research objectives.
3. Literature review.
4. Methodology and procedures.
5. Outline of thesis contents.
6. Proposed time schedule.
7. Bibliography and references.

Master of Science

The Master of Science thesis proposal requirements, including the outline of the proposal’s contents, are the same as those for the Master of Engineering (thesis-based). The thesis topic, however, should deal with original theoretical or practical research in Geomatics Engineering.

Doctor of Philosophy

The doctoral thesis proposal requirements, including the outline of the proposal’s contents, are the same as those for the Master of Engineering (thesis-based). The thesis, however, must demonstrate the candidate’s ability to pursue original research at a high level and represent a distinct advance in knowledge on the subject. The research should be of the recognized standard of technical journals requiring critical review. The supervisor and supervisory committee will normally require progress reports every six months during the doctoral program.

None.

Candidates are not admitted without financial support provided by an interested supervisor or official organizations. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.

See “Engineering Programs”.

In addition, the Department offers a designated set of graduate half courses in each of the five specialization areas. Additional graduate courses are offered as Special Studies and Project courses. The Department also offers a Distinguished International Lecturer Series, which consists of approximately four to five courses offered annually by invited professors and researchers.

Information about the Department’s research areas may be found at http://www.geomatics.ucalgary.ca/research/.