The Institute offers two levels of graduate programs leading to master's and doctoral degrees. These programs require both course work as well as thesis research or a project. Each graduate student must have a supervisor from the full-time academic staff (co-supervision with an adjunct professor is also possible). The supervisor advises the student on his or her course selection and directs the student's thesis research. The supervisor also often provides financial support to the student to conduct research. Thus, the supervisor's and student's research interests must be consistent. The selection of a supervisor should be made carefully when a choice is possible.
For more information on OCIECE's programs, please refer to:
The Institute offers two master's level programs. One with thesis the other one with a report. The Master of Applied Science (M.A.Sc.) program requires that the student completes graduate courses plus a thesis. The thesis is the major component of the student's program. This program may be completed either on a full-time or on a part-time basis. A full-time student usually requires 20-24 months to complete the program. Note that for those students intending to go on to Ph. D. studies, M. A. Sc. is the correct choice.
The Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program requires that the student completes nine graduate courses, plus submit a report on an engineering project. The engineering project differs from a thesis in scope, and need not represent original research.
The doctoral program is intended for those exceptional individuals who intend to pursue a career in research or advanced engineering. The program requires the completion of at least three graduate courses (the requirement is determined at the time of admission) and the submission of a satisfactory thesis demonstrating original research. In addition, doctoral students must undergo both written and oral comprehensive examinations early in their program, and later, must present a satisfactory written proposal for their thesis. Doctoral students are expected to demonstrate a mature understanding of the basic knowledge relevant to electrical or computer engineering, and a capability for independent work. Failure at either the comprehensive examination or thesis proposal stages results in the termination of the student's program.
In addition to a supervisor, doctoral students each have an Advisory Committee, chaired by the thesis supervisor, which has general responsibility for the student's program. Doctoral students meet with their Advisory Committee at the start of their program and when their thesis proposal is presented, but otherwise infrequently. The thesis supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the student.
At both universities, students completing the requirements of a doctoral program are awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.
All applications for admission to a graduate program are considered by the Admissions Committee, consisting of the Director of the Institute and the professor from each department responsible for graduate studies in that department. The Admissions Committee reviews each application to determine whether the applicant meets the minimum requirements of the Institute, taking into account such factors as university transcripts, confidential letters of recommendation, the availability of a supervisor in the area(s) of research indicated by the applicant, whether the applicant has adequate proficiency in the English language (see Language Requirements below), and whether any financial support is needed and available. When a positive decision is reached, the Admissions Committee recommends to the School or Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research of the university of the proposed supervisor that the applicant be admitted. Provided the Admission Committee's recommendation is accepted, the applicant is then sent an official offer of admission by Graduate Studies. The student should reply to the offer to both the department into which the student was admitted and the appropriate School or Faculty of Graduate Studies.
The minimum admission standards required by the Institute are:
Applicants should note that simply meeting the minimum standards for admission will not guarantee admission to the program as there are only a limited number of positions available each year. Students applying for a doctoral program on the basis of a master's degrees will be asked to provide a copy of their thesis if it was written in English or French, or a summary of the thesis in English including a table of contents with page numbers if the original language in which the thesis was written was not English or French; this work will be evaluated to determine whether the thesis is of a scope and level comparable to that of a master's thesis in OCIECE. If the Master's thesis is still in progress, provide an extended summary and indicate the anticipated date of defence.
Applicants may state a preference for a particular thesis supervisor otherwise they must indicate a preference to a particular university at the time when they apply to the Institute. Every attempt is made to accommodate the stated preference, although if for some reason this is not possible, the application will be considered for admission under another supervisor or department in the same expressed area of interest.
Students may change the department in which they are registered if they wish to change to a supervisor in another department. In these exceptional cases, the student should write to the Director (with a copy to the original department) indicating that he or she would like to change departments and must provide a letter from the current supervisor agreeing to this change and a letter from the proposed new supervisor indicating the professor's willingness to supervise the student. The decision regarding the transfer is made by the Admission Committee.
The tuition fees charged by the universities are different for Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents and for foreign students studying in Canada on student visas (except for those who receive for a Differential Tuition Fee Waiver discussed below). In addition to tuition fees, students must also pay various additional small amounts in 'incidental fees' (which may total up to almost five hundred dollars annually). The tuition fees are adjusted annually by the universities. Tuition fees are charged on a per term basis.
For current information on tuition fees see:
In 1987, the Province of Ontario instituted a program which allowed some visa students to attend universities in the province and be subject only to the regular fees paid by Canadian students. The program provided each university in the province with a limited number of Differential Tuition Fee Waivers which could be awarded to visa students making the recipient subject only to the Canadian fee levels at the particular university for the period of the award. The recipients of these awards are determined on a university-wide competitive basis by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. The number of these waivers is very limited at both universities, so obtaining a Waiver is difficult. No application for these waivers is necessary as all those who are eligible and would require such an award are considered to be put forward by the Institute. All material relating to an application for admission must be received before the end of February to be considered for a Waiver at both universities.
Few full-time graduate students in electrical and computer engineering are expected to finance the costs of their graduate education entirely from personal resources. Graduate students may receive financial support in three forms. The first of these is a scholarship for scholastic achievement. Several external agencies provide substantial scholarships for which electrical and computer engineering students are eligible. Most important amongst these are the scholarships provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) (available only to Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents).
The Province of Ontario provides a limited number of Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) for postgraduate studies in Ontario universities. Preference is given to residents of Ontario, although a small number are also available to foreign students studying in Ontario. The Province of Quebec also provides scholarships through "Le Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies" (FQRNT) to Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents resident in Quebec, tenable for graduate studies at the University of Ottawa.
Applications for these scholarships should be made by the end of October through the student's own university. The earliest the scholarships may commence is May of the subsequent year.
Visa students from Commonwealth countries are eligible for Canadian Commonwealth Scholarships. These provide sufficient funding to entirely support a student's graduate program. Students apply for these scholarships through the Commonwealth Scholarships Committee in their home country. Visa students are also frequently fully funded by agencies of their home government for graduate studies abroad. Applicants with external scholarships should provide evidence of the award of the scholarship and provide full details of the scholarship when they apply.
Scholarships are also provided by the universities to students. No application is required to be considered for these as all eligible students are automatically considered by the departments. Applications for admission should be received in full by April to be assured of consideration for such internal scholarships. NSERC and OGS scholarship recipients should note that they ordinarily will be given supplementary scholarships from the universities.
A second source of funding is a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, for which the student is required to assist as a demonstrator and/or marker in an undergraduate course. Please note that tuition fee waivers are not part of any offer of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship.
The third (and for most full-time students the major source of) funding is a Graduate Research Assistantship which may be provided by the thesis supervisor for assistance in research work.
Although the value of the various forms of support offered by the departments to their students may vary in composition among the three components, the total support does not vary significantly across the Institute.
Visa students should note that the financial support available from the Institute for them is extremely limited and when offered, is usually insufficient to bear the full costs of graduate study. Consequently, such students must be able to supply part of their own funding and will have to provide proof that they have adequate support to be admitted to Canada.
The funding of students is determined by each department. For more information contact:
The language of instruction within the Institute is predominantly English. Thus all students admitted to the Institute must be proficient in English prior to the commencement of their graduate programs. Visa students and others who have not completed a previous degree in English in an English speaking country or exercised a profession for a prolonged time in an English speaking country are required to demonstrate their proficiency in English by obtaining a TOEFL score of no less than 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), or 79-80 (Internet-based), or an IELTS score of no less than 6.5. Only when the TOEFL or IELTS is unavailable in a student's country of origin will other demonstrations of proficiency be considered, although in all such cases, students will be required to take and pass a special English language proficiency test administered by the university to which the student is admitted prior to being allowed to register. Failure of the test can result in the denial of admission to the student. In addition to satisfying the minimum proficiency requirements, students may be required to take additional English courses at the start of their programs to raise their proficiency to more adequate levels. The language courses would be in addition to the general course requirements.
Apart from the admission requirement for English proficiency there are no additional language requirements in any of the Institute's programs. Students of the Institute may submit their theses in either English or French.
For more information please visit the following websites:
Applicants who wish to inquire about the status of their application should contact the Office of the Director. Once you have received an offer of admission, if you have any further questions you should contact the department in which you were admitted. The addresses and telephone numbers of the Office of the Director and the departments are given on the Contact Us page.