Frequently Asked Questions

The following link will take you to an informative website prepared by Western Engineering for all incoming graduate students.

Preparing for Western

Faculty members are unable to determine suitability until each application is assessed. Therefore, please submit a completed application first. As a second step to the admissions process for research applicants, we cannot provide a formal offer of admission until a faculty supervisor has agreed to supervisor the research of this student, having confirmed the student's eligibility for admission. 

International students may have a different grade-point system than Canada. Because of this, it can be difficult to determine if your grades will translate to the 70% or 78% required average to be offered admission to our programs. If you have questions about calculating your average, please call our admissions helpline at (519) 850-2341.

The MEng program in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering is very competitive. There are hundreds of applications each term that must be carefully examined to determine the best candidates for the program. This can take time. While applications may be reviewed on a rolling basis, please note that a decision will not be sent to applicants until after the deadline to apply has passed.  Typically, we will respond to all within 30 days following the application deadline.  

The MESc and PhD programs require a faculty supervisor to gain admittance into the program. You will need to contact faculty members with familiar research interests. The faculty directory for Chemical and Biochemical Engineering can be found here. Please note, not all supervisors are taking applicants at every intake.  

We are unable to determine suitability until each file is properly assessed by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS). If applying for the MESc or PhD programs, you are welcome to ask faculty members for support before applying, but understand that they will be unable to determine your GPA & suitability in the program without an application.

No, our department does not require a GRE score.

Applicants whose first language is not English must furnish evidence of their proficiency in the use of the English language by a satisfactory achievement within the last two years. Language of instruction is not a considering factor. Exemptions of English Language requirements may only be granted when an applicant completed a minimum of 2 years of study in post secondary education (academic degree program) where the language of instruction and the first official language of the country is English.  Please note that the decision to grant an exemption is at the discretion of the department and contingent on the approval of the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.