Undergraduate

Anita So IE student

 

Integrated Engineers for Complex Systems Challenges at Multidisciplinary Engineering and Sociotechnical Levels: BESc in Integrated Engineering

The Engineering degree program that equips you for versatility and complex portfolios in your career. The degree includes multidiscipinary Engineering foundations, integrated systems analysis and design, multi-modal impact analysis for socio-economic sustainability, and opportunities to co-synthesize complex problem solutions with stakeholders.

The flexibility built into the program complements your evolving interests, with an option to conduct undergraduate research related to sustainable energy transition. New options for dual degrees may be introduced in 2026. Click on the link to learn more about the Integrated Engineering program, examples in co-op/internships, student community and alumni.  

 

Responsible design and innovation commercialization are at the heart of integrated engineering research projects led by the Thompson Centre faculty. Check out the Integrated Engineering pages and the Research tab, for more information.  

With Joshua Pearce at ICFAR by Adia Shadd 1

 

With Joshua Pearce at ICFAR by Adia Shadd 2

Business, Leadership and Innovation Foundations for Engineers: Unique Opportunities for Western Engineering Students

In today's world, business skills are fundamental for a professional engineer. Our industry partners consistently emphasize that engineering career advancement depends on technical know-how and business acumen. You start building these skills in Business for Engineers in your common first year. Also, engineering design process competencies, project-based teamwork, stakeholder engagement and design-thinking-based inquiry skills are highly emphasized in the first year common Engineering Science 1050. 

After this, you have several unique options available at Western University:

  • For all Western Engineering (WE) students, you have opportunities to practice your professional, leadership and innovation skills through upper-year projects, student clubs and teams, and co-ops and internships before entering the workforce.
  • All WE students also have the option of pursuing the Engineering Leadership and Innovation Certificate, which consists of four 0.5-credit courses. (You may be able to use these courses to fulfill your technical elective, non-technical elective, and/or essay course requirements of your BESc degree.) The Certificate also comes with an opportunity to apply for the John M. Thompson Award in Engineering Leadership and Innovation! 
  • If you are in the BESc Integrated Engineering program, you already have three of the four 0.5-credit courses that would fulfill the ELI Certificate requirement! The Integrated Engineering courses also enhance your systems engineering, impact analysis, sociotechnical design competencies that complement engineering leadership, innovation, and business capabilities. 
  • Western is also unique in offering a number of dual degree options, including the Combined BESc/HBA degree program. 
  • Engineering Leadership and Innovation courses are tailored to addressing the needs in Engineering-specific environments, while extend your training to draw from social sciences, philosophy and humanities. However, if you would like experience in broadening your leadership training beyond the Engineering contexts, there is a new Western Leadership Certificate (ELI 4100F/G Engineering Leadership can count towards this Certificate). 

 

Open to all Engineering students, this certificate provides a broad foundation for leadership and innovation skills and develops an entrepreneurial, strategic, sustainability mindset that is valuable in today’s leading organizations. 

 

Combined with a Bachelor of Engineering Science (BESc) degree, graduates go on to work in nearly every industry, from engineering companies and strategy consulting to finance.