Engineering Physics

ufv.ca/engineering

Engineering Physics diploma in Mechatronics

This is an advanced two-year diploma program in Engineering Physics, specializing in Mechatronics.

The program itself contains 60-64 credits. The program is designed for students to go directly to the workplace, but also to ladder the diploma up to a UFV Bachelor of Science degree with a Physics major or even to complete an engineering degree at another institution.

Entrance requirements

1. One of the following: (B- or better in PHYS 112 and B- or better in MATH 112) or (B- or better in PHYS 221)
2. Students must meet at least one of the prerequisites for ENGL 105
3. Students must have at least a CGPA of 2.0

When to apply

Admission to the program will be for the Fall semester. For application deadlines, see Specific intake application process. Students are assumed to take at least four courses per semester for the four semesters of the diploma.

How to apply

Apply online at ufv.ca/admissions/apply.

Basis for admission decision

Entrance to the program is on a first-come first-served basis; however, students must have met the above entrance requirements in order to be accepted into the program.

International students who do not have the stated prerequisite courses (or their transfer equivalent) will be considered for admission if suitability is determined by the department head in consultation with the Office of the Registrar. All students must meet the continuance level for the program.

Qualified students who are not admitted will be recorded on a wait list. When a seat is offered to a student, that student must accept the offer in a timely fashion or that seat will be offered to the next student on the wait list.

If a student has already completed courses from the diploma prior to being accepted to the diploma, the Engineering Physics Diploma Committee (EPDC) will decide if this student should be accepted to the program (creating unfilled reserved seats in some courses) or if the student should be delegated to a wait list. Effective use of university resources can be a factor in the committee’s decision.

Fees and additional costs

International students will pay the current UFV international student semester rate (see International Tuition & Fees) for four semesters. Domestic students will pay the standard rate. For more information, please see the Fees and other costs calendar page.

Program duration and total number of credits

Duration of the program is two years; however, students meeting the program requirements over a longer time period will also be allowed to graduate.

Location

The majority of the courses will be held on the Abbotsford campus, however some courses may occasionally be held in Chilliwack at the Trades and Technology Centre campus.

Program outline

It is recommended that students take the following required course before the start of the program:

Course	Title	Credits
COMP 150	Introduction to Programming	4
or COMP 152	Introduction to Structured Programming

The following are the courses required for the program, as well as a sample schedule of how the courses will normally be taken.

Semester I (Fall): 14 credits

Course	Title	Credits
ENGR 210	Circuit Analysis	4
MATH 211	Calculus III	3
PHYS 221	Intermediate Mechanics (see Note)	4
PHYS 231	Introduction to Thermodynamics	3

Note: Students with credit for ENGR 113, ENGR 152/MATH 152, and MATH 255 are not required to take PHYS 221.

Semester II (Winter): 13-14 credits

Course	Title	Credits
ENPH 310	Electronics I	4
PHYS 232	Experimental Methods in Physics	3
PHYS 381	Mathematical Physics	3
Elective I	See elective options tables below	3-4

Semester III (Fall): 15-17 credits

Course	Title	Credits
ENGR 100	Production in Practice (see Note)	1
ENPH 320	Electronics II	4
ENGR 330	Automatic Control Systems	4
Elective II	See elective options tables below	3-4
Elective III	See elective options tables below	3-4

Note: Although ENGR 100 is listed as a Fall course (students register for it in Fall), it will be offered at the end of the previous Summer semester (late August).

Semester IV (Winter): 14-15 credits

Course	Title	Credits
ENGR 340	Micro-Processors and Embedded Systems	4
ENGR 350	Sensors and Actuators	4
ENPH 390	Mechatronics	3
Elective IV	See elective options tables below	3-4

Elective options

Students must choose four elective courses from the tables below. Additional electives may be accepted upon approval by the Engineering Physics Diploma Committee.

For students completing the diploma only, the electives on the following list are recommended:

Course	Title	Credits
CMNS 125	Communicating Professionally to Academic and Workplace Audiences (see Note 1)	3
or CMNS 235 or higher	Any CMNS course numbered 235 or higher (see Note 1)
or ENGL 105	Academic Writing (see Note 1)
ENGR 113	Engineering Physics - Statics & Dynamics	4
ENGR 152/ MATH 152	Linear Algebra for Engineering (see Note 2)	3-4
or MATH 221	Linear Algebra (see Note 2)
MATH 270	Introduction to Probability and Statistics	4
PHYS 225	Waves and Introductory Optics	3
PHYS 325	Fluid Mechanics	3
PHYS 382	Modern Physics Laboratory I	3
PHYS 393	Computational Physics I	3
PHYS 402	Advanced Optics	3
PHYS 408	Special Topics in Physics	3

Note 1: Only one CMNS course or ENGL 105 may be counted as an elective.

Note 2: Only one of MATH 152/ENGR 152 or MATH 221 may be counted as an elective.

The electives on the following additional list are accepted for the diploma, but are only recommended for students pursuing both the diploma and Physics major:

Course	Title	Credits
COMP 155	Object-oriented Programming	4
MATH 255	Ordinary Differential Equations	3
PHYS 311	Statistical Physics	3
PHYS 312	Intermediate Electromagnetism	3
PHYS 321	Advanced Mechanics	3
PHYS 351	Quantum Mechanics	3
PHYS 412	Advanced Electromagnetism	3
PHYS 455	Solid State Physics	3
PHYS 481	Advanced Mathematical Methods of Physics	3

Program regulations

Continuance in the program

To remain in the program, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.00 as calculated for courses applied to the diploma.

If a student drops below the minimum GPA, they will have one semester to rectify the problem. The EPDC may grant exceptions under extenuating circumstances.

Undergraduate continuance

See the Academic standing and undergraduate continuance section of the academic calendar. Academic standing is governed by UFV’s Undergraduate Continuance policy (92).

Course repetition

No course in the program can be taken more than twice.

Readmission

Readmission to the program is not guaranteed. Space must be available in the courses the student needs. The EPDC may choose to readmit a student who has achieved a semester GPA of at least 2.00 in a semester in which the student took at least nine credits of courses.

Residency

In addition to the standard UFV residency requirements, students must complete ENGR 100 and ENPH 390, plus four of the required upper-level (300 or above) Physics, Engineering, or Engineering Physics courses, at UFV (not including elective courses).

Graduation requirements

Students must complete all required courses and required number of electives as specified by the program. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.00 computed on all the program courses.

It is possible for a student to take all courses in the program without being admitted to the program if seats reserved for diploma students were released for general admission and taken by the student. It is also possible that a student who failed to meet continuance requirements could complete the courses without meeting the readmission requirements. In these cases the committee would determine if the student has successfully completed the graduation requirements as described above and recommend the student for graduation.

Maximum length of time to complete program

The diploma is designed to be completed in two years, and if a student is unable to complete it in that time frame there is no guarantee that there will be space in the needed courses. All courses are to be completed within five years of the start of the program.

Course listings

For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.