Course lists and descriptions
*Please see note at the end of this page specifically for students in 2022/23
Second Year
| Course | Title | Description | Credits |
| MTRL 201 | Technical Communication | Written and oral communication in business correspondence, engineering design methods, report preparation, and oral presentations of technical materials. | 3 |
| APSC 278 | Engineering Materials | Atomic bonding; crystal structures and imperfections; properties of metals, ceramics, polymers, wood, concrete and fibre composite materials; selection of materials; corrosion; mechanical testing and heat treatment. | 3 |
| APSC 279 | Engineering Materials Laboratory | Atomic bonding; crystal structures and imperfections; properties of metals, ceramics, polymers, wood, concrete and fibre composite materials; selection of materials; corrosion; mechanical testing and heat treatment. | 1 |
| MATH 253 | Multivariable Calculus | Partial and directional derivatives; maxima and minima; Lagrange multipliers and second derivative test; multiple integrals and applications. Please consult the Faculty of Science Credit Exclusion List: www.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=12,215,410,414. | 3 |
| MATH 255 | Ordinary Differential Equations | Review of linear systems; nonlinear equations and applications; phase plane analysis; Laplace transforms; numerical methods. Please consult the Faculty of Science Credit Exclusion List: www.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=12,215,410,414. | 3 |
| MECH 260 | Introduction to Mechanics of Materials | Statically determinate frames and trusses; normal and shear stresses and strains; shear force and bending moment diagrams; theory of beam bending, torsion of circular rods; transformation of stress and strain in two and three dimensions, Mohr’s circle; yield and ultimate failure criteria. | 3 |
| MTRL 250 | Thermodynamics of Materials I | Heat and mass balances applied to materials engineering; thermodynamic principles applied to materials processing: heat of reaction, free energy, activity, phase equilibrium, reactions involving gases, Ellingham diagrams | 4 |
MTRL 252 | Thermodynamics of Materials I | This course has been removed from the program. It will, however, remain as a required course for students who entered MTRL in 2021W or earlier | |
| MTRL 263 | Transport Phenomena I | Fluid statics; fluid mechanics; laminar and turbulent flow; equations of continuity and motion; boundary layers; flow in conduits and packed and fluidized beds; flow measurements. | 3 |
| MTRL 264 | Transport Phenomena II | Conduction, forced and natural convection, and radiation. Heat transfer with fluid flow, applications of heat exchange, and solidification of castings. | 3 |
| MTRL 280 | Materials in Design | The process of materials selection for different design criteria; the importance of shape and processing variables; the use of computer software in the selection process. | 3 |
| Humanities/Social Sciences Electives | See information here: | APSC Approved Courses | 6 |
| Impact of Engineering on Society, Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship Elective | See information here: | APSC Course Planning | 3 |
Third Year
| Course | Title | Description | Credits |
| MTRL 320 | Management of Engineering Design | Fundamental communication and inter-personal skills, as well as operational processes, that engineers require to effectively work in design teams. Concepts and best practices around project management tools and techniques, team dynamics, planning, and organization. NOTE: For all students (pre-2022) who have taken MTRL 392 and 398 (no longer existing), you will NOT need to take MTRL 320. For those who have only taken one of MTRL 392 or 398, you will need to complete MTRL 320. | 3 |
| MTRL 340 | Manufacturing in Materials Engineering | Manufacturing processes from a materials perspective; metal casting, heat treating processes, forming processes, machining and joining. Role of manufacturing in microstructure and material properties development and on component performance. | 3 |
MTRL 350 | Thermodynamics of Materials II | This course has been removed from the program and replaced by MTRL 251. If a student has taken MTRL 350 but has not taken MTRL 252 (Thermodynamics of Materials I), it is ok to proceed without MTRL 251. If a student has taken MTRL 252, but does not have MTRL 350, then they will need to take MTRL 251. |
| MTRL 358 | Hydrometallurgy I | Aqueous extraction of metals from ores and concentrates. | 3 |
| MTRL 359 | Hydrometallurgy I Laboratory | Laboratory exercises on aqueous extraction of metals from ores and concentrates. | 1 |
| MTRL 361 | Modelling of Materials Processes | Mathematical and physical modelling of processes employed in the production of materials. The application of models to analyse, design and improve materials production. | 4 |
| MTRL 363 | Transport Phenomena III - Mass Transport | Diffusion and mass transfer with chemical reaction; gas-liquid, gas-solid and liquid-liquid systems; analysis of mass transfer processes in metallurgical operations; mixing in continuous and batch processes. | 3 |
| MTRL 365 | Mechanical Behaviour of Materials | Polycrystalline and single crystal deformation; dislocation theory; strengthening mechanisms; fracture mechanics; fatigue; high temperature deformation mechanisms. | 3 |
| MTRL 378 | Phase Transformations | Solidification and solid state transformations; nucleation and growth processes; segregation and structure in castings; phase changes in steel; transformation diagrams; diffusion equations. | 3 |
| MTRL 381 | Structure and Properties Laboratory | Structure and properties of ferrous and non-ferrous metals; heat treatment; hardenability; metallography; age hardening. | 1 |
| MTRL 382 | Ceramics | Fundamentals of engineering ceramics focusing on raw materials, forming, sintering and properties, characterization, and design with ceramics. | 4 |
| MTRL 394 | Polymers and Polymer Matrix Composites | The structure and properties of polymeric materials, reinforced polymers and polymer matrix composites with emphasis on their engineering properties and applications. | 4 |
| MTRL 251 | Thermodynamics of Materials II | Behaviour of solutions, phase diagrams, electrochemistry, chemical potential and free energy diagrams applied to materials processing and thermodynamic modelling | 4 |
| STAT 251 | Elementary Statistics | Probability, discrete and continuous random variables, joint probability distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing, regression, analysis of variance, goodness of fit. (Consult the Credit Exclusion list within the Faculty of Science section of the Calendar). | 3 |
Fourth Year
| Course | Title | Description | Credits |
| APSC 450 | Professional Engineering Practice | Legislation affecting the practice of engineering; ethical principles and responsibilities. Management of engineering enterprises; labour relations, safety and environmental legislation. Restricted to engineering undergraduate students in the final year of their program. | 2 |
| MTRL 455 | Economic Aspects of Materials Engineering | Time value of money, cash flows, capital and operating cost estimation, financial decision making and relevant case studies. | 3 |
| MTRL 456 | Environmental Degradation of Materials | Fundamental aspects of environmental degradation of metals (corrosion), ceramics, and polymers, with an emphasis on aqueous environments. | 3 |
| MTRL 460 | Monitoring and Optimization of Materials Processing | Measurement systems for materials processing and evaluation, methods of data collection and analysis in materials engineering, materials processing monitoring and control, design of experiments for materials processing and optimization. | 3 |
| MTRL 466 | Engineering Project I | Design projects to illustrate the full spectrum of design encountered in Metals and Materials Engineering including the design of components, structures and processes used to manufacture materials. | 3 |
| MTRL 467 | Engineering Project II | Design projects to illustrate the full spectrum of design encountered in Metals and Materials Engineering including the design of components, structures and processes used to manufacture materials. | 3 |
MTRL 489 | Seminar III | Course no longer offered / part of curriculum | |
| Technical electives* | You will take at least 4 of the recommended courses for the stream you have chosen. Beyond these 4 courses (12 credits) you will take an additional 3 courses (9 credits) for a total of 21 credits. These 9 credits could be from the remaining recommended courses for your stream or any 9 credits from the list in the section “Eligible technical electives”. | 21 |
Subject to change.
top of page
4th-year streams
Materials Manufacturing and Performance
| Course | Title | Description |
| MTRL 442 | Coatings and Surface Modifications | Strategies for ceramic and metallic coatings by melting-solidification, from the vapour state and from solution, and methods of surface modification. |
| MTRL 451 | Microstructural Analysis Laboratory | Basic principles and techniques of microstructural analysis with particular reference to engineered materials including x-ray, SEM microprobe TEM and high energy electron analysis. |
| MTRL 471 | Nanofibre Technology | Introduction to nanomaterials in the form of fibres and composites, including processing, structure, characterization methods, properties, and modelling. Credit will only be given for one of MTRL 471 or MTRL 571. |
| MTRL 472 | Welding and Joining of Materials | Case studies addressing temperature modelling in welding and joining, material selection for welds and joints, calculation of properties for welds and joints, mechanical analysis of joints, and design of welding and joining procedures. |
| MTRL 475 | Microstructure Engineering | Follows the production of metallurgical products, focusing on process design models used to describe solidification, recrystallization, and precipitation. |
| MTRL 478 | Electronic Materials | Semiconductor materials, MOSFET structure, operation and applications in digital circuits, fabrication techniques, basic mask and fabrication flow design and semiconductor fabrication process theories at an entry level. |
| MTRL 485 | Failure of Materials | Failure by excess deformation, fracture, fatigue, and environmental effects. Failure theories and case studies of engineering failures. |
| MTRL 494 | Composite Materials | Understanding the properties and the mechanical behaviour of composite materials with emphasis on analysis, design, and manufacturing. Credit will only be given for one of MTRL 494, 594. |
| MTRL 496 | Materials Sustainability | Concepts of life cycle analysis, circular economy and critical materials. Project-based introduction to key concepts, calculations, and design. |
Minerals and Metals Extraction
| Course | Title | Description |
| CHBE 355 | Kinetics and Reactor Design | Kinetics of homogeneous chemical and biological reactions, isothermal ideal reactor design, analysis of non-ideal reactors using residence time distribution and mixing models. |
| MINE 331 | Physical Mineral Processes | Mineral processing unit operations and sampling, crushing, grinding, screening, classification, gravity separation, magnetic separation, electrostatic separation, concentrate dewatering practices. |
| MINE 333 | Flotation | Theory and technology of flotation and ancillary processes. |
| MINE 434 | Processing Precious Metal Ores | Process alternatives and mineralogical considerations; physical and chemical recovery technologies; environmental protection; flowsheet studies |
| MTRL 442 | Coatings and Surface Modifications | Strategies for ceramic and metallic coatings by melting-solidification, from the vapour state and from solution, and methods of surface modification. |
| MTRL 458 | Hydrometallurgy II | Leaching, purification, precipitation, regeneration; thermodynamics and kinetics of separation steps; electrochemical applications. |
| MTRL 475 | Microstructure Engineering | Follows the production of metallurgical products, focusing on process design models used to describe solidification, recrystallization, and precipitation. |
| MTRL 496 | Materials Sustainability | Concepts of life cycle analysis, circular economy and critical materials. Project-based introduction to key concepts, calculations, and design. |
Biomaterials Engineering
| Course | Title | Description |
| BMEG 410 | Biomedical Equipment, Physiology, and Anatomy | Principles and operation of biomedical equipment for cardiovascular system, respiratory system, renal dialysis, endoscopy, surgery, and imaging. Functional relationships of biomedical equipment to physiology and anatomy of major body systems. Credit is given for one of BMEG 410 or 510. |
| BMEG 456 | Clinical and Industrial Biomedical Engineering | Principles of clinical practice, Canadian healthcare system, medical approach to diagnosis, ethics and regulations for clinical trials, medical technology management, medical device development and standards, biostatistics. Credit will be granted for only one of BMEG 257, BMEG 456, BMEG 556. |
| MTRL 442 | Coatings and Surface Modifications | Strategies for ceramic and metallic coatings by melting-solidification, from the vapour state and from solution, and methods of surface modification. |
| MTRL 451 | Microstructural Analysis Laboratory | Basic principles and techniques of microstructural analysis with particular reference to engineered materials including x-ray, SEM microprobe TEM and high energy electron analysis. |
| MTRL 471 | Nanofibre Technology | Introduction to nanomaterials in the form of fibres and composites, including processing, structure, characterization methods, properties, and modelling. Credit will only be given for one of MTRL 471 or MTRL 571. |
| MTRL 475 | Microstructure Engineering | Follows the production of metallurgical products, focusing on process design models used to describe solidification, recrystallization, and precipitation. |
| MTRL 495 | Biomaterials | Engineered materials in medical applications with an emphasis on material properties, functionality, design, and material response in the biological environment. |
| MTRL 496 | Materials Sustainability | Concepts of life cycle analysis, circular economy and critical materials. Project-based introduction to key concepts, calculations, and design. |
You will take at least 4 of the recommended courses for the stream you have chosen. Beyond these 4 courses (12 credits) you will take an additional 3 courses (9 credits) for a total of 21 credits. These 9 credits could be from the remaining recommended courses for your stream or any 9 credits from the list in the section “Eligible technical electives”.
top of page
4th-year eligible technical electives
If you choose not to take all 7 courses from the recommended list in the stream you selected, you can take courses from the list below for a maximum of (9 credits). Please note that not all course will be available each year.
MTRL Courses
| Course | Title | Description |
| MTRL 442 | Coatings and Surface Modification | Strategies for ceramic and metallic coatings by melting-solidification, from the vapour state and from solution, and methods of surface modification. |
| MTRL 451 | Microstructural Analysis Laboratory | Basic principles and techniques of microstructural analysis with particular reference to engineered materials including x-ray, SEM microprobe TEM and high energy electron analysis. |
| MTRL 458 | Hydrometallurgy II | Leaching, purification, precipitation, regeneration; thermodynamics and kinetics of separation steps; electrochemical applications. |
| MTRL 471 | Nanofibre Technology | Introduction to nanomaterials in the form of fibres and composites, including processing, structure, characterization methods, properties, and modelling. Credit will only be given for one of MTRL 471 or MTRL 571. |
| MTRL 472 | Welding and Joining of Materials | Case studies addressing temperature modelling in welding and joining, material selection for welds and joints, calculation of properties for welds and joints, mechanical analysis of joints, and design of welding and joining procedures. |
| MTRL 475 | Microstructure Engineering | Follows the production of metallurgical products, focusing on process design models used to describe solidification, recrystallization, and precipitation. |
| MTRL 478 | Electronic Materials | Semiconductor materials, MOSFET structure, operation and applications in digital circuits, fabrication techniques, basic mask and fabrication flow design and semiconductor fabrication process theories at an entry level. |
| MTRL 485 | Failure of Materials | Failure by excess deformation, fracture, fatigue, and environmental effects. Failure theories and case studies of engineering failures. |
| MTRL 486 | Nondestructive Evaluation | Principles of test methods; inspection techniques and equipment; quantitative flaw evaluation; reliability analysis. |
| MTRL 494 | Composite Materials | Understanding the properties and the mechanical behaviour of composite materials with emphasis on analysis, design, and manufacturing. Credit will only be given for one of MTRL 494, 594. |
| MTRL 495 | Biomaterials | Engineered materials in medical applications with an emphasis on material properties, functionality, design, and material response in the biological environment. |
| MTRL 496 | Materials Sustainability | Concepts of life cycle analysis, circular economy and critical materials. Project-based introduction to key concepts, calculations, and design. |
CHBE Courses
| Course | Title | Description |
| CHBE 355 | Kinetics and Reactor Design | Kinetics of homogeneous chemical and biological reactions, isothermal ideal reactor design, analysis of non-ideal reactors using residence time distribution and mixing models. |
| CHBE 381 | Bioprocess Engineering I | Biological process engineering in the fields of biotechnology and biomedical engineering; enzymatic and cellular kinetics; cell culture, process development and product recovery; bioreactor design and operation. Credit will be granted for only one of CHBE 381, CHBE 560. |
| CHBE 477 | Fuel Cell and Electrochemical Engineering | Stoichiometry, thermodynamics and kinetics of electrode reactions; conductivity and mass transport in electrolytes; material, energy and voltage balances; design of electrosynthesis, electrorecovery of metals, and energy generation of batteries and fuel cells. Credit will be granted for only one of CHBE 477, CHBE 577. |
| CHBE 481 | Bioprocess Engineering II | Bioprocess flowsheeting; production-scale fermenter design; production recovery and purification; bioseparations; chromatography; viral inactivation and removal; process validation. |
| CHBE 485 | Air Pollution Prevention and Control | Impacts of air pollutants on health, visibility, smog formation, ozone depletion and global warming; air quality and emission standards; atmospheric dispersion of air pollutants; prevention and control technologies for particulates, SOx, NOx, VOCs, and CO2. Credit will be granted for only one of CHBE 485, CHBE 575. |
| CHBE 487 | Interfacial Phenomena | Outline of the physics and chemistry of interfaces; discussion of the part played by surface effects in technical processes. Credit will be granted for only one of CHBE 357, CHBE 487 |
IGEN Courses
| Course | Title | Description |
| IGEN 450 | Pipeline Engineering | Pipeline materials and material selection; fracture mechanics; manufacturing and processing; welding and corrosion; soil-pipe interactions; surveying and site investigations; slope stability; natural hazards; pipeline loads and response. |
| IGEN 451 | Pipeline Systems and Infrastructure | Energy infrastructure; pipe flows; equipment and facilities including compressors, pumping stations, coolers and controls; terminals; pipeline integrity; corrosion control. |
| IGEN 452 | Pipeline Engineering Design | Pipeline and pipeline system design reflecting technical, regulatory, environmental, societal, professional, and economic aspects; pipeline design project. |
MECH Courses
| Course | Title | Description |
| MECH 360 | Mechanics of Materials | Beam deflections, singularity functions; use of tabulated solutions; column buckling; Castigliano’s theorem, statically indeterminate beams, bending of beams with asymmetric cross-sections, shear centre; principal stresses and stress invariants in three dimensions. |
| MECH 435 | Orthopaedic Biomechanics | Musculoskeletal anatomy. Muscle and joint loads. Muscle mechanics. Musculoskeletal dynamics. Gait. Tissue mechanics of tendon, ligament, articular cartilage, and bone. Biomaterials. Application examples in orthopaedics including joint replacement and fracture fixation. Students who have received credit for BMEG 230 or 330 cannot also receive credit for MECH 435. |
| MECH 436 | Fundamentals of Injury Biomechanics | Introduction to injury biomechanics. Anatomy. Impact experiments. Multi-body dynamic simulation and finite element analysis. Skull, face, brain, spine, eye, pelvis, abdomen, and extremity injury. Anthropomorphic test devices, seat belts, airbags, child restraints, and helmets. Credit cannot be obtained for both MECH 436 and MECH 536. |
| MECH 462 | Finite Element Analysis | Theory and element selection. Virtual work and weighted residual formulation. Linear elastic analysis. Heat transfer analysis. Isoparametic elements. Development of computer programs for simple problems. Utilization of existing computer packages. Application to mechanical engineering problems. |
| MECH 485 | Aircraft Design: Structures | Structural components of aircraft, introduction to the finite element method, bending and buckling of thin plates. Design of aircraft wing and fuselage structures, moments of inertia for complex shapes. |
MINE Courses
| Course | Title | Description |
| MINE 303 | Rock Mechanics Fundamentals | The study of the mechanical and structural properties of rock materials at the laboratory and field scale, with reference to common mining, geological and civil engineering problems. |
| MINE 331 | Physical Mineral Processes | Mineral processing unit operations and sampling, crushing, grinding, screening, classification, gravity separation, magnetic separation, electrostatic separation, concentrate dewatering practices. |
| MINE 333 | Flotation | Theory and technology of flotation and ancillary processes. |
| MINE 404 | Strategic Issues in Mining | Strategic issues in an organization; types of organizations; personnel evaluations and job rating systems; impact of manpower planning on decision-making; union negotiations; public relations; dealing with the media; corporate responsibilities to society and employees. |
| MINE 434 | Processing Precious Metal Ores | Process alternatives and mineralogical considerations; physical and chemical recovery technologies; environmental protection; flowsheet studies. |
| MINE 486 | Mining and the Environment | Environmental topics of importance to engineers practicing within the mining, metallurgical and related industries including technical practices, regulatory and public issues. |
APSC Courses
| Course | Title | Description |
| APSC 440 | Management Fundamentals for Technology-Based Product Marketing and Development | Management topics are presented from the perspective of technology-based industrial practice; project management, marketing and marketing planning, product development and commercialization, introduction to quality management, teamwork and effective individual participation. |
| APSC 486 | New Venture Design | Teams comprising students in APSC 486 and COMM 486 create a business plan and a prototype or engineering solution of a novel product, process, or process component. |
| APSC 498 | Directed studies | Requires approval of a Department Head or Program Director. |
All courses subject to change.
Note for 2022/23
As of this year, the MTRL curriculum has undergone several changes, which you should be aware of:
Communication courses:
- MTRL 392 and 398 have been removed, and replaced by MTRL 320. For all students who have taken both MTRL 392 and 398, you will NOT need to take MTRL 320. For those who have only taken one of MTRL 392 or 398, you will need to complete MTRL 320.
- MTRL 489 has been removed from the curriculum; you will no longer need to take this course.
Thermodynamics courses:
- If a student has taken MTRL 350 but has not taken MTRL 252, they may proceed without MTRL 251.
- If a student has taken MTRL 252, but does not have MTRL 350, then they will need to take MTRL 251.
- Meanwhile, MTRL 252 will remain as a required course for students entered MTRL in 2021W and earlier
If you are unsure about how these changes impact on you, please do not hesitate to contact the MTRL undergraduate advising team at undergraduate@mtrl.ubc.ca
top of page