Applying to our Graduate Programs

Prospective applicants must apply through the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' application portal.

Below you will find all of the relevant application materials and admission requirements for each of our programs. Please note that some information may differ by program.

Master of Engineering (MEng)

Program Duration

MEng Program official length: 3 Terms (12 months)

MEng-GDip Program official length: 4 terms (16 months)

Curriculum Options / Areas of Study

• Full-time Study
• Course based or project based. Applicants may only apply to Course Based. If you enrol in a MEng Project your registration will be updated accordingly.

Areas of Study

• Communications & Signal Processing
• Power Systems Engineering
• Robotics & Control
• Software Engineering
• Engineering in Medicine

Admission Requirements

Minimum 70% average in the last two years of study in a four-year honours degree or equivalent from an accredited university.

Your Graduate Program Application will be completed through the Western Student Center.

View the Western Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website for information on Passwords and Access to the Western Student Center.

The following information must be provided in your application:

• Personal information
• Academic history
• References - 2 letters are required - academic references are preferred
• CV/Resume
• Supplementary questions
• Proficiency in English scores. Testing Methods & acceptable scores are listed below.
• Official transcripts
• Statement of Purpose

Need Help? Visit the Student Success Centre website for tips on writing a personal statement

Additional documentation

Please visit the Western Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website for detailed information on filling out your application form.

Applicants who have been offered admission to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies can accept or decline their offers of admission through the Western Student Center.

English Language Proficiency

Applicants who have not completed a minimum 2 years of undergraduate or graduate education at an English-speaking institution in a country whose official first language is English (i.e., USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Nigeria, etc.), must provide proof of your proficiency in English by successfully completing one of the following English Language Proficiency examinations.

Please note: No exceptions will be made for applicants who do not score the minimum in either the TOEFL or IELTS exams.

• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum acceptable score is 86, with no individual score below 20 for the internet based version; 213 for the standard electronic version; or 550 for the paper and pencil version, although some programs require a higher minimum score. [Western's TOEFL ID is 0984].
• The International English Language Testing Service (IELTS Academic). The minimum acceptable score is 6 out of 9 in the individual bands, with an overall score of 6.5 or higher.
• The Duolingo English Test. The minimum acceptable score is 115. When completing the test, please select “Western University-Graduate Studies” from the institution list to ensure your results are made available to the admissions team.
• The Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) of the University of Michigan. Students must have at least 80 on each of the sections and an overall score of at least 85. Arrangements to write MELAB may be made online.
• The Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL Assessment). The minimum acceptable score is 60. The CAEL Assessment is offered in several countries throughout the world as well as Canada.
• Fanshawe College’s ESL Program. The requirement is graduation from Level 10, English for Academic Purposes, with a minimum 80% in all components.
• Western English Language Centre: Western English Language Centre (WELC) is Western's official language centre. Successful completion may be used in lieu of test results from another testing agency for application purposes. Please note that we do not provide conditional acceptances to the MEng program based on future program completion. For more information regarding WELC, please contact their department directly at welc@uwo.ca.

Admissions Process

After submitting, your application is sent to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for an initial preliminary review before being released to the ECE Department for consideration. All received applications are reviewed for completion and eligibility. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure they have submitted all of the required documents with their application, and by the application deadline. Eligible applications are collected into an applicant pool and assessed during the review period. Final admission decisions will be released on the date indicated below for the applicable term. You will be notified of an admissions decision via email.

Admission to the MEng program is highly competitive. Please note that meeting or exceeding the minimum criteria for admission does not guarantee admission to the MEng program. All applications are collected and assessed as a pool of candidates. Early submission will not result in an admissions decision before the release date. Please see the application deadlines below.

Deadlines and Timelines

International Applicants:

Fall 2025 Term

Note: we cannot guarantee that applications submitted after the close date will be considered.

Domestic Applicants:

Fall 2024 Term

MESc or PhD

Program Duration

MESc - 6 terms (2 years)

PhD - 12 terms (4 years)

Curriculum Options / Areas of Study

Full Time Study

Areas of Study

• Biomedical Systems
• Communications Systems and Data Networking
• Microsystems and Digital Signal Processing
• Power Systems engineering
• Robotics and Control
• Software engineering

Collaborative Specializations

• Western Space
• Vector AI
• Applied Math
• Muskuloskeletal Health Research

Admission Requirements

• Minimum 78% average in the last two years of study in a four-year honours degree or equivalent from an accredited university.

• Successful completion of a research master’s degree in engineering, physical, computer or life sciences.
• Achieved at least a 78% average in the master's degree.

English Language Proficiency

Applicants who have not completed a minimum 2 years of undergraduate or graduate education at an English-speaking institution in a country whose official first language is English (i.e., USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Nigeria, etc.), must provide proof of your proficiency in English by successfully completing one of the following English Language Proficiency examinations.

Please note: No exceptions will be made for applicants who do not score the minimum in either the TOEFL or IELTS exams.

• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum acceptable score is 86, with no individual score below 20 for the internet based version; 213 for the standard electronic version; or 550 for the paper and pencil version, although some programs require a higher minimum score. [Western's TOEFL ID is 0984].
• The International English Language Testing Service (IELTS Academic). The minimum acceptable score is 6 out of 9 in the individual bands, with an overall score of 6.5 or higher.
• The Duolingo English Test. The minimum acceptable score is 115. When completing the test, please select “Western University-Graduate Studies” from the institution list to ensure your results are made available to the admissions team.
• The Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) of the University of Michigan. Students must have at least 80 on each of the sections and an overall score of at least 85. Arrangements to write MELAB may be made online.

• The Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL Assessment). The minimum acceptable score is 60. The CAEL Assessment is offered in several countries throughout the world as well as Canada
• Fanshawe College’s ESL Program. The requirement is graduation from Level 10, English for Academic Purposes, with a minimum 80% in all components.
• Western English Language Centre: Western English Language Centre (WELC) is Western's official language centre. This program allows academically eligible students interested in pursuing a graduate degree at Western the opportunity to receive a conditional offer of admission to graduate studies without successful completion of an English language proficiency test. The condition is that the student must, in lieu of such a test, successfully complete Western English Language Centre's program in order to meet the conditions of their offer of admission. For more information, please contact WELC at welc@uwo.ca.

Admissions Process

Applicants to these programs must be admitted by a faculty supervisor. Applicants do not have to have a supervisor in place to apply to the program, however, the department recommends that all applicants review the faculty webpage and contact any potential supervisor. Once your application has been completed it will be distributed to the ECE Faculty for review. Until a supervisor admits you to the program your application will remain open and on hold until the beginning of the term. Please note that meeting or exceeding the minimum criteria for admission does not guarantee admission to the Research program. Admission to the Research program is highly competitive. Please see the application timelines below.