Civil Engineering

Overview

Civil Engineering is a branch of engineering that focuses on the design, construction, and maintenance of the built environment, including buildings, roads, bridges, water supply systems, and other infrastructure. Civil Engineers use their knowledge of physics, mathematics, geology, and materials science to create safe, efficient, and sustainable structures and systems.

Civil Engineers design and manage the large-scale infrastructure – smart buildings and cities, dams and water systems, airports, highway networks and energy grids – that are all critical to our daily lives.

As a Civil Engineering student at Lakehead you will have the opportunity tackle design and research work in highway geometrics and transportation systems, high-performance concretes, environmental issues, watershed analysis, foundation, and slope stability projects or structural analysis and design engineering.

The unique design of our Civil Engineering curriculum enables us to include several practical courses such as Highway Design, Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer, and Finite Element Methods in addition to the core courses.

Location

Thunder Bay Campus

Some of the courses you’ll take include:

Surveying
Mechanics of Materials
Fluid Mechanics
Highway Design
Steel and Reinforced Concrete Design
Water Supply and Waste Systems
Construction Materials
Hydrology
Steel Structures
Wind Engineering
Rock Engineering
Water Resources and Hydropower Development

For the full list of courses please click here.

Employers where our Civil Engineering graduates now work include:

Metrolinx
TetraTech
Hatch
Ellis Don
Enbridge
PCL
Canadian Pacific Railway
Barrick Gold Corporation

Student Q & A

Veronica Civil Engineering Student

What made you choose to study engineering? And what made you pick your discipline?

I consistently excelled in mathematics throughout high school and had an interest in an engineering degree. However, I felt hesitant about pursuing it immediately after high school, so it took me a few years to make this decision. Ultimately, I chose to study Civil Engineering due to my passion for design and construction. My father was a construction manager on numerous large-scale projects, my brothers run construction businesses and my uncle is an architect – so it kind of runs in the family!

Why Lakehead?

I chose to attend Lakehead because Thunder Bay is my hometown, and it’s where I cultivated my love of the outdoors. After living in Alberta for many years, I missed my family and all of the beauty that Thunder Bay has to offer. Plus, so many amazing local restaurants had sprung up since when I had lived here, and I am a fan of good food!

Did you start at Lakehead after high school? Or via college transfer? Or another route?

I did attend Lakehead after high school, but not for engineering. My route to Civil Engineering at Lakehead took me another 16 years. After finishing my first degree at the University of Calgary, I also completed my education degree. After realizing that teaching wasn’t my calling, I started working in the oil and gas industry in northern Alberta. During this time, I had the opportunity to work closely with people in many different engineering capacities. This is where I cemented my desire to go back to university to study civil engineering at Lakehead.

What advice would you give to someone considering studying engineering?

Do the assignments; they really help in understanding the material. Learn what study method works best for you. Find a group of people to study with. Work in your field of engineering in the summer! The ability to apply the things that you have learned about in school, and in some cases to relate your work experiences to what you are learning in school, is incredibly valuable. It allows you to make solid connections between some of the theory we learn in class and its practical application. Most importantly though, make sure to take time for yourself when you can.

What do you wish you’d known before you started?

In some ways, I wish that I had realized how much I would have enjoyed entering into civil engineering studies when I finished high school. It was definitely more challenging to begin STEM studies after such a long break from them. But also, I wouldn’t have changed my journey here for the world! My life experiences also contribute greatly to my learning and comprehension in my studies, so I wouldn’t want to wish those away.

What do you like doing when you’re not studying?

I like to spend time with my friends, family, and our crew of dogs, whether it’s at home or at our family camp. Going out to camp and taking walks with my dog are activities that I enjoy year-round. Additionally, I also enjoy different activities depending on the season: hunting in the fall, snowmobiling, snowboarding and ice fishing in the winter, and paddleboarding, fishing, and swimming in the summer.

Admissions

Admission Requirements

Slide for more

Required

General Admissions Requirements for Lakehead University

To be considered for admission as an Ontario High School student, you must be currently attending a high school in Ontario on a full-time basis or have recently graduated, and have not completed any post-secondary studies at another institution.

To meet the General Admission Requirements to Lakehead, you will need the following:

Completion of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
A minimum of 6 Grade 12U or M courses, or equivalent
A minimum 70% overall final average

Admission Requirements for Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering):

1 credit Grade 12 U in each of: Advanced Functions, Physics, Chemistry and English
2 additional Grade 12 U or M credits
Grade 12 U Calculus & Vectors is strongly recommended (students who have completed Ontario Grade 12 U Calculus & Vectors, with a minimum mark of 60%, will be exempted from MATH 1071 – Vectors and Matrices)

1 credit in Grade 12 U or M Math, Science or Technological Education is recommended
A 60% mark in Grade 12 U Advanced Functions is required

Students who do not meet all the admission requirements will be evaluated on an individual basis.

APPLY to any of our programs via the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC)

Applicants without admissions requirement can enter via our Pre-Eng (Common Year in Applied Science) program.

Required

Admissions Requirements for all post-diploma Bachelor of Engineering programs:

Applicants must have a diploma in engineering technology from a college, or the equivalent, with an average of at least 70% (GPA = 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale, B Grade) overall (or in the final year of the program) to be eligible for admission consideration.
Alternatively, applicants must have one or more years of relevant industrial experience acquired after the completion of a diploma in engineering technology from a community college or the equivalent, with an average* of at least 65% (GPA = 2.5 on a 4.0 point scale, C+ Grade) overall (or in the final year of the program) to be eligible for admission consideration.

Students who do not meet all the admission requirements will be evaluated on an individual basis.

If you attended an engineering technology diploma from a college outside Canada please contact us directly.

Applications are assessed on an ongoing basis.

APPLY to any of our programs via the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) website

Once you have applied, please send official transcripts from your diploma program, and all other post-secondary institutions you have attended, directly to: docs.admission@lakeheadu.ca

High School transcripts are not required – unless we request them.

Required

General Admissions Requirements for Lakehead University

To be considered for admission as a High School student, you must be currently attending a high school in a Canadian province other than Ontario on a full-time basis or have recently graduated, and have not completed any post-secondary studies at another institution.

Completion of Grade 12 and the Secondary School Diploma
Program specific prerequisite courses
A minimum 70% overall final average

Admissions Requirements for Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering):

Alberta

English Language Arts 30-1, Chemistry 30, Math 30-1 with a minimum grade of 60%, Physics 30

British Columbia

English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12, Chemistry 12, Physics 12, Pre-Calculus 12 with a minimum grade of 60%

Manitoba

English Language Arts (Comprehensive Focus, Literary Focus, or Transactional Focus) 40S, Chemistry 40S, Physics 40S, Pre-Calculus 40S with a minimum grade of 60%

New Brunswick

English Language Arts 121 or 122, Chemistry 121 or 122, Physics 121 or 122, Pre-Calculus A120 or B120 with a minimum grade of 60%

Newfoundland and Labrador

English 3201, Advanced Math 3200, Chemistry 3202, Physics 3204

Northwest Territories

English Language Arts 30-1, Chemistry 30, Math 30-1 with a minimum grade of 60%, Physics 30

Nova Scotia

English 12 or English 12 African Heritage, Chemistry 12, Physics 12, Pre-Calculus 12 with a minimum grade of 60%

Nunavut

English Language Arts 30-1, Chemistry 30, Math 30-1 with a minimum grade of 60%, Physics 30

Prince Edward Island

English 621A, Chemistry 621A, Physics 621A, Pre-Calculus 621B with a minimum grade of 60%

Quebec (CEGEP)

2 English (603 or 604), Chemistry (2 from: NYA, NYB, or NYC), Linear Algebra I (201-NYC, 201-105, or 201-106) with a minimum grade of 60%, Physics (2 from: NYA, NYB, or NYC)

Quebec (Private)

English (ENG4U), Advanced Functions (MHF4U) with a minimum grade of 60%, Chemistry (SCH4U), Physics (SPH4U).

Saskatchewan

English A30 and B30, Chemistry 30, Physics 30, Pre-Calculus 30 with a minimum grade of 60%

Yukon

English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12, Chemistry 12, Physics 12, Pre-Calculus 12 with a minimum grade of 60%

Students who do not meet all the admission requirements will be evaluated on an individual basis.

APPLY to any of our programs via the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC)

Click here for more information on our Pre-Eng (Common Year in Applied Science) program.

Required

General Admissions Requirements for Lakehead University

To be considered for admission as an International Student, you must currently reside outside of Canada and you are not a Canadian citizen. To meet the General Admission Requirements to Lakehead, you will need the following:

Successful graduation from an academic secondary school program or equivalent (For most countries, the same academic preparation as is required for university entrance in that country is required for consideration)
Program-specific prerequisite courses completed at the senior level (e.g. Grade 12)
Equivalent of a minimum 70% overall final average (Canadian)

Admissions Requirements for Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering):

English, Chemistry, Math with a minimum grade of 60% (Canadian equivalent), Physics

Students who do not meet all the admission requirements will be evaluated on an individual basis.

APPLY to any of our programs via the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC)

Click here for more information on our Pre-Eng (Common Year in Applied Science) program.

Required

General Admissions Requirements for Lakehead University

To be considered for admission as a university transfer student, you must have completed university level studies since leaving high school. To meet the university transfer student general admission requirements, you:

Last attended a university where you completed course work (i.e. you have received grades),
Completed (or are completing) the program-specific prerequisite courses at the high school, college or university level, and
Achieved a minimum overall average of 60% based on your university studies.

Admissions Requirements for Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering):

1 credit Grade 12 U in each of: Advanced Functions, Physics, Chemistry and English
2 additional Grade 12 U or M credits
A 60% mark in Grade 12 U Advanced Functions is required
Grade 12 U Calculus & Vectors is strongly recommended
1 credit in Grade 12 U or M Math, Science or Technological Education is recommended

Students who do not meet all the admission requirements will be evaluated on an individual basis.

APPLY to any of our programs via the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC)

Click here for more information on our Pre-Eng (Common Year in Applied Science) program.

Apply

Join our engineering community

How to apply

Chemical Engineering