Master of Engineering Leadership in Integrated Water Management (MEL)

The Master of Engineering Leadership is not administered by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Please check the UBC Applied Science Professional Programs website for admission requirements, deadlines and application procedure.
 

Overview

The Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Integrated Water Management is a professional degree for engineers and environmental science graduates who want to excel and drive innovation in sustainable water management initiatives. This hybrid master’s program combines graduate-level engineering courses with UBC Sauder School of Business courses – giving you the skills and confidence to take your career in new directions.

CHOOSE ENGINEERING AND BUSINESS

The MEL in Integrated Water Management offers a unique combination of technical and business classes – giving you the strategic skills to play a leading role in forward-thinking organizations. Engineering courses cover the entire spectrum of water management, including engineering hydrology, water treatment design, environmental fluid mechanics, and water and wastewater management strategies. Business courses offered by the top-ranked UBC Sauder School of Business give you a solid foundation in strategy and innovation, organizational leadership and sustainability considerations.

STUDY FULL TIME OR PART TIME

You can take the program either full time (12 months) or part time (24 months). With the 12-month full-time option, you’ll complete your studies in one year, expanding your knowledge base and skill set in a concentrated time frame.

The 24-month part-time option is for those who want to continue working while building their business and technical knowledge. By balancing work and study, you’ll be able to apply your new skills immediately to your workplace, and bring technical and leadership challenges from work into classroom discussion. This part-time version of the MEL in Integrated Water Management is also an opportunity to build your professional network over two years. Students pursuing this option can expect to be on campus for two weekdays each week (approximately 10 hours total).

GAIN A COMPETITIVE EDGE

In just 12-months/24-months, this master’s degree will:

  • learn how to apply physical, chemical and biological unit operations and processes to water resources, while also increasing your familiarity with regulatory and environmental frameworks
  • sharpen your technical and analytical skills through a project-based curriculum that covers all stages of the industry value chain and incorporates hands-on learning opportunities
  • study under renowned faculty and industry experts at one of the world’s top 40 universities
  • expand your professional network while collaborating with other MEL students
  • gain the fundamental business, project management and interpersonal skills to advance your career and confidently take on positions of increased responsibility

What makes the program unique?

A Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) degree from UBC gives you the credentials and knowledge to confidently take on positions of greater responsibility or make the shift into a new industry sector.

UPGRADE YOUR TECHNICAL SKILLS
You’ll gain the technical skills needed to develop practical solutions in areas that include water treatment and monitoring, information technologies, efficient water use and reuse, and novel biotechnologies.

LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS
Technical knowledge is not enough. Through courses offered by UBC Sauder School of Business, you’ll gain foundational business skills, improving your understanding of broad-based management concepts

BECOME A CONFIDENT LEADER
Leadership development is embedded throughout the program, giving you ongoing opportunities to lead teams and projects and strengthen your interpersonal skills.

GO FURTHER
Professionals who have mastered a technical specialization and the fundamentals of business have a distinct competitive advantage. In demand by both government and industry employers, our graduates are successfully moving into sought-after positions and new industry sectors.

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Program Enquiries

If you have reviewed the information on this program page and understand the requirements for this program, you may send an enquiry

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

FeesCanadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / DiplomatInternational
Application Fee$112.00$168.25
Tuition *
Installments per year33
Tuition per installment$10,544.91$20,581.19
Program Fee$31,634.73$61,743.57
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) Not applicable
Other Fees and Costs
Student Fees (yearly)$1,081.64 (approx.)
Costs of living (yearly)starting at $18,517.90 (check cost calculator)
Deposit to accept offer (if admitted)
Deposit requirement$5000.00$5000.00
* Regular, full-time tuition. For on-leave, extension, continuing or part time (if applicable) fees see UBC Calendar.
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.

Financial Support

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options.

Program Funding Packages

Being a professional program, there are no UBC scholarships, grants or funding offered directly for MEL or MHLP students. Students who require financial assistance are encouraged to look for external scholarships or loans that may be available to them. Please find a list of options and areas for you to independently explore and investigate on our webpage: https://apscpp.ubc.ca/admissions/tuition/scholarships/

Employer support

Organizations may provide their employees with tuition benefits as part of an employment package to support lifelong learning of their workforce.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

Professional / course-based programs usually do not provide merit-based funding. Some programs may offer bursaries.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans.

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement.

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Calculator

Applicants have access to the cost calculator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Options

Our graduates will be in high demand locally, nationally and internationally by employers in industry and government seeking professionals who can develop and deliver sustainable water management initiatives. Read some of our alumni stories on our website to find out how our graduates have gone on to excel their careers with their UBC MEL in Integrated Water Management degree. Graduates of the program started in positions, such as Environmental EIT, Environmental Specialist, President & CEO.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Master of Engineering Leadership in Integrated Water Management (MEL). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

Enrolment Data

 20212020201920182017
Applications1815241212
Offers16121159
New registrations67925
Total enrolment15151069

Completion Rates & Times

Based on 17 graduations between 2017 - 2020 the minimum time to completion is 0.99 years and the maximum time is 1.32 years with an average of 1.01 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.
Disclaimer
Admissions data refer to all UBC Vancouver applications, offers, new registrants for each year, May to April [data updated: 7 April 2022]. Enrolment data are based on March 1 snapshots. Program completion data are only provided for datasets comprised of more than 4 individuals. Rates and times of completion depend on a number of variables (e.g. curriculum requirements, student funding), some of which may have changed in recent years for some programs [data updated: 19 October 2021].

Further Information

This hybrid program covers how to apply physical, chemical and biological unit operations and processes to water resources, while also increasing familiarity with regulatory and environmental frameworks.

Faculty Overview

Program Identifier

VGMMEL-GO
 

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January 2024 Intake

Application Open Date
01 January 2023
Canadian Applicant Deadline
30 June 2023
International Applicant Deadline
30 June 2023
Program Enquiries
If you have reviewed the information on this program page and understand the requirements for this program, you may send an enquiry
 
 

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update the application inquiries contact details please use this form.

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