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Each year, around 20% of Ontario college students who graduate with an advanced diploma in engineering technology want to advance their career by pursuing a Professional Engineering (P. Eng.) license. This is good news for Canada since demand is increasing for professional engineers in civil, mechanical, electrical, industrial and mining sectors over the next decade.

To pursue a P.Eng., individuals need to earn a bachelor’s degree from an engineering program accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. Unfortunately, there are few transfer pathways to an accredited engineering degree where diploma graduates get significant credit for completed college courses. Despite completing three years of study in their field, these learners have limited opportunities to build on their credential in a professional engineering program.

To expand access to engineering degrees for college graduates, ONCAT awarded $280,000 to Queen's University via an ONCAT Collaboration Grant — a funding program that supports the development and implementation of learner-centric policies, practices and pathways across multiple postsecondary institutions or the entire postsecondary sector in Ontario. ONCAT is funded by the Government of Ontario.

With the support of ONCAT, Queen’s built the Engineering Bridge, which allows engineering technology diploma graduates to complete an accredited engineering degree efficiently and with strong academic support.

Without a defined transfer pathway, diploma graduates cannot progress efficiently into engineering degrees. Diploma programs prepare students for careers as engineering technologists, which require different knowledge and skills than those of professional engineers. As a result, these programs often lack the foundational theory taught in the early years of engineering degrees, making entry into upper years difficult. Without a pathway that bridges this gap, students are forced to start their degree programs from the beginning.

Graduates of identified technology programs typically receive 12-14 course credits from Queen’s and can enter the third year of the degree program after completing a summer bridging semester. The pathway also provides essential academic and social support to help learners transition to the university environment.

Students from Queen’s engineering celebrating a proud moment as they move one step closer to professional engineering careers.

Brian Frank, Professor and DuPont Canada Chair in Engineering Education Research and Development, leads the initiative. He says, “This framework is developing into a collaborative network of bridging pathways with other engineering technology programs and engineering degrees in Ontario. By partnering with institutions across the province, we’re improving access to engineering degrees and collectively developing outstanding engineers.”

To build this multi-institutional transfer pathway, the project team conducted a feasibility analysis and market research study to understand student interest and demand. They also consulted with the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board to ensure that the bridge pathway meets the standards of accreditation. The team then completed transfer credit assessments with all partnering college engineering diploma programs and determined which courses they needed to offer in the summer bridging semester. Finally, they developed student supports, tools and models that can be used to replicate the pathway at other receiving institutions.

The Engineering Bridge has immediate and tangible benefits for learners. By taking the pathway, students save three semesters’ worth of time in the engineering program at Queen’s, which is approximately $20,000 in tuition costs per student.

After graduating from Cambrian College with a Mining Engineering Technology diploma in 2022, Matthew Paris spent three years working as a geological technician. “Collaborating with professional engineers inspired me to explore my options to get my P.Eng.,” he says. “The Engineering Bridge was a great fit—it granted credit for my previous education and provided a structured and well-supported pathway into one of the world’s top-ranked mining engineering programs,” he continues.

Graduates of the Engineering Bridge are eligible to earn a Certified Engineering Technologist (CET) designation and a Professional Engineering (P.Eng.) license, a combination that is rare in the labour market. Currently, there are 67 active students in the program. Eight students from the first cohort are on track to graduate in June 2026 and have received their iron rings, a tradition that symbolizes the obligations and ethics associated with professional engineering. Additionally, the transfer pathway is now being adapted by the University of Windsor and York University, which promises to open more spaces for engineering diploma graduates.

Visit the Stephen J.R. Smith Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Queen's University to learn more.

This project impact was created by Meryl Borato, Knowledge Mobilization Manager.

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