Concordia’s aerospace engineering program ranked 8th in the country.
Concordia has been ranked eighth in the country for its aerospace engineering program, following McGill which earned second place.
An article by University Magazine said Concordia’s “state-of-the-art labs give you experience with the tools and equipment you may use in the field.” This and Montreal being one of the three largest aerospace hubs in the world is the reason its aerospace engineering program has been named eighth in Canada.
Although McGill has outranked Concordia, it only offers a masters degree in aerospace engineering, whereas Concordia offers both undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees. Concordia engineering professor Luis Rodrigues said Concordia’s aerospace engineering program “has characteristics that other universities’s programs don’t.”
Aerospace engineering focuses on the design, construction, and testing of aircrafts, spacecrafts, satellites, and even missiles. Quebec is among the largest global aerospace equipment manufacturers in the world with over 200 aerospace companies in the province, such as Bombardier and Aero Montreal.
Concordia has a four-year undergraduate aerospace engineering program. During those four years, students take core engineering courses, such as Introduction to Flight and Aerospace Systems, Thermodynamics, Statistics, and Modelling and Control Systems, totaling 33.25 credits.
“I can already tell this knowledge is leading me somewhere,” said Daniel Baranci, a second-year student in the aerospace program. Aerospace students must also take 59.75 elective engineering credits from a list of three main concentrations.
Like many other schools, Concordia offers concentrations in aerodynamics and propulsion, and aerospace structures and materials. What sets the university apart is its avionics and aerospace systems concentration.
Rodrigues said avionics and aerospace systems is a growing field of study. This is in part due to research into ways of applying the science behind electric cars to work for aircrafts with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint. Offering this concentration is one of the many ways the university distinguishes itself from others.
Despite the wide range of courses offered, Rodrigues said “the program can improve the number of courses offered in space systems.”
Concordia engineering students can get hands-on training through one of the many engineering labs. “We have a wind tunnel, a composite structures lab and two flight simulators, among many other labs,” said Rodrigues.
The program also grants its students many opportunities to gain work experience within their field of study. A co-operative education program is available for students in the aerospace program at Concordia, which allows them to “alternate between study and work terms in industries,” according to its website. Baranci said the co-op program is what attracted him to study at Concordia and has lead him to an internship with Bombardier as well as Airbus.
The Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation’s (CIADI) website states that CIADI “promotes and supports aerospace research and education at Concordia.” CIADI is the first aerospace institute in Quebec, according to Rodrigues. Finally, students can access apprenticeship programs that provide opportunities to take on relevant internships.
Graphic by @spooky_soda.