Master of Engineering (MEng) emphasis:

Waterpower

Questions?

If you have questions about the Waterpower emphasis, please contact contact Sharon Mandair: sharon.mandair@mail.utoronto.ca

For more information, visit the MEng emphases FAQ page »

As the world strives for decarbonization, the energy supply is in transition and waterpower is in a unique position to support this change. As the oldest form of low carbon energy, waterpower’s role is becoming even more important. The energy transition is demanding more flexibility to support other renewable technologies, upgrading of aging infrastructure that not only support the electricity grid, but are also imperative for integrated water management around flood mitigation, navigation and recreations. There are exciting opportunities around new energy storage facilities, and investment in small waterpower at the distribution level. The challenges are many, but waterpower stations are uniquely suited to tackle these challenges, embedded in communities and ecosystems across Canada.

The Waterpower emphasis aims to prepare students for the unique challenges of this technology and growing opportunities in the industry, drawing on its long history and the many lessons learnt, especially in the domain of sustainable development.

Students who complete the requirements of the emphasis will have it notated on their transcript.

Industry support

The emphasis curriculum has been developed in partnership with the Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) and delivered in close collaboration with an OWA Advisory Committee. The OWA is a non-profit organization representing the collective interest of the waterpower sector. Their membership includes generators, engineering firms, environmental consultants, legal, project financing and insurance firms, First Nations communities and other organizations.

Program Eligiblity

Graduate students registered in the following MEng programs can specialize in the Waterpower emphasis:

You cannot apply to the emphasis directly as a standalone program. If you are a prospective student, you can learn more about applying to our MEng programs here.  

Careers

Graduates who complete the Waterpower emphasis are employed by companies, approval agencies and governments across a range of areas including:
construction,
consulting,
energy distribution companies,
environmental services,
manufacturers,
provincial electrical utilities and related private entities (e.g., Hydro 1, OPG, IESO)

and more.

Some of the roles our graduates secure are:

Construction manager
Dam inspection and safety expert
Decarbonization specialist
Hydro engineer
Project engineer

Emphasis Requirements

To complete an emphasis in Waterpower, students must complete four courses:

APS1410: Waterpower Essentials (formerly CIV1398),
at least one course from Set A
and the remainder from Set B as listed below.

Some courses may satisfy the requirements of multiple emphases. Students may double-count a maximum of one course towards the requirements of any two emphases.

Students cannot earn more than two emphases. 

Core Course

APS1410: Waterpower Essentials (formerly CIV1398).
- Does not count towards ELITE emphasis

Set A Courses

APS1411: Renewal of Waterpower Facilities (formerly under CIVXXXX Special Topics).
- Does not count towards ELITE emphasis.
- Schedule for Winter 2025: Jan 8 - April 9, Wed 3-6pm Online course, synchronous delivery
CIV550: Water Resources Engineering

Set B Courses

AER1410HF: Topology Optimisation
APS1024: Infrastructure Resilience Planning
APS1032: Introduction to Energy Project Management
CIV1001: MEng Project
CIV1252: Infrastructure Renewal (Concrete)
CIV1303: Water Resource Modelling
CIV1420H: Soil Properties and Behaviour
CIV1163: Mechanics of Reinforced Concrete
CIV1171: Principles of Earthquake Engineering and Seismic Design
CIV1275: Construction Modelling Methods
CIV1279: Construction Contract Documents
CIV1281: Asset Management: Quantitative Tools and Methods
CIV1399: Special Studies in Civil Engineering: Large Scale Infrastructure and Sustainability
CIV401: Design of Hydro and Wind Electric Plants
CIV514: Concrete Technology

CIV523: Geotechnical Design
CIV580: Engineering and Management of Large Projects
ECE520H: Power Electronics
ECE1049H: Special Topics in Energy Systems Power System Protection
ECE1059H: Special Topics in Energy Systems: Fundamentals of Power-Flow and Modeling of Electric Power
ECE1093H: Electrical Insulation Design and Coordination
ECE1094H: Mathematical Methods in Power Systems
ENV1001: Environmental Decision Making
ENV1701: Environmental Law
ENV1703: Water Resource Management and Policy
MIE1201: Advanced Fluid Mechanics
MIE1207HF: Structure of Turbulent Flows
MIE1210 HS: Computational Fluid Mechanics & Heat Transfer
MIE1222: Multiphase flow
MIE1241HF: Energy Management