Carleton Engineering – Engineering Physics

In its favour

• Engineers Canada flags moderate-to-high shortage risk for civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers through 2033, meaning the field has genuine hiring demand beyond initial entry positions.
• The average salary for a Graduate Engineer is $71,569 per year in Canada, starting higher than most other bachelor's degrees.
• Your engineering degree is portable across Canada and internationally, and the strongest outlook is in Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, and British Columbia based on significant infrastructure and technology investments.
• The energy transition (hydrogen, carbon capture, small modular reactors, grid build-out) is hiring electrical, mechanical, chemical, and process engineers, creating growing specialization opportunities.

Worth knowing

• To practice engineering in Ontario, you must have a minimum of four years of engineering experience with at least one year in a Canadian jurisdiction before you can be licensed as a professional engineer, meaning you cannot legally call yourself an engineer or sign off on projects right after graduation.
• Nearly 50% of tasks in electrical engineering fields are projected to be automated within the next decade, and 65% of mechanical engineering firms have integrated AI to optimize workflows, meaning routine design and drafting work is disappearing.
• The job vacancy rate cooled to 2.8 percent in Q3 2025 and degree-required roles face the toughest unemployment-to-vacancy ratio in years, so entry-level competition is tight despite longer-term shortage signals.
• 45% of engineering tasks are now influenced by AI-driven tools, reshaping workflows and required technical skills, so your degree alone will not be enough—you'll need continuous learning in AI and automation tools to stay competitive.