Engineering at McMaster
Not directly. At McMaster University you apply to Engineering I - Discovery Track (MED), then choose engineering At the end of first year. McMaster's Engineering I is a common first year — you take the same core math/science/engineering courses no matter which OUAC code you applied under, then rank your preferred discipline (Civil, Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Software, Materials, Nuclear, Computer, Engineering Physics, etc.) and are placed based on your Year 1 GPA..
The program you actually apply to
Engineering I - Discovery Track
87%OUAC MEDCo-op availableSupplementary application
Prerequisites
- English 4U
- Calculus & Vectors 4U
- Chemistry 4U
- Physics 4U
When you choose engineering
At the end of first year. McMaster's Engineering I is a common first year — you take the same core math/science/engineering courses no matter which OUAC code you applied under, then rank your preferred discipline (Civil, Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Software, Materials, Nuclear, Computer, Engineering Physics, etc.) and are placed based on your Year 1 GPA..
What to watch for
If a student just wants "engineering" without knowing which discipline yet, Discovery Track (MED) is the right choice — it's the general engineering entry point. But McMaster also lists separate OUAC codes for each specific discipline (e.g. MEQ for Mechanical, MEL for Electrical, MEV for Civil, MES for Software, etc.) — if the student already knows exactly which discipline they want, applying directly under that code locks in a second-year seat instead of leaving it competitive. All Engineering I codes need an 87% minimum average and a mandatory supplementary application, and which specific code you pick on OUAC does NOT affect your admission chances since McMaster treats them all as one applicant pool for Level 1. Also note: students with mid-to-high 90s averages can be granted "Free Choice," guaranteeing their preferred second-year discipline regardless of which code they applied under. Separately, iBioMed (the MIx codes) is a related but distinct biomedical-engineering-plus-health-sciences program, not plain Engineering — don't confuse the two if the student just wants standard engineering.
Engineering at the other campuses
Compare the entry programs side by side →- Algomanot offered at Algoma
- BrockDirect entry80–83%
- Carletonno general Engineering entry at Carleton - you pick a discipline on the application
- Guelphno general Engineering entry at Guelph — you pick a discipline on the application
- Lakeheadvia Engineering (AM)70%
- Laurentianno general Engineering entry at Laurentian — pick Chemical, Mechanical or Mining on the application
- Laurier (Waterloo)not offered at Laurier
- Nipissingnot offered at Nipissing
- Ontario TechDirect entry73–77%
- Queen'svia Smith Engineering – Common First Year (QE)87–90%
- TMUno general Engineering entry at TMU — pick a discipline, or use first-semester Undeclared Engineering (SEU)
- Trentvia Chemical Engineering: Trent/Swansea Dual Degree (RCE)80%
- U of T (Mississauga)not offered at UTM (Mississauga)
- U of T (Scarborough)not offered at UTSC
- U of T (St. George)not offered as a general/undeclared route right now — TrackOne, Undeclared Engineering (TEO) is paused
- Waterloonot offered as a single generic "Engineering" program at Waterloo
- WesternDirect entry87–93%
- Windsorvia General Engineering (NE)74%
- Yorkvia Engineering (BEng) (YT)80–87%
Entry routes were researched against each university’s own program pages in 2026-08-16. McMaster’s page. Faculties restructure — confirm before you apply.