Sustainable Energy Engineering (SEE) is an interdisciplinary program that prepares engineers to work across various engineering disciplines. The program focuses on energy engineering, recognizing that energy-related challenges will persist as long as humanity exists. These challenges extend beyond the power generation industry, encompassing areas such as power transmission, transportation, buildings, and energy storage. The term "sustainability" is incorporated into the program's name to emphasize the growing necessity of conducting engineering practices in a manner that minimizes the impact on limited resources and enables long-term viability.

Some important skills are acquired by the SEE students; these include:

• Complex problem solving for the many challenges faced in engineering today, particularly applying interdisciplinary approaches from various engineering disciplines.
• Keeping pace with rapid advancement of technologies in fields such as energy engineering, robotics, nanotechnology, and biotechnology.
• Tackling real-world problems and creating innovative solutions that incorporate technical feasibility, environmental impact, economic viability, and social implications.
• Working in diverse teams is central to how academic programs are delivered – learning from rich engineering knowledge and lived experiences.

Our faculty members possess quite unique industrial and academic expertise in some key areas: Life Cycle Analysis, Building Systems Energy Modelling, Sustainable Energy Systems, Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing, Carbon Capturing Technologies, Clean Transportation Systems, Solar Cell Fabrication, Embedded Systems, Fuel Cell Systems, Energy Storage Systems. These technology solutions are uniquely offered by SEE.

There is an array of companies interested in hiring SEE students. The availability of co-op positions serves as a strong indicator of industry interest in the program. Some notable examples include BC Hydro, Fortis BC, Ballard (Fuel Cell Manufacturing), Greenlight Technology (Testing and Instrumentation), Integral (Building Mechanical Consultant), RJC (Building Envelope Consultant), and Delta Q (power electronics manufacturer), among many others. The list continues to grow.

Graduates have found employment in building consulting firms, R&D, the electronics industry, and even software companies. Additionally, two of our graduates have been accepted into prestigious institutions such as Cambridge and Ecole Polytechnique to pursue their master’s degrees. Joining SEE not only provides excellent job prospects but also expands your horizon of opportunities. Attending a traditional engineering program could arguably put you at a disadvantage in to job market.

Yes when applications are open, prospective students are able to apply and be directly admitted into the Sustainable Energy Engineering Major.

Yes, the School of Sustainable Energy Engineering offers an undergraduate engineering program accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) that provides the necessary academic requirements for the Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) licensure.

The SEE program application requires the submission of a supplemental application. More details can be found on this page.

Please see the section above titled “Admission Requirements and Important Dates.”

If you wish to view example course schedules, please visit www.sfu.ca/see/current-students/undergraduate-students.

Yes, we offer both in-person (RSVP required) and online advising (drop-in Zoom). Please visit  www.sfu.ca/fas/current-student/advising to chat with an advisor.

Please visit this page to learn about the evaluation process.

You can book a campus tour here! You are also able to take a virtual tour at www.sfu.ca/see/building.