Civil Engineering Technology student among first to take advantage of a new precedent-setting pathway between Mohawk College and Queen’s University
For some students, their post-secondary journey is direct and simple. For others, it’s more of a journey and may involve multiple layers of study and credentials, perhaps even at different institutions.
Pathways recognize, simplify, and enhance that winding road.
Mohawk College has over 30 articulation agreements with Ontario institutions and more than 200 pathways overall, which allow students to transfer into programs at other post-secondary institutions – both domestic and international – and receive credit for courses completed at the College.
Most programs offered at Mohawk College also have Internal Pathways, which show how the program can lead to future credential choices, including graduate and professional studies, without having to repeat prior learning.
A total of 148 Mohawk College students utilized external pathways during the 2022-23 academic year, including Frankie Colombe, who is one of the first students taking advantage of a new precedent-setting diploma-to-degree pathway with Queen’s University.
The new pathway, Engineering Bridge, sees graduates of Mohawk College’s Civil Engineering Technology program heading to Queen’s University, in the Department of Civil Engineering at Smith Engineering. The Kingston-based university’s engineering program is considered one of the best in Canada.
“The concept around engineering technology diploma transfer to accredited engineering degrees has never been explored from a pathways perspective in Ontario, so this is ground-breaking,” says Janet Shuh, Dean, Continuing Education and Academic Development. She oversees the pathways portfolio and articulation agreements at the College.
The bridge is open to Engineering Technology graduates or students who have completed three or more semesters of their program.
Developing this multi-institution pathway not only involved much collaboration between Mohawk College, Queen’s University, and other provincial colleges, but also required the review and approval of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) who accredit professional engineering degrees in Canada.
Colombe is in the midst of completing his last semester of Civil Engineering Technology at Mohawk College, along with his second transition course through Queen’s, to get him ready for full-time degree studies.
Once he’s finished in April, he will move to Kingston to start a full-course load in the summer on his way to a Queen’s degree. Altogether, he will earn an advanced diploma and a degree in five years.
Colombe says when he learned about the types of jobs available to him in his field, he decided he wanted to expand his learning to advance his career options. His program coordinator, Rocco Carbone, suggested the bridge option.
This pathway is attractive, says Colombe, because it will get him into a job faster.
I'm definitely one that wants to get out of school as fast as possible. I realize doing an extra two years is not doing that, but it still allows me to have an advanced diploma as well as a degree. I feel like that's going to give me a lot of options down the road.
Colombe isn’t sure what he wants to do after graduation but he’s leaning towards infrastructure work at the government level. He hopes his degree from Queen’s will differentiate him as a job candidate.
“The benefit to students is really huge, because they're entering into not only a highly reputable engineering school, but also a path to securing a professionally accredited degree,” says Shuh. “Then they can write their professional engineering exams after they've completed their studies and secured the professional experience necessary.”
Part of Queen’s motivation in developing this pathway with Mohawk College is to provide increased access to underrepresented groups, including, but not limited to, Indigenous, mature, and first-generation post-secondary students, says Shuh.
The development of this pathway was funded by the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) and Shuh says other colleges and universities are exploring engineering pathway agreements.
“There are a lot of economies of scale and a lot more positive impacts on students, if it's happening at a sector-level versus one-off institutional agreements. ONCAT would like a future state where these pathways are available to all colleges and universities with specific programs to make that bridge province wide. So that's why this particular engineering pathways project has received quite a bit of funding from ONCAT, to facilitate that objective and open opportunities to more students.”
