What is the IEEQB Program?

The Internationally-Educated Engineers Qualification Bridging (IEEQB) Program is offered by Ryerson University’s Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science, in collaboration with Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO). The program is funded by the Ontario Government and the Government of Canada. 

To be granted a licence to practice professional engineering in Ontario, applicants must meet all the requirements as outlined in the Licensing Guide and Application for Licence. The academic requirement is the core requirement towards licensure that applicants must demonstrate they have met.

The Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science at Ryerson University has developed this program specifically for internationally-educated engineers to provide them with an opportunity to meet the academic requirements for professional engineering licensure in Ontario.

This program is intended specifically for licensure applicants who have been offered a Confirmatory Examination Program by Professional Engineers Ontario. Enrolling in the IEEQB Program allows you an opportunity to register at Ryerson University as a Special Student in the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science. As part of the program, you will be expected to:

1. Complete successfully an individually-tailored undergraduate academic bridging program that covers the confirmatory examination requirements as determined by Professional Engineers Ontario;
2. Complete successfully three to four complementary courses, which include Principles of Engineering Economics, Law and Ethics in Engineering Practice (please note that completing this course does not replace the requirement to write the PEO’s Professional Practice Examination), Communication in the Engineering Professions, and possibly one or more English as a Second/Additional Language (ESL/EAL) course(s); and
3. Enroll in a four-month paid co-op work term in an industrial corporation, or in a public organization which employs engineers.

The passing grade in each of the required courses is C.  If a participant does not achieve a minimum passing grade of C in the Principles of Engineering Economics course or in any of the required engineering courses, the participant will be given the opportunity to write a supplemental exam in the particular course. Failure to achieve a C grade in the supplemental exam will result in the participant’s confirmatory status reassessed by the PEO.

If the participant fails a subsequent course, no supplemental exam opportunity will be provided. In this case the participant’s confirmatory status will be further reassessed by the PEO and could lapse.

If reassessment by the PEO results in having confirmatory status reinstated, students will be eligible to apply for re-admission to the IEEQB Program.

If you successfully complete the IEEQB Program, you will receive a letter from the Dean of Engineering, Architecture and Science verifying your successful completion of the IEEQB Program at Ryerson. You may also request that the university forward a copy of the letter together with transcripts of the courses completed directly to PEO. Upon receipt of these documents, you will be deemed to have met the PEO’s academic requirement, thus fulfilling this important stage of the progress towards licensure. 

Participants will also be registered concurrently in Ryerson’s G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, and shall receive a certificate upon successfully completing the academic (i.e., course) requirements of the IEEQB program.

Advantages of the IEEQB Program

The IEEQB Program offers many advantages to the internationally-educated engineer seeking licensure from PEO and having to write several examinations largely through self-study. 

Participants in this program will:

• Receive an academic bridging education, and career and social counselling support from Ryerson,
• Interact socially and professionally with other engineering student peers while taking courses from accredited undergraduate engineering programs,
• Review and update their technical knowledge in their engineering discipline,

(d)   Learn the technical English terminology required for their engineering discipline along with Canadian economic principles, and engineering law and ethics,

(e)   Receive engineer-in-training (EIT) experience and initiate corporate networking through a paid co-op placement.  Please note that the quality of the experience gained through the co-op program may be assessed by PEO and if it meets the licensure experience criterion, it may be credited towards the 48 months of engineering experience required for licensure.  Additional information is available by downloading the Guide to the Required Experience for Licensing as a Professional Engineer in Ontario, and

(f)    be eligible to apply for financial assistance from the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

IEEQB Program Admissions Process

Before applying to the IEEQB Program at Ryerson University, applicants must first apply to PEO for a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) Licence in accordance with PEO’s Licensing Guide and Application for Licence.  The Registrar of PEO will refer the application to the Academic Requirements Committee for a determination as to whether the applicant has met the academic requirements prescribed by the regulations for the issuance of the licence.  If you do not meet the academic requirement, PEO will provide you with an option to write examinations to demonstrate that you have the equivalent knowledge.  You may then present PEO’s confirmatory examination program letter to Ryerson University for consideration and enrolment in the IEEQB Program.

Applicants must also demonstrate English language proficiency if it was not the language of instruction in their engineering undergraduate studies.  Participants may be required to take one or more ESL/EAL course(s) as part of their personalized plan of study if they are found not to be proficient in the English language.  ESL/EAL courses are available through Ryerson University’s Chang School of Continuing Education to help applicants achieve the required language proficiency.

The applicable tuition fees are the same as those fees charged to the domestic undergraduate engineering students at Ryerson University.  For more information on the tuition fees, please review the student fees website.

If you are interested in joining the IEEQB program, please submit the following documents to the IEEQB Program Office at Ryerson University no later than the deadline mentioned below:

• the IEEQB Program Application Form,
• the PEO’s Academic Requirements Committee Review letter, and Confirmatory Exam Program Requirements (or copies) ,
• original transcript, and degree certificate (official copies are acceptable) of the earned Bachelor of Engineering degree, and
• updated CV or resume.

The application form for the IEEQB Program can be downloaded from the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science website (IEEQB Program Application Form).

Participants may choose to start their personalized plan of study in the Fall, Winter or Spring/Summer semester.  The deadline to submit the application package (i.e., application form and supporting documents) is March 15 for the Spring/Summer semester, July 15 for the Fall semester, and November 15 for the Winter semester.

Applications are accepted and reviewed on an on-going basis. Applicants are normally informed about their admissions status to the IEEQB Program within three weeks of receiving a complete application package.

If you have not yet applied to PEO for licensure, you may want to download the Licensing Guide and Application for Licence.

Contact Information
Internationally-Educated Engineers Qualification Bridging (IEEQB) Program
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science
Ryerson University
350 Victoria Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5B 2K3

Program Inquires
Contact: Shelby Gaudrault or Mariana Obid
Office: 245 Church Street, room ENG 346 or ENG 360
Tel: (416) 979-5000 ext. 4263 or ext. 4902
Fax: (416) 979-5308
Email: ieeqb@ryerson.ca

IEEQB Program Office Directory