Saint Mary's University is excited to announce a major expansion to its engineering facilities that will have an immediate positive impact on enrolment and allow the university to grow the engineering program from 240 to 320 students over the next two academic years.
President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray notes, "Saint Mary's University has seen an increased demand for our STEM programming in recent years, and particularly in our engineering diploma. Our excellent faculty, facilities and ability to provide focused, hands-on learning is very attractive to incoming students looking to build the foundation for their careers. We are delighted to be offering this experience to more students and researchers."
Following an extensive re-design over the spring and summer, SMU Engineering will move into its new home in the existing building on campus at 960 Tower Road. The new facilities will take up all three floors of the 28,000-square-foot building. This significant expansion of engineering space on the Halifax campus will enhance teaching and learning capacity by providing state-of-the-art labs, classrooms and project rooms and greater opportunities for hands-on learning.
The first floor will house workspaces where student teams design engineering projects. The second floor will include three large classrooms and the mechanics of materials lab, electric circuits lab and thermofluids lab. The third floor will be home to an engineering design classroom and faculty research labs. "This contemporary building will provide a dynamic environment for the training of future engineers," says Interim Dean of Science Sam Veres. "This will allow more students to experience the distinct advantages of SMU Engineering: small class sizes, access to state-of-the-art facilities and more hands-on learning."
Built to LEED Silver standards and opened in 2013, 960 Tower Road has housed various academic programs over the past decade. The university's administration decided to take an innovative approach and re-purpose an existing building for a popular program that is experiencing growing demand. The new home of SMU Engineering will be ready to welcome students in September 2024.
Saint Mary's Engineering offers a two-year Diploma of Engineering that provides students with an introduction to scientific principles and a strong foundation engineering mathematics, design, and technical communication before choosing an engineering path to complete their degree. Saint Mary's has offered engineering for more than 100 years, with classes located in the McNally building since 1951.
