UBC Engineering’s world-class faculty and researchers are committed to an instructional approach that is varied, experiential and engaging. This multi-faceted approach makes UBC engineers stand apart, on a firm foundation from which to build an exciting and rewarding career.

What you might expect/course format

While each course varies based on the subject and instructor, our VSP Packages feature:

  • Interactive in person lectures
  • Hands-on labs, fun and practical demonstrations
  • Team-based assignments
  • Fun social activities
  • Tours of industrial facilities (some programs)
  • Experience with industry standard software 

July 2026 Course Packages

Introduction to Community-Engaged Research

In a rapidly changing world where engineering solutions must address complex social and environmental challenges, engineers who can work collaboratively with communities is becoming an essential professional skill. This course introduces students to the theory and practice of community-engaged engineering, with a focus on integrating principles of Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) into civil and environmental engineering contexts. Students will explore how to center equity, reciprocity, and community knowledge in engineering design and decision-making. The course emphasizes qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews, surveys, focus groups, participatory mapping, and the integration of community data into technical analyses. Innovative and participatory approaches will be practiced so that students gain advanced skills increasingly expected of engineers working on complex challenges in vulnerable and historically marginalized communities.

Developing a Community-Engaged Research Project

Through a hands-on project, students will develop a community-engaged research plan that demonstrates how engineering solutions can be co-designed with communities to address complex socio-environmental challenges. Students will apply justice-centered frameworks, systems thinking, and qualitative methods to shape an ethical, participatory approach to engineering practice. Guest lectures from Indigenous scholars, community organizations, and practicing engineers will deepen students’ understanding of structural inequities, procedural justice, and the responsibilities engineers hold in advancing social and environmental justice. The project empowers students to integrate technical analysis with community knowledge, histories, and priorities to envision more equitable engineering outcomes. The created research proposal will be directly useful for future projects or graduate school applications.

Prerequisites: Preferred background in engineering or a related discipline, but not required. The package is open to both undergraduate and graduate applicants. Basic high school math, science, and writing skills are needed. Research interest and background will be helpful but not mandatory.

For more information

For VSP Civil Engineering-specific questions, please email studentservices@civil.ubc.ca.

Student testimonials

“The instructors were really friendly and prepared abundant materials to engage students in class. We usually had one or two classes, and in the evenings there were all kinds of activities. Even though I didn’t knew anyone in class before, I never felt lonely and soon made some acquaintances whose friendship I still cherish now.”

– Ducheng Lu, VSP Applied Science Student

“During the program, half the lesson is about experiment which get me excited as I can learn with practical experience but not only in theory.”

– VSP Applied Science Student, 2019