Engineering and Commerce working together

Last year, Varun Bhatt was an exceptional first-year engineering student looking for a way to combine engineering with his passion for entrepreneurship.

Sustainability is important to him, so much so that in 2013 he started an LED lighting business with the goal of spreading green living practices throughout Calgary.

“Once I started this endeavour, I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” says Bhatt.

So when the University of Calgary began a new joint program between the Schulich School of Engineering and the Haskayne School of Business, Bhatt, along with eight other students, jumped at the opportunity to enroll in the first cohort. The program, the first of its kind in Western Canada, allows students to earn both a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Commerce undergraduate degrees in as few as five years.

“This degree program is a great way to create new leaders in this ever-changing global landscape.

We need leaders who can adapt quickly and answer to the current needs and demands. I believe this program puts University of Calgary students way ahead in the national and international job markets,” continues Bhatt. This program equips students with the tools to solve problems from both an engineering and business perspective.  “Calgary is the de facto engineering capital of Canada and is also home to many head offices of large national and multinational companies,” says Dean Olafson, BSc’86, MBA’93, vice-president, major projects, IPAC Services Corp. “As an engineer, when I went through the MBA program, it seemed the majority of my classmates were engineers. A joint-degree program is an efficient way to train and prepare engineers to assume the leadership and executive roles available in Calgary. “We can grow what we need at home and benefit from the mutually beneficial relationships that continue to develop between the University of Calgary and the local business community,” says Olafson.

The University of Calgary officially launched the program in the spring of 2017 with the support of a $5 million gift from Clayton and Linda Woitas and Family. Part of the university’s Energize: the Campaign for Eyes High, UCalgary’s $1.3 billion fundraising campaign, this gift will support delivery of the program in and out of the classroom, program marketing, student recruitment and scholarships.

“This city, province and country need exactly this kind of program and the graduates it will produce. We are thrilled our family can support this program and its students,” said the Woitas Family at the joint-degree program launch event.

In addition to the generous gift from the Woitas Family, the Jack and Louise Lee Family Energy Leaders Scholarships were also started to provide four prestigious $10,000 scholarships annually to students in the combined degree program.

The scholarships are funded by a $1 million endowment established by the Lee Family to recognize academic excellence and support the success of top students for years to come.

The program has also received $100,000 from the Currie Family to support extracurricular learning opportunities designed to further enrich the student experience by connecting classroom learning to real-world application.

Cyndora Chan, another student in the joint degree program, says, based on her experience so far, the program requires a lot of work. “It really enables you to develop good time management and work ethic,” says Chan. “A lot of people go to university because it is vital if you want to get a good job,” says Chan. “If you want to differentiate yourself from everyone else, this is a great opportunity.”