thesis on applied science

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Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Students in the research-based Master of Applied Science program complete theses under the supervision of an MIE faculty member.

In this full-time, two-year program, Master of Applied Science (MASc) students complete a thesis supervised by an MIE professor. A stepping stone to a doctoral degree, the MASc is ideal for students who aspire to a rewarding career in research, whether in academia or industry. MASc students receive funding during the program and can apply for various scholarships.

MIE also offers the Master of Engineering (MEng) professional degree which provides students with the tools to succeed in industry.

Admission Requirements

Tuition fees, program requirements, thesis & oral examination, scholarships & funding, teaching assistantships, transferring to phd program, helpful links.

Please note that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission . The Graduate Office cannot provide assessments of credentials prior to application.

• A bachelor's degree with high academic standing from a recognized university
• Minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 (mid-B; 73-76%) in the final year of undergraduate study. View U of T's Grade Scale for reference. International students should use the International Degree Equivalencies Tool to see which international credentials are required
• Applicants are expected to demonstrate evidence of research ability
• To be considered for admission, all applicants that require proof of ELP must meet the minimum score requirement for every component of the English language proficiency exam including reading, writing, speaking and listening
• All test components must be completed and passed at the same time (applicants cannot combine scores from different exams)
• For more information, including approved test centres, visit the School of Graduate Studies website

The information below is for reference only and is subject to change annually. Registered students should check their fee balance on their ACORN account . View the U of T Student Accounts website for more information about fees.

Pay annually:

• Domestic students: $8,489.52/year
• International students: $24,853.52/year

Pay per session:

• Domestic students: $4,272.26/session
• International students: $12,766.26/session

Applicants to MIE's MASc program must complete the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Online Admissions Application  by the deadline indicated below.

• Application window:  October 1 - January 1 (application fee deadline)
• Document deadline  January 15
• Application window: June 1 - October 1 (application fee deadline)
• Document deadline October 15

Same application deadlines for Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents and International Students.

MASc Application Instructions

Students are not required to submit paper copies of their documents unless requested by the Graduate Office.

• Create an  SGS applicant profile and pay the application fee (non-refundable/transferable, regardless of the circumstance). See application deadlines above.

Once your profile has been created, the following is required:

• 2 references. Email addresses for referees must be institution-based (not GMail, Hotmail, etc.). Both referees must be academic such as previous thesis supervisors and/or professors.  It is advised that one of the referees should be a previous thesis supervisor. References from friends and family will not be accepted. Instructions will be sent to each referee by email via the SGS system on how to submit a reference letter.
• Complete (or most up-to-date) academic record / transcript(s). Upload post-secondary institutional transcripts as PDF files.  Every transcript must include its respective grading scale . You are not required to submit official paper transcripts unless requested by the Graduate Office.
• Resume/C.V.
• Letter of Intent: explain why you want to join our program. Describe your research interest, career goals, the courses you intend to take, etc. The letter should be 650 – 1000 words.
• Field of Study: Students must indicate up to three fields of study.
• If the student’s admitting degree was issued by a country  not listed under Exemptions on the  School of Graduate Studies  website, the student is required to provide English Language Proficiency (ELP) exam results electronically. MIE requires proof of ELP even if their language of instruction and examination was English. Please note that all test components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) must be completed and passed at the same time (applicants cannot combine scores from different exams). For minimum requirements and approved test centres visit the School of Graduate Studies website. Important : If ELP exam results are required, an application is not considered complete until the results are submitted electronically from the testing institution.

Students are not required to submit official paper transcripts unless it is requested by the Graduate Office. The review process will take place using your electronic transcripts.  Please note that a request for an official transcript is for verification purposes and does not mean acceptance into the program.

If you are receive an email request for paper documents, mail to:

Master of Applied Science Program Graduate Studies Office, MC108 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering 5 King’s College Road Toronto, ON M5S 3G8 Canada

After application submission

Admission into the MASc program is extremely competitive: we only offer admission to a small fraction of applicants, because these students must be funded, either by external scholarships or by a professor's research funds. As a result, MASc applicants are strongly encouraged to contact professors with whom they would like to work, either before or after submitting an application. Without funding, we cannot offer admission.

Students can review the status of their application on the SGS Online Admissions Application website .

Documents Pending

Additional documents required. A student's application is not considered complete until all of the required documents have been submitted. Once all documents have been submitted, status will not automatically update to Under Review. Statuses are updated manually on an ongoing basis.

Under Review

Application complete. Faculty members will review applications and may contact students about offering supervision. Students should actively pursue confirming a supervisor as admission can only be granted to students who have secured a supervisor. Students can contact MIE Faculty members directly to inquire about potential supervision.

If the faculty member has confirmed a student's supervision, the student will be notified of next steps including submission of official final transcripts. Confirmation from the supervisor to the Graduate Office is required to proceed in the MASc program.

Students will then be notified of the results of their application and their status will update to Decision Made.

Graduate Research Days

Select applicants will be invited to learn more about research at MIE at Graduate Research Days .  Applicants will be notified if they have been selected to attend.

Winter Orientation was held on December 10, 2024. The presentation is available here .

• a minimum of four graduate (500 and 1000 level) Half Credit Equivalent (HCE) courses (at least two MIE HCE courses, at most 1 APS HCE course and at most 1 Reading HCE course, assigned by supervisor)
• All courses added or dropped must be approved by supervisor
• Successful completion of JDE1000H Ethics in Graduate Research seminar
• Attend 70% of MIE's Distinguished Seminar Series (SRM3333Y). At tendance recorded with student's T-card
• Student can begin to work on thesis under supervision of faculty member
• Continue to work on thesis under supervision of faculty member
• Hold MASc oral exam by end of 2nd year of program

Two course failures (below 70% or B-) will result in an automatic recommendation to SGS to terminate a student's program.

View the Program Requirements section above for required MASc courses.

View the  Courses  page to view all offered MIE courses.

The MASc program culminates in the presentation of an oral and written thesis. Once a student's course requirements have been met and the written thesis has been submitted to their supervisor(s), the oral examination can be scheduled.

Committee Composition - as of November 2019

• The exam committee must consist of at least 2 SGS-appointed faculty members, at least one of which must have full-budgetary appointment with MIE.
• The student's supervisor will serve as Chair of the exam.
• If a candidate has more than one supervisor, only one supervisor may vote.
• In the event of a reconvened exam, the committee of a reconvened exam must have 3 voting members and the exam must be chaired by the MIE Associate Chair of Graduate Studies who is a non-voting member.

Scheduling the exam

• The date and time of the oral exam is coordinated between the student and the exam committee.
• Students notify the Grad Office via GMS and upload a copy of the Abstract under "Proposal" on GMS.
• Due to Covid-19 restriction, until further notice, all exams are to be held Remotely .

At least ten business days before the scheduled oral exam, the student must:

• Contact Sandra Borges in the MIE Grad Office at sandra.borges@utoronto.ca
• Submit an MASc Exam/Meeting Request through the MIE Graduate Student Management System (GMS)
• Distribute digital or printed copies of written thesis to committee members

Thesis Format

In addition to the standard thesis format, the thesis can be in the format of a journal/conference paper with additional sections and appendices as requested by the supervisor(s). If so, the value of the content should be judged by the committee independent of whether the paper has been accepted. NOTE: SGS will not accept a simple copy of the journal article.  Please refer to the Electronic Thesis Submission guidelines found on the SGS website on how to incorporate the journal article into the SGS template for formatting and how to submit a PDF file to ProQuest.

The public release date of the thesis can be delayed with a request to SGS.

All M.A.Sc. exams are open to the public, unless otherwise requested by the student.

At the beginning of the exam, the committee briefly reviews the student’s file in a closed-door session. The student is then asked to summarize the thesis in a presentation of no more than 20 minutes. This is followed by questions from the committee members. The supervisor(s) may not respond or comment on behalf of the student during the presentation and questions.

Closed-door voting is by signed ballot, on the acceptability or not of the thesis and the oral defence. If a candidate has more than one supervisor, only one supervisor may vote. After the exam, the votes are recorded by the exam Chair and the results are returned immediately to the MIE Graduate Studies Office.

The members of the committee vote on whether to pass or fail a student; the decision requires a simple majority. If the vote is to pass the student, then the committee also votes on the following:

• thesis accepted as is;
• thesis requires minor corrections, that can be completed in one week or less, that the supervisor will oversee;
• thesis requires major corrections, that must be completed within three months; a sub-committee (two members of the exam committee) will confirm completion of the corrections.

If the committee votes unanimously to fail the student on a first exam, then the supervisor will write the student a letter explaining the vote, submit a copy of the letter to the Graduate Studies Office, and the Graduate Coordinator will immediately submit a recommendation to SGS to terminate the student’s program.

If the committee votes 1 to 1 (or 2 to 1) in favour of failing the student on a first exam, then the exam is adjourned and a second exam is scheduled for within 12 weeks. The supervisor will write the student a letter explaining the reasons for adjournment, and submit a copy of the letter to the Graduate Studies Office. The format of the second (reconvened) exam is the same as the first, except that the committee must have 3 voting members and can only vote to pass or fail, as determined by a simple majority of the votes. The second exam will be chaired by the MIE Associate Chair of Graduate Studies who is a non-voting member.

Following a successful oral examination, the student must submit their corrected, final thesis to their supervisor for approval. If the student's supervisor requests a printed copy, visit the SGS website for standard formatting requirements. Note additional MIE formatting requirements if a printed report is requested by the supervisor:

• the binding of theses should be good quality buckram hard-cover, with gold lettering. Colour of MASc thesis cover must be red.

Once the thesis has been approved by their supervisor, the student must upload the document to ProQuest following the SGS thesis submission guidelines.

After submitting their thesis  to ProQuest, the student must:

• Complete Clearance Form online
• Review the GRADUATION CHECKLIST and Confirm convocation date with Office of Convocation website:   https://governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/convocation
• Notify the MIE Grad Office if you require a Degree Completion letter for proof of program completion prior to the convocation date .  The Grad Office will confirm your graduation eligibility and send confirmation to the School of Graduate studies. Students will then be able to request the  Degree Completion letter from SGS  by completing their request form and submitting it to SGS.  

Fall 2023 MASc Final Oral Exam scheduling considerations

Registered MASc candidates receive enough funding to cover tuition and incidental fees. In addition, MASc candidates receive a minimum of $20,000 per year for up to two years.

Most students earn more than the minimum as a result of teaching assistantships and scholarships, such as from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), and the Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) program. MASc students within the funded cohort are expected to apply for all awards for which they are eligible.

View the Scholarships & Funding page for more information.

For funding letters, please visit Graduate Management System (GMS)

All full-time graduate students are eligible to apply for Teaching Assistant (TA) paid positions at MIE. TAs assist undergraduate and graduate course instructors with supervision of labs, leading tutorials and marking assignments and tests.

Apply for TA positions and view more opportunities on the Professional Development  page.

There are two ways by which an MASc student may apply for a transfer to the PhD program before completing the MASc program requirements: the Fast-Track Transfer and the Retroactive Transfer.

Both transfers are one-way, meaning students cannot re-enter the MASc program if their application is successful. If the student fails the PhD qualifying exam, or is deemed no longer in good academic standing, the student must withdraw from the PhD program and will not receive an MASc or PhD degree.

The MIE Graduate Studies Committee decides on the application to transfer to the PhD program. The Committee has the right to solicit additional information from any source and has the right to deny an application even if the student meets the minimum academic standard. The Committee will only grant a transfer if it is convinced that the student will excel in the PhD program.

Eligibility requirements:

• Applicant must have completed at least two sessions of the MASc program, but no more than three sessions
• Applicant must have completed at least three graduate HCE courses with a minimum average of A- and no grade lower than B+
• Summary of evidence of research ability
• Summary of progress in MASc program
• Research plan for PhD program
• Clear statement that the student understands the transfer is one-way
• Two letters of recommendation:  One from the student's supervisor and one from another faculty member

Please note that Fast-track PhD students are funded for five years from initial MASc registration.

• Applicant must have been admitted to the MASc program "with a possible upgrade to PhD," meaning they have already completed another Master's degree, but the student's research ability could not be evaluated prior to admission to MIE.
• Applicant must have completed one session of study, but no more than three
• Applicant must have completed at least two 1000-level graduate HCE courses with a minimum average of A- and no grade lower than a B+
• Two letters of recommendation from the student's supervisor and at least one other faculty member

Please note that Retroactive PhD students are funded for four years from initial MASc registration.

AMIGAS is the graduate student association at MIE. They host social, athletic, academic, and professional development events for all MIE graduate students, aiming to enrich their professional and personal leadership experiences.

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Email:  gradoffice@mie.utoronto.ca

MASc & PhD applicants: Email:  grad.admission@mie.utoronto.ca

Office: MC108, 5 King's College Road

Hours: Monday to Friday, 10 am - 4 pm

Mailing address: Graduate Studies Office, MC108 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering University of Toronto 5 King’s College Road Toronto, ON M5S 3G8 Canada

Professor Tobin Filleter

Associate Chair of Graduate Studies

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering University of Toronto 5 King’s College Road Toronto, Ontario • M5S 3G8 • Canada Phone: +1-416-978-3040

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The value of applied science

Every area of science can contribute to the changes that are required for a sustainable future through the application of its fundamental discoveries. While some fields have clear paths to application, Nature Communications believes that there is great potential for utility and application to be found in, and across, all of  the different disciplines that we publish.

In 1932, Nature published an article entitled Relations between Pure and Applied Science that argued strongly for the application of scientific ideas to get the recognition it deserved. In the intervening 90 years, the central thesis of the article still rings true: the importance of applied science should not be overlooked.

In medicine, there’s the often used term ‘bench to bedside’ to describe how fundamental discoveries of important biological insight become the techniques and medicines that save or improve lives. Similarly, for the development of new and improved materials, energy systems, and electronics, to name but a few, we need applied science to develop our initial discoveries into usable technologies. It is this application of insight into a system that brings discoveries out of the laboratory and into the everyday world. The line between the pure and the applied sciences is not a hard border, but a bridge linking the two.

Today’s world faces problems with complex and multifaceted causes. From the continuing impact of SARS-CoV-2 to the crisis of climate change and the work necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, science and technology will play an important role in addressing the problems we collectively face. If the world is to build a sustainable and equitable future, with rising standards of living for all, advances in our scientific understanding need to go from the bench to not just the bedside but into every aspect of life.

To provide a home for these studies, we recognise that manuscripts presenting applications should be assessed on different criteria from those reporting a novel discovery. It is important to sometimes put aside the requirement for novel insight and rather consider potential uses and current challenges faceing effective application. When reaching a decision on the suitability of such manuscripts for publication, we will use as guidance parameters such as the Technology Readiness Level [Box 1]—an estimation of the maturity of a technology originally developed by NASA and now widely adopted—of an application, as well as an assessment of how market ready a technology or application is.

“It is important to sometimes put aside the requirement for novel insight and rather consider potential uses and current challenges facing effective application.”

Technology readiness levels (TRL).

• TRL 1: Basic principles are observed and reported
• TRL 2: Concept or application is formulated
• TRL 3: Demonstration of analytical and experimental critical function or characteristic proof-of-concept
• TRL 4: Demonstration of basic validation of the technology in a laboratory environment
• TRL 5: Demonstration of basic validation of the technology in a relevant environment
• TRL 6: Model or prototype demonstration of the technology in a relevant environment
• TRL 7: Prototype demonstration of the technology in an operational environment
• TRL 8: Actual technology completed and qualified through testing and demonstration
• TRL 9: Actual technology qualified through successful operational use.

Just as editors and reviewers should think in terms of utility over discovery for those applied studies, we also encourage authors to consider the potential applications of their work and plan ahead for commercialisation and patentability when applicable. While as a journal we neither encourage nor discourage this—as only the authors of a work can make these decisions—the potential commercialisation of research should not be seen as a barrier to publication.

Our Perspectives and Comments have always provided a way for authors to give their views on where the research community should be heading. We recognise that the deployment of the applied sciences requires more than retrospective commissioned content reviewing a field’s development, and needs to include forward-facing papers that help to guide a field.

To help bridge the academic-commercial divide, we have reached out to authors that move in both worlds for insight and guidance on how to transition research from academia to industry. We have a Comment from William Hait and Paulus Stoffels at Johnson & Johnson, giving guidance on academic–industrial partnerships , and a discussion about commercialisation of research from an academic standpoint by Professor Kylie Vincent. Also, in the Q&A with Dr. Andrea Crottini we look at research commercialisation from the point of view of a technology transfer officer. To highlight some of the great content we receive in this area, our editors have also curated a Collection of research articles on applied science across the chemical, physical, materials, and biological sciences. We will continue to update this collection as new work is published, so be sure to check back regularly for the latest additions. We encourage you to submit your applied work to Nature Communications for consideration in the collection.

Whether your work involves fundamental basic science discoveries or the development of new technologies and methods, whether you wish to patent or not, whether the work is from an academic laboratory, an established company or a young start-up just spun out from a university, the editors at Nature Communications want to ensure we can support all of our authors in finding a home for their work.

Recent Master's Theses - Applied Mathematics

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