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The first time Anirudh Kembre ever apprenticed, it was as the right-hand man to his father as a young boy. His love for the mechanics of breaking and building objects began when he was a mere toddler fiddling with his toy truck, which would later evolve into household items. He learnt how fun it could be, fixing various devices, computers, and car engines when working with his father — and it’s guided his trajectory in education ever since.
A passion for mechanics solidified in high school after he took an elective in geometrical and machine drawing. That flame guided him through a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at a college in Mumbai, India, where he’s from. After graduation, he started working as a junior mechanical engineer.
But despite the skills honed through hard work, Kembre felt his career was stunted. He believed he lacked exposure and practical training in refineries and factory sites.
With that determination, he joined the Masters of Mechanical Engineering (MEng) program at the University of Alberta. This top-ranked institution brings world-class research and hands-on learning to its students in the peaceful backdrop of Edmonton, Canada – all for an affordable price.
“I was particularly excited about the opportunity to work on projects that addressed real-world challenges,” Kembre says. “Students can work on real-world problems and gain valuable industry experience, which is crucial for their professional development.”
The city of Edmonton, Canada offers an affordable lifestyle for students at the University of Alberta. Source: University of Alberta
Affordable program and city
When Kembre moved from Mumbai to Edmonton, he shared a two-bedroom apartment with another student at the university. As it was only a 20-minute bus ride away, it made commuting easy for him even during winter. Factoring in food and other expenses, he spends around 750 Canadian dollars each month on living expenses – a stark comparison to his peers in bigger cities.
“I’ve heard about the challenging living conditions in busier cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where students often have to share rooms, endure long commutes, and work long hours to make ends meet,” he says.
There’s no compromise on quality of life either – making living in the city great value for money for Kembre. “Coming from Mumbai, I found the peaceful and welcoming atmosphere to be a refreshing change,” he says. “It provided a conducive environment for studying and personal growth.”
Tuition fees for the MEng are just as affordable. Kembre pays approximately CA$43,000, a rate significantly lower compared to other top Canadian universities. And as the program can be completed in 18 to 24 months, he need not spend more and can enter the workforce sooner.
Paired with Edmonton’s low living costs, his overall expenses, including housing, food, and transportation, were kept low. “Overall, the University of Alberta provides a cost-effective option for pursuing an MEng in Mechanical Engineering, especially when considering the quality of education, and the cost of living in Edmonton,” he says.
MSc Engineering Management graduate Marc Evans agrees. Not only did he benefit from his program’s affordable tuition fees and the city’s low living costs, he also earned a stipend from his thesis advisor and won several bursaries and scholarships.
“Funding from the province and university was relatively easy to come by for someone with high grades,” Evans says.
Great value for money
Not having to stress over day-to-day finances means you’ve got more energy to focus on your education.
The MEng program prepares students to succeed in a wide range of careers. Throughout two years, they complete a total of four core courses, four electives, and a capstone research project.
It’s hard for Kembre to name just one course as a favourite. He enjoyed Energy Auditing and Management, as well as Computational Fluid Dynamics, where he got to work with software tools. If he really had to pick an academic highlight though, it’d be his capstone research project. In collaboration with his supervisor, Kembre put the skills he’d culminated through the journey into a project designing a cardiovascular stent.
“Collaborating closely with my supervisor provided valuable mentorship and insights, enhancing my research capabilities,” Kembre says. “The project not only honed my technical skills but also improved my problem-solving, project management, and communication abilities.”
Today, Kembre is an Assistant Mechanical Engineer at Burns & McDonnell, one of the world’s biggest firms in construction, architecture, design, and engineering. It’s a testament to hard work and the impact of his MEng. Such success is common to the Faculty of Engineering, which has more than 30,000 alumni worldwide.
The alumni at the University of Alberta move on to global success. Graduate Marc Evans (centre) is one of them. Source: University of Alberta
For Evans, the program’s opportunities make it a good offer to those passionate about their field of research. “I had excellent class professors, plenty of funds for purchasing lab equipment, lots of help and hands-on time with the machine shop staff, and was able to interact semi-regularly with industry members,” he says. “I was also able to attend multiple conferences across the country, all of which contributed to a very high-quality education.”
Since graduating, Evans has leveraged his UAlberta degree at every step of his career. He started with the defense private sector, working on suits, robots, sensors, and other specialised tools used by bomb technicians. Whilst there, he participated in the Canadian Space Agency’s astronaut recruitment campaign, which was both physically and mentally taxing. Five years ago, he moved on from the private sector to work with the special forces.
Today, Evans is a project manager in the Department of National Defence in Canada. At every role, he is grateful for his time as a student at UAlberta for equipping him with the skills to progress forward — especially with the astronaut recruitment campaign.
“I credit UAlberta as an important contributor to my becoming a well-rounded person and ultimately advancing as far as I did,” Evans says.
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