The biggest reason was that my research interests matched my supervisors. Canada is a great country for research and innovation. System Design Engineering gives me the freedom to collaborate with other departments like the Knowledge Integration Department, The Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation, etc.
Course Curriculum
In PhD coursework is not that extensive. You have to complete 3 to 5 courses within a year of your program along with working on your research proposal. The courses are suggested by the supervisors who know that you will require certain tools if you want to complete your research. There are research groups and other activities available to support you.
Exams
For my program, you only need an IELTS Score of 7 overall. Everything else is based on your CV and the interview with the supervisor.
Placement
For an Engineer graduating from the University of Waterloo, the Average Salary is $70,000 per annum. A lot of major companies visit the University for recruitment. The University has an extensive alumni network which makes job search a little easier.
Internship
There is no co-op or internship in the PhD program. But I know for a fact that the recruitment for co-ops and internships is taken very seriously by the University. The stipends are usually comparable to a full-time job.
Fees
For International Students, PhD/ Masters(Course Work and Research) - $8000 per term (a term is 4 months) MEng / MMSc - $14500 per term (a term is 4 months)
Scholarship
As an international PhD student you receive a Graduate Research Scholarship ($25000 per year) and International Student Award ($14000 per year). There is no application process for the scholarships. For the major scholarships, like NSERC and SCHERC, you have to be a Canadian Citizen.
Faculty
For graduate programs, the class ratio varies from 20:1 to 45:1. You do have Teaching Assistants in class to help you out. The faculty at this university and especially in Engineering is the best in the world. The number of research projects that have gone on to become Startups is staggering. Both my supervisors are world-renowned researchers. Prof. Keith W. Hipel has won every medal and every award from the University as well as from the countries of Canada and China. Prof. Vanessa Schweiser is the head of the Knowledge Integration department and much more. They both are extremely approachable. They both receive over 1000 emails a day and they still have time for the students.
Campus Life
The University of Waterloo has the best engineering research facilities in Canada. The Robotics and the Mechatronics Labs are world-class. My favorite part of the University of Waterloo is the Library. You can access any library in the region for books and research papers. The sports facilities are great as well. I have consistently played Cricket and Badminton during all my time here. All the campuses are Wifi enabled.
Hostel
The rent in Waterloo is reasonably high. A Room in a shared apartment or a house could cost anything between $450-700 per month. The University provides housing as well but most of the students live in off-campus housing. There are agencies like Accomod8u, WOCH, Sage Living, etc. who provide good housing options. Look for student housing groups on Facebook as well. Most of the students post their sublets on those groups. However, beware of phishing and scams. Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji.com are other resources you can find.
