Faculty of Engineering

The professional engineer requires in addition to technical knowledge and skill, an understanding of society, its needs, and the engineer's role in society. An ability to make intelligent judgments that encompass human and social values, as well as technical values, is inherent in that role. Such areas form an essential complement to technical studies in the education of an engineer. The Complementary Studies component of the curricula in the Engineering programs (Bachelor of Applied Science or Bachelor of Software Engineering) requires that all students in Engineering receive instruction in the humanities and social sciences, engineering economics, communication, and the impact of technology on society.

The aim of complementary studies is to provide an understanding of our heritage and social environment, and of the way in which science and engineering interact with them. These studies should develop sufficient interest to encourage further individual study.

Further objectives are that the engineering student develop a broader intellectual outlook, a broader understanding of moral, ethical and social values, and an improved ability to communicate.

Requirements

The Complementary Studies component of the student's program must satisfy the following:

1. At least one course must be taken that deals with the Impact of Technology on Society. Courses which satisfy this requirement appear in List A – Impact Courses.
2. At least one course must be taken in Engineering Economics. Courses which satisfy this requirement appear in List B – Engineering Economics Courses. (Note that core components of the program, e.g., Systems Design Engineering, contain a course from this list.)
3. At least two courses must be taken that deal with the central issues, methodologies, and thought processes of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Courses that satisfy this requirement appear in List C – Humanities and Social Sciences Courses.
4. A minimum number of courses must be taken as required by a program, e.g., Geological Engineering. The exact requirements vary according to program; for details, see individual program regulations. Courses which appear in Lists A, B, C, and D may be used to meet these requirements.
5. Provision must be made to develop the student's ability to communicate adequately both orally and in writing. The exact manner in which this requirement is satisfied varies according to program, e.g., Computer Engineering; for details, see individual program regulations later in this section.

   Complementary Studies Course Lists

   There are a number of other constraints that limit a student's selection from the lists below. These constraints are listed as notes at the end of this section.

   Some courses may not be offered in the current academic year. Please refer to the course offerings list or verify with the department offering the course.

   List A – Impact Courses

   Course	Title
   ECE 390	Engineering Design, Economics, and Impact on Society
   ENVS 105	Environmental Stewardship and Ethics
   ERS 215	Environmental and Sustainability Assessment I
   ERS 315	Environmental and Sustainability Assessment II
   GENE 22A	Topics for List A Complementary Studies Courses Taken on Exchange by Engineering Students
   GEOG 203	Environment and Development in a Global Perspective
   GEOG 368	Conservation/Resource Management of the Built Environment
   MSCI 422	Economic Impact of Technological Change and Entrepreneurship
   MSCI 442	Impact of Information Systems on Organizations and Society
   PHIL 226	Biomedical Ethics
   SOC 232	Technology and Social Change
   STV 100	Society, Technology and Values: Introduction
   STV 202	Design and Society
   STV 203	Biotechnology and Society
   STV 205	Cybernetics and Society
   STV 210	The Computing Society
   STV 302	Information Technology and Society
   STV 404	Technology in Canadian Society
   SYDE 261	Design, Systems, and Society
   WS 205	Gender, Culture and Technology

   Other courses may be acceptable for this requirement. Prior approval is required from your department Associate Chair.

   List B – Engineering Economics

   Course	Title
   CIVE 392	Economics and Life Cycle Analysis
   ECE 390	Engineering Design, Economics, and Impact on Society
   GENE 22B	Topics for List B Complementary Studies Courses Taken on Exchange by Engineering Students
   MSCI 261	Engineering Economics: Financial Management for Engineers
   SYDE 262	Engineering Economics of Design

   List C – Humanities and Social Sciences Courses

   1. Pre-scheduled Humanities and Social Sciences Courses

   Attempts have been made to schedule the following Humanities and Social Sciences courses in order to minimize conflicts. They will normally be given at 11:30 MWF, 7-10 M, or 7-10 T and are therefore conflict-free for most Engineering students. (Note: M=Monday, T=Tuesday, W=Wednesday, F=Friday; 11:30=a.m. and 7-10=p.m.)

   Social Sciences-based Courses
   Economics: ECON 102, ECON 202 
   Management Sciences: MSCI 211, MSCI 311 
   Political Science: PSCI 260
   Psychology: PSYCH 101; plus one term course to be announced
   Sociology: SOC 101

   Humanities-based Courses
   History: HIST 253, HIST 254, HIST 275
   Philosophy: PHIL 250A, PHIL 250B, PHIL 315 (GENE 412)

   2. Non Pre-scheduled Humanities and Social Sciences Courses

   The following Humanities and Social Sciences courses are permissible but will not be pre-scheduled. In general, all literature and civilization courses in language departments are approved as Humanities and Social Sciences courses.
   Anthropology (ANTH): All
   Classical Studies (CLAS): All
   Drama: DRAMA 101A, DRAMA 101B
   East Asian Studies: EASIA 201R
   Economics: All except ECON 211, ECON 221, ECON 311, ECON 321, ECON 371, ECON 404, ECON 405, ECON 411, ECON 412, ECON 421, ECON 422, ECON 471
   English: All except ENGL 109, ENGL 129R, ENGL 140R, ENGL 141R, ENGL 210E, ENGL 210F
   Environmental Studies: ENVS 195
   Fine Arts (FINE): * see home dept. Assoc. Chair
   French Studies: FR 197, FR 297
   General Engineering (Topics): GENE 22C (Taken on exchange by Engineering students)
   General Engineering: GENE 412
   Geography: GEOG 101, GEOG 202, GEOG 203, GEOG 368
   Gerontology: GERON 201
   Health Studies: HLTH 220
   History: All except HIST 400-level courses
   Human Resources Management (HRM): All 
   Human Sciences: HUMSC 101, HUMSC 102
   International Studies: INTST 101
   Kinesiology: KIN 352, KIN 354
   Legal Studies: LS 101, LS 102
   Management Sciences: MSCI 211, MSCI 263, MSCI 311, MSCI 411 
   Music: MUSIC 140, MUSIC 245, MUSIC 253, MUSIC 256, MUSIC 334, MUSIC 355, MUSIC 363
   Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS): All
   Philosophy: All except PHIL 145, PHIL 200J, PHIL 216, PHIL 240, PHIL 256, PHIL 359, PHIL 441
   Planning: PLAN 100
   Political Science: All except PSCI 314, PSCI 315
   Psychology: All except PSYCH 256, PSYCH 261, PSYCH 291, PSYCH 292, PSYCH 307, PSYCH 312, PSYCH 317, PSYCH 391, PSYCH 400-level courses need approval of Psych. Dept.
   Recreation: REC 205, REC 230, REC 304, REC 425
   Religious Studies: All except RS 131, RS 132, RS 133, RS 134, RS 233, RS 234, RS 331, RS 332
   Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies (SMF): All
   Social Development Studies: All except SDS 150R, SDS 250R, SDS 251R, SDS 350R, SDS 398R, SDS 399R
   Social Work: All except SOCWK 390A, SOCWK 390B, SOCWK 398R, SOCWK 399R
   Society, Technology and Values (STV): All
   Sociology: All except SOC 280, SOC 321, SOC 322, SOC 382, SOC 410, SOC 421, SOC 498, SOC 499A, SOC 499B
   Women's Studies: All except WS 365, WS 475 (may be acceptable at the discretion of the Associate Chair when a course outline is shown)

   List D – Other Permissible Complementary Studies Courses

   While the following courses may not be used to satisfy Requirements 1, 2, or 3, they may be used to satisfy Requirement 4. For details, see your Departmental regulations.
   Accounting and Financial Management: AFM 131
   Applied Language Studies: APPLS 205R, APPLS 301, APPLS 304R, APPLS 306R 
   Business Entrepreneurship and Technology: BET 100, BET 300, BET 320, BET 400
   Civil Engineering: CIVE 491
   Electrical and Computer Engineering: ECE 290
   English: ENGL 109, ENGL 129R, ENGL 210E, ENGL 210F
   English for Multilingual Speakers: EMLS 102R,  EMLS 110R, EMLS 129R
   Environmental Engineering: ENVE 391
   Environmental Studies: ENVS 201, ENVS 401
   Fine Arts (FINE): * see home department Associate Chair
   General Engineering (Topics): GENE 22D (Taken on exchange by Engineering students)
   General Engineering: GENE 315, GENE 411, GENE 415
   Kinesiology: KIN 155
   Management Sciences: MSCI 262, MSCI 421, MSCI 454
   Mechanical Engineering: ME 401
   Music: MUSIC 100, MUSIC 231, MUSIC 240, MUSIC 246, MUSIC 254, MUSIC 255, MUSIC 260, MUSIC 361
   Philosophy: PHIL 145, PHIL 200J, PHIL 216, PHIL 256, PHIL 359
   Psychology: PSYCH 256, PSYCH 307, PSYCH 312, PSYCH 317
   Recreation: REC 100
   Religious Studies: RS 131, RS 132, RS 133, RS 134, RS 233, RS 234, RS 331, RS 332
   Speech Communication: SPCOM 223

   Notes

   1. Some courses are available at the University of Waterloo online and may be taken during a student's work terms. Also, courses taken at another university during a work term may be eligible for a "transfer of credit" if approved by the student's Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies.
   2. Students who enrol early are most likely to get their choice. Attempts to enrol later may be prevented if the class is already at capacity.
   3. For descriptions of the content of courses, see the Course Description section of the University of Waterloo Undergraduate Calendar. These courses are usually listed under the prefix of the department, board or faculty responsible for offering the course, e.g., CIVE – Civil Engineering, PHIL – Philosophy, etc.
   4. Students who wish to take linguistic and grammar courses must have their choices approved by their home department Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies and, if approved, students must also be assessed by the language department to determine their facility with the language. Such courses may only be used to satisfy requirement 4 above.  
   5. Students are responsible for ensuring they have the necessary prerequisites.
   6. Departments and Boards may impose additional constraints with respect to the C and D lists of the Complementary Studies Requirements. Please review the various program (e.g., Environmental Engineering) descriptions later in this section for further information.
   7. In exceptional circumstances Associate Chairs for Undergraduate Studies may accept other courses as satisfying a specific Complementary Studies Elective (CSE) requirement. Normally such consideration will be given only in situations such as students returning from exchange or being offered advanced admission.
   8. Access to some courses is not controlled by Engineering and students may not qualify for some courses on these lists.