Faculty of Engineering

The Management Engineering program provides undergraduate students with an engineering education needed to understand, design, implement and manage complex management systems upon which organizations depend. Management Engineering undergraduates obtain a degree which combines, as an integrated whole, technical and managerial knowledge along with opportunities to develop their problem-solving abilities, communication and interpersonal skills, project management experience, and teamwork and leadership skills.

The Management Engineering program is administered by the Department of Management Sciences, in the Faculty of Engineering. The Department of Management Sciences also offers the Option in Management Sciences to students in other Engineering programs, as described elsewhere in this section of the calendar.

The Management Engineering program at Waterloo provides a solid foundation in management, engineering, science, and mathematics. On this foundation, the program also has a number of courses focused on one of the three theme areas:

• Operations Research and Supply Chain Management: Operations Research deals with quantitative models of complex operations and uses these models to support decision-making in any sector of industry or public services. Supply chain management is the process of planning, implementing and managing the flow of goods, services and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption.
• Information Technologies: The Information Technologies theme focuses on how technology is designed and managed to support effective decision-making. Topics deal with technical applications in software design and development, data mining and telecommunication as well as the organizational and social issues associated with the use of information technologies.
• Management of Technology: The Management of Technology theme builds on the foundation of management topics in accounting, finance, economics, organizational behaviour and organizational design. Courses in this theme deal with operational and organizational issues related to managing innovation and technological change.

The capstone design project is intended to provide students with the opportunity to engage in a significant design experience based on the engineering and management knowledge and skills gained in previous courses and on co-operative work terms. The project will reinforce the concepts of team work and project management.

This broad training allows our students to successfully manage a wide variety of processes and systems within an organization. Graduates are equipped to work on projects ranging from the design of efficient operations, to devising smooth information flows and the management of technological change. As well as gaining an engineering education, students in this program build an understanding of how organizations produce and distribute products and how they can be managed in an efficient or optimal way.

Employment Opportunities

Employment opportunities for Management Engineers exist in business, industry, non-profit organizations, government, universities, and wherever institutions wish to improve their effectiveness and efficiency based on engineering analysis and principles of scientific management. Graduates of this program are uniquely qualified to work on interdisciplinary teams that require both engineering and management expertise, to manage technical functions in almost any enterprise, or to undertake the management of broader functions in a high-technology enterprise. Management Engineers work and consult in every industry, including manufacturing, communications, transportation, energy, retail and distribution, banks and insurance companies, hospitals and healthcare organizations, entertainment and travel firms.

Management Engineering at the University of Waterloo is a co-operative education program that provides opportunities for students to gain job-related experience to complement their academic studies. Employers value the practical training received by graduates of the co-operative program and work-term salaries contribute to paying for university fees. For more details of the co-operative system of study, see Co-operative Education.

Management Engineering Program

The Management Engineering program consists of 33 core and nine elective courses for a total of 42 courses. The term by term academic component of the program is as follows:

Key:

Cls=number of class hours per week, Tut=number of tutorial hours per week, Lab=number of lab hours per week

Elective Courses

List I: Technical Elective Courses with large Engineering Science or Design Content

List II: Other Elective Courses 

Note:

1. Some of the List I courses have prerequisites that are not met by core courses in Management Engineering; see their course descriptions in this calendar before planning elective choices. 
2. Course schedules may vary from term to term; check course schedules before planning elective choices.
3. Students are encouraged to take List II electives as free electives to extend their knowledge of Management Engineering. However, free electives may be selected from any department at the University.  

Rules Restricting Choice of the Nine Elective Courses

RULE 1. At least six of the nine electives must be from List I. Students can count other Engineering courses toward List I, subject to Associate Chair approval.
RULE 2. At least one of the nine electives must be from List A of the Complementary Studies Requirements for Engineering Students, i.e., a course on the impact of technology on society.

Complementary Studies Component

All engineering students are required to take Complementary Studies courses, as described in this Engineering section under Complementary Studies Requirements for Engineering Students. Most of these requirements are satisfied in the core program, namely, MSCI 211, 261, 262, 263, 311, together with satisfactory evaluations on three work-term reports. The requirement for studies on the impact of technology on society is met by RULE 2, above.

Options and Minors

Several Faculty Designated Options are available to Engineering students. These are listed and described elsewhere in this section of the calendar. If a student satisfies the option requirements (usually seven or eight courses), the appropriate designation will be shown on the student's transcript. The course requirements for some options can be partially met by taking Management Engineering electives, but students may have to take extra courses to complete the requirements.

The Management Sciences Option will not be awarded to any Management Engineering student, as this would double-count courses towards both the main degree and the option.

Minors are sequences of courses, which are arranged in conjunction with another department and lead to an appropriately designated degree. Approval from both Management Sciences and the other department is required. Usually a student must take extra courses to complete a minor. See the discussion in this section of the calendar under the heading Options, Specializations and Electives for Engineering Students.

Term by Term Structure of the Program

The Management Engineering program follows the eight stream schedule, i.e., beginning with terms 1A and 1B in the fall and winter terms, followed by alternating work and academic terms. In accordance with Faculty rules, in order to complete their degree, students must have at least five work terms, and they must submit three work-term reports, in academic terms following three work terms. In addition, Faculty rules require that all engineering students must successfully complete the Professional Development (PD) requirements, during their work terms.