BME 522Foundations of Artificial Intelligence

Units: 0.50
Faculty: Engineering
Subject: Biomedical Engineering
Cross-listed: SYDE 522

When it runs

Ran in 1 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

The objective of this course is to introduce students to fundamental concepts of artificial intelligence. An overview of different learning schemes will be provided, including supervised and unsupervised algorithms. The focus of this course will be on dimensionality reduction, clustering, classification, deep and shallow artificial neural networks, and reinforcement learning. Ethical aspects of artificial intelligence will be discussed.

Prerequisites

Complete all of the following
- Complete 1 of the following
  - Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
    - BME122 - Data Structures and Algorithms (0.50)
    - CS240 - Data Structures and Data Management (0.50)
    - CS240E - Data Structures and Data Management (Enriched) (0.50)
    - ECE250 - Algorithms and Data Structures (0.50)
    - MSE240 - Algorithms and Data Structures (0.50)
    - MTE140 - Algorithms and Data Structures (0.50)
    - SYDE223 - Data Structures and Algorithms (0.50)
  - Must have completed the following:
    - MSCI240
- Complete 1 of the following
  - Enrolled in H-Biomedical Engineering, or H-Systems Design Engineering
  - Complete all of the following
    - Students must be in level 4A or higher
    - Enrolled in Computer Engineering Option, H-Management Engineering, H-Mechatronics Engineering, or Mechatronics Option

Antirequisites

Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
- CHE523 - Introduction to Machine Learning and Data Science (0.50)
- CS480 - Introduction to Machine Learning (0.50)
- CS486 - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (0.50)
- ECE457A - Artificial and Natural Intelligence (0.50)
- ECE457B - Machine Learning (0.50)

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
Section	Class	Enrolled	Meets
LEC 001	8900	28 / 30	M 11:00–12:50 W 11:00–11:50
TUT 101	8901	28 / 30	W 12:00–12:50

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar

2026–27 (shown here)
2019–20 and earlier on ucalendar