CHE 181Chemical Engineering Design Studio 2
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Subject
- Chemical Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Development of chemical engineering problem analysis, design, and communication skills. Topics include electric circuits, measurements, measurement uncertainty, and signal transmission. Process synthesis, block diagrams, process flow diagrams (PFD), and piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&ID). Students develop teamwork, written communication, and oral communication skills while completing a design project involving prototyping, testing, and verification.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Students must be in level 1B or higher
- Enrolled in H-Chemical Engineering
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4829 | 0 / 120 | T 12:30–14:20 T 12:30–14:20 Jan 25 15:30–16:20 Feb 8 15:30–16:20 Mar 1 15:30–16:20 |
| LEC 701 | 1954 | 0 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| SEM 101 | 4830 | 0 / 120 | F 09:30–10:20 F 09:30–10:20 |
| STU 201 | 4831 | 0 / 120 | F 12:30–14:20 F 12:30–14:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
23% liked it63% easy38% useful
From 30 ratings and 7 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
easy to pass and get a high mark. but i totally not understand the Arduino part and the lecture(circuit part). and you have to teach yourself autocad.
May 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
A course designed just to piss you off. I really think we need to scrap this one guys like seriously this was so annoying. At the beginning of the semester Yverick basically explained to us that this is a dumpster course, which essentially means that they just throw in a bunch of stuff they need to teach in order for this to be an accredited engineering program. FINE. I was able to get over this. My issue is that the course does not pertain to a single useful thing. AutoCAD is completely self-taught which would've been fine if the seminars were helpful and if there was a bit more guidance on which of the Linkdin learning courses would be useful. I think the 50 minute seminar was a complete…
May 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Bunch of BS combined just to satisfy the electronic circuit requirement for CHE. There are 3 parts of this course:
Seminar: basically AutoCAD where you self learn, the content is easy enough. I don't have prior experience, but it is easy to follow
Lecture: Bunch of circuits, measurement, and physics bs. 3 quizzes, easy if you go to lectures and read the slides.
Studio: first 3 milestones are just set ups and testing. The 4th one requires measurement of temperature of melting point of water and sugar water. Since we do this during reading week, we study until the ice melt (like actually). It is annoying since they have like requirements on how you data should look like, and every time you…Apr 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
A course full of random stuffs majorly in programming and basic circuits that you might need but won't get taught in other courses. Not an engaging course but was very easy to pass for me since our instructor spent no effort in designing the difficulty of contents and tests. If you get Rangom, don't even bother going to any of his course, spend 2 hours study the slides before quizzes and you will be fine. Cheryl is a decent lab instructor and generally takes care of you if you have any problem, though she marks the milestones in a more serious and fair manner than this walking breathing heap of unintelligent meat named Rangom.
Dec 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
This course was basically self-taught - AutoCAD section was alright, but assignments were kind of time consuming. Lectures were boring and sometimes confusing, though the quizzes on the lecture material weren't too difficult, especially since the prof tells you explicitly which topics/questions are on the quiz. Not too much work for this course except the occasional AutoCAD assignments, studio/Arduino part was also largely self-taught but the WEEF TA and Cheryl were very helpful.
Dec 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
5 posts and comments in 4 threads mention CHE 181, November 2019 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2022
1A chem eng vs 1B chem eng 27 points, 5 comments
u/Quiinzy: “… CHE181 —> this course should be your avg booster, there’s a new prof teaching it so everything I know about this course doesn’t really apply. …”
Winter 2021
But professor... I have a PC, and it's definitely not that near to my freezer.... 42 points, 9 comments
u/og_darcy: “What class is this?”
u/Uhohdancy: “CHE181 (chemical engineering studio)”
WaterlooWorks Megathread Fall 2020 Edition 302 points, 2,584 comments
“Hey y'all. It's time to create a new WW megathread, where you can discuss all that is WW. Feel free to also post your resumes for critique here as well. Pray to Mr. Goose.”
u/1BChE: “I'm currently in 1B CHE and about to apply for my first coop jobs. I'd appreciate any feedback on my resume. Thanks so much. https://imgur.com/gallery/kpCIMz5”
u/grapefruitcore: “… I recommend you either replace them with personal side projects or go above and beyond in CHE181 and do something with the project that most other people won't do if you want to include it on your resume.”
Fall 2019
Engineering Seminars 2 points, 7 comments
u/anon-uwaterloo: “… For ChE 181 it says that on Friday's we have a seminar and I was wondering if anyone has thoughts or experiences that they'd like to share on whether or not we actually have to go to those?”
u/Cave-of-Wonders: “Che 181 is a new course for che 2024 so you’ll have to wait and find out, usually seminars aren’t required attendance but you never know until you get to the class”
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