CIVE 265Structure and Properties of Materials
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Subject
- Civil Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
A basic course in structure, behaviour, and uses of engineering materials. Topics include monotonic and cyclic stress-strain behaviour of metals. Phase diagrams. Diffusion, nucleation and growth of grains. Metallurgy and mechanical properties of irons and steels. Structure and mechanical properties of wood, cements, and concrete. Fracture, fatigue, and corrosion. Three lab sessions.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Students must be in level 2A or higher
- Enrolled in H-Civil Engineering
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4566 | 133 / 153 | TTh 11:30–12:50 |
| LAB 201 | 4568 | 49 / 50 | W 13:30–16:20 |
| LAB 202 | 4569 | 49 / 50 | W 13:30–16:20 |
| LAB 203 | 4891 | 35 / 53 | F 13:30–16:20 |
| TUT 101 | 4567 | 133 / 153 | Th 08:30–09:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
48% liked it57% easy84% useful
From 40 ratings and 7 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
"You should just know it" - Basheer
Dec 2023 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
CIVE 153 but on crack. Lot of dense content that you may be asked about on tests. Lots of variety on the types of problems that you'll be solving on test. Use course assignments to study for tests since some of the problems follow the same format as the questions on the assignments.
Nov 2026 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
boring course overall, fell asleep during the lectures. course content is all over the place. Only saving grace is the that half the course comes from assignments/labs/quizzes.
Dec 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
The context is too dense. It doesn't feel like I learned about many of the topics in as much depth as I would have hoped. Furthermore, the time demands of this course were the bain of my 2A term. Marking is relaxed tho.
I genuinely felt I was going insane learning about all the topics. Though I was truly tweaking while learning about concrete mixes for 3 weeks straight. [Taught by Basheer]Sep 2024 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Boring course overall. It's like CIVE 153 evolved into something even more boring. This is a course that covers many topics. It doesn't spend too much time going deep into any particular topic. You will learn a lot of useful concepts from this course though. Expect lots of labs as well.
Jun 2016 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
5 posts and comments in 3 threads mention CIVE 265, October 2017 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.
Spring 2020
Taking Courses (CIVE 265 & CS 115 Questions) During Co-op 2 points, 3 comments
u/lithuanian_tall_boi: “… I'm finishing 1B AE right now and was wondering if anyone could offer some insight into the difficulty/workload of CIVE 265 (structure and material properties) and CS 115 (intro to comp sci). …”
u/danishclarinets: “CIVE265 isn't very hard, it's just a few equations, phase diagrams, and a fair bit of memorizing facts about various materials (mostly steel). Reviewing some chem and mechanics (mainly CIVE105) is helpful since that's what 265 builds on. …”
Spring 2019
Hardest courses in civil 2A? 8 points, 2 comments
u/pootiscannibal: “CIVE204 Solid Mechanics 1 CIVE221 Advanced Calculus CIVE224 Probability & Statistics CIVE241 Transportation Principles & Applications CIVE265 Structures & Properties of Materials &x200B; Also what happens during the seminar is it more dumb co-op stuff (CIVE298)?”
u/danishclarinets: “… CIVE265 with Walbridge: This course covers a lot of different topics so the course feels kind of random and disjointed. …”
Fall 2017
Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments
“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”
u/Jackhofmann: “PSYCH 483 PSYCH 484 PSYCH 485 PSYCH 486 PSYCH 490R PSYCH 499A PSYCH 499B PSYCH 499C PSYCH 621 PSYCH 630 PSYCH 677A PSYCH 704A PSYCH 704B PSYCH 707 PSYCH 710 PSYCH 714 PSYCH 717 PSYCH 720A PSYCH 721A …”
u/Jackhofmann: “… 301R CHINA 320R CHINA 391R CIVE 100 CIVE 104 CIVE 115 CIVE 204 CIVE 221 CIVE 224 CIVE 241 CIVE 265 CIVE 298 CIVE 306 CIVE 313 CIVE 332 CIVE 343 CIVE 354 CIVE 381 CIVE 382 CIVE 399 CIVE 486 CIVE 497 CIVE 601 CIVE 611 CIVE 653 CIVE 671 CIVE 681 CIVE 704 CIVE 720 CIVE 740 CIVE 750 …”
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