CIVE 491Engineering Law and Ethics
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Subject
- Civil Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Background (Charter of Rights and Freedoms), contracts, torts (negligent malpractice), forms of carrying on business, professional practice (professional engineers act, joint practice rules, professional misconduct and sexual harassment), alternate dispute resolution, construction liens, intellectual property (patents, trade marks, copyrights and industrial designs), labour relations and employment law, environmental law.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Students must be in level 4A
- Enrolled in H-Civil Engineering
Antirequisites
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Reviewed on UW Flow
64% liked it57% easy66% useful
From 14 ratings and 8 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Difficult to do well in the course as 90% of your grade is exams. Also difficult to fail though as long as you go to class since the exams often get curved.
Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Course is pretty easy and logical, just a lots of memorization or understanding.
Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Fun and easy course if you actually engage with the content and participate. If you want to do well, just participate meaningfully, read the case studies, ask questions and send good memes.
Sep 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Familiar yourself on the format of answering the midterm and final answers. Don't write a story, just list out the applicable laws or clause and explain how they can be applied. Also, don't give up if you did bad in Midterm, you have the option to shift the midterm weight to the final. Generally a very interesting course and concepts.
Apr 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Content is really not that difficult and pretty interesting but the midterm and final were graded really strictly so the class average was not high. Also I felt like the lecture content didn't match up well with what they were looking for in exam grading.
Nov 2024 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
3 posts and comments in 3 threads mention CIVE 491, March 2015 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 2024
Review of 4A Civil Engineering 16 points, 4 comments
u/figuring_it_out33: “… I took the following courses: CIVE 414 - Structural Concrete Design CIVE 413 - Structural Steel Design CIVE 491 - Engineering Law & Ethics CIVE 596 - Construction Engineering CIVE 400- Design Project 1 I am pursuing specialization in geotechnical and structural engineering. …”
Spring 2020
Ideas start here 103 points, 5 comments
u/tendstofortytwo: “Alright, what course is this?”
u/peronium1: “CIVE 491 Engineering Law and Ethics”
Winter 2015
Do you feel like there is a segregation between the faculties here? Do you feel there an inherent elitism in some faculties? 24 points, 57 comments
“I have to make a speech, and the topic I have is Segregation & Elitism between Faculties here at Waterloo. So, I would like to hear some opinions on this. …”
u/lotuschan: “… CIVE 292/491) 10 Technical Electives 4 Complementary Electives Because of the way the cohort system works, I'm taking classes with the exact same group of jerks lovely people for 2/3rds of my degree. …”
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