CO 444Algebraic Graph Theory
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Mathematics
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 1 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
An introduction to the methods of and some interesting current topics in algebraic graph theory. Topics covered will include vertex-transitive graphs, eigenvalue methods, strongly regular graphs and may include graph homomorphisms, Laplacians or knot and link invariants.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Complete 1 of the following
- Earned a minimum cumulative overall average of 80
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 7260 | 0 / 20 | MW 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 701 | 8168 | 12 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
71% liked it43% easy86% useful
From 7 ratings and 4 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Warning: Even though this review is a bit harsh, I want to add that I think Jane is a very good and caring prof.
Not a good course with Jane Gao. The first couple of weeks is mostly review of group theory and introducing notations (which a lot of the theorems/definitions ended up being useless and never mentioned again). Then we moved on to the node-edge-arc transitive graphs. I believe you will learn more interesting results about transitive graph if you take CO 471 (Even though in 471 you will only see transitive graphs in assignment lol). Almost everything followed trivially from definitions and every time we were close to cover something interesting, Jane said you can read these…May 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Very cool content but the course structure meant I didn't have to think too deeply about it (70 assignments, 30 presentations).
Apr 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Interesting content, although the highlight is the matrix theory half; the group theory half is a little dry. Not hard to get a good mark due to the grading scheme. Consists of assignments where 45 questions are counted out of 80+ throughout the term. Also assignment presentations, paper presentations, and student teaching on discrete quantum walks included in the course.
Apr 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Very interesting class
Apr 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
13 posts and comments in 9 threads mention CO 444, January 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.
Fall 2024
CO course comparison 3 points, 7 comments
u/amsyed10385: “… Options for me are: CO 444 Algebraic Graph Theory CO 481 Quantum Info CO 463 Convex Optimization CO 353 Discrete Optimization Anyone who has taken one or more of these? Preferably if you can compare two courses difficulty and how time consuming it is. …”
u/batson2002: “… CO444 was super fun if you like graph theory and group theory (like PMATH347) or even just linear algebra. Can't comment on CO353. …”
u/amsyed10385: “thanks, do you know if CO 481 is the same contents across different professors? How hard is CO 444 compared to PMATH 347?”
Fall 2020
Exciting courses 6 points, 20 comments
“Is anyone else enrolled in any courses you find exciting next semester? I'm super excited about a few of mine next term.”
u/dotuanhiep: “Yes, I'm going to prepare my anus for pmath + stats next term...”
u/BlazingMuddy-6305: “Wait what? I'm taking PMATH 348, 365, and CS 371 next term. I think I'll skip 450 next term, though. My full list is undecided, but the fixed ones are PMATH 348 365 and CS 365 371. My last two slots are for CS 486, PMATH 441 (yes...), CO 444.”
Suggest the birdiest electives for easy 90+ 8 points, 14 comments
[deleted]: “CO 444”
Fall 2019
Which is the easier bird course 9 points, 11 comments
“SCI 250 or SCI 201. Also does anyone know the grade breakdown for either course.”
u/bazinga_diem: “CO463 CO442 CO444”
Big 3 hard 32 points, 8 comments
u/bazinga_diem: “Nah, it should be CO442, CO463, CO444, way harder than CS ones”
Spring 2018
What courses are you taking next term? 4 points, 47 comments
“Mine will be a boring one. ACTSC371, MATH237, STAT231, CO342 and AFM101”
u/jdw96: “… I'll be on co-op next term, and I've finished all my PD courses, but in the winter, I'm hoping to take: CO 444: Algebraic Graph Theory CS 431: Data-Intensive Distributed Computing CS 436: Networks and Distributed Computer Systems PMATH 348: Fields and Galois Theory Something …”
Winter 2017
Good CO courses? 4 points, 7 comments
“Wondering if there are any good CO courses that anyone would recommend? Also would you recommend taking the prerequisites or just override them, this is coming from a student that's not in the math …”
u/GenesisTK: “From the courses I've seen other people take, CO 444, CO 446, CO 471, CO 466, CO 463, CO 450, CO 430.”
u/RecurrentWalk: “… CO 444 (algebraic graph theory) You like graph theory but wish your graphs had enough structure to prove things with algebraic methods? This is the course for you! …”
Fall 2016
Should I take CO 442 (Graph Theory) or CO 446 (Matroid Theory)? 1 point, 2 comments
u/cheesydionysus: “In case you are talking about next term, you should take CO 444 : Algebraic Graph Theory.”
u/physicsdillema: “Thanks but I'm not talking about next term, I'm just talking about which is more worth taking in general since I won't take either anytime soon. Also I said CO 442 not CO 444.”
Winter 2015
Math gods, let's discuss a common math problem called the "Handshake" problem 9 points, 17 comments
“Hi, folks. Just a bit of background info first; today I got a text from my 11 year old cousin asking my help on a math problem. …”
u/SidusKnight: “I think it's a pretty terrible question for an 11 year old, but your approach is fine. You can model questions like these in graph theory really nicely. …”
u/PPewt: “CO 342, 442, 444 come to mind (there are more).”
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