CS 447Software Testing, Quality Assurance, and Maintenance
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Mathematics
- Subject
- Computer Science
- Cross-listed
- ECE 453
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Introduces students to systematic testing of software systems. Software verification, reviews, metrics, quality assurance, and prediction of software reliability and availability. Related management issues.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed the following:
- CS350 - Operating Systems (0.50)
- Enrolled in H-BBA & BCS Double Degree, H-Computer Science (BCS), H-Computer Science (BMath), JH-Computer Science (BCS), JH-Computer Science (BMath), H-Computing & Financial Management, H-Data Science (BCS), or H-Software Engineering
- Must have completed the following:
Antirequisites
- Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
- SE465 - Software Testing and Quality Assurance (0.50)
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 6420 | 0 / 40 | TTh 17:30–18:50 |
| LEC 701 | 2429 | 13 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| LAB 201 | 6422 | 0 / 40 | Online or by arrangement |
| TUT 101 | 6421 | 0 / 40 | Th 20:00–20:50 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
63% liked it43% easy43% useful
From 8 ratings and 1 comment on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Took it with Gurfinkel and was not expecting to be doing so much theory for a "bird" course. Guess the course description is really up to interpretation by the prof teaching it. We only talked about actual unit testing for a few weeks, then got into symbolic execution, propositional/first order logic, Hoare logic (CS 245 anyone??), and deductive verification (at least this was slightly enjoyable).
3 assignments, 2 open book quizzes. Final was also open book, but very long and many people didn't finish.Apr 2018 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
54 posts and comments in 47 threads mention CS 447, February 2012 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
CS446 or CS447 or CS454 3 points, 2 comments
u/Agitated-Heron-4420: “… What course should I take CS 446, CS447, or CS 454? I wanna take the least workload and least amount of programming. I just wanna chill in my last term and not worry about academia. …”
Spring 2024
easy upper year cs courses 14 points, 12 comments
“pls recommend ez course for aimless hoeless jobless soon-to-be-homeless brainrotted individuals like me tysm!”
u/the-scream-i-scrumpt: “cs 446 🖖”
u/NeighborhoodDizzy831: “In 2B rn, curious about what tech you used and how many hours are spent each week on the course. How does the difficulty and workload compare to CS 445 and 447?”
Winter 2024
CS447 1 point, 0 comments
u/Lucky_Commission8528: “Couldn't find any recent reviews on this course. Anyone taking it this term/has taken it recently, what is the course like? And what's the grade breakdown?”
Fall 2023
CS assignment instructions are overwhelming and unclear 1 point, 23 comments
“Maybe it's just me because I kind of have ADHD but CS assignments often contain an entire page of text with no examples. …”
u/coolk2000: “… 445) Test coverage to ensure our logic was correct when working with the service (CS 246/CS 447) Object Oriented Design to understand key models and controllers in a large codebase (CS 246) Functional design to ensure we aren't causing side effects when working with …”
ECE451 or CS445 1 point, 0 comments
u/Cheese_se: “Which one is easier to pass and less work? How about ECE 453/CS 447? Which on is recommended? They are both cross listed so similar in content apparently. Thanks”
Winter 2023
3xx or 4xx CS course that can be completed mostly online 4 points, 3 comments
“Hi everyone, are there any 3xx or 4xx CS courses that can be taken mostly online this term? ( Lectures are recorded or previous terms' recordings are available, in-person midterm / final is okay) …”
u/Subject_Tourist4652: “Cs 447 - previous lectures recorded online, detailed slides available online, only 2 quizzes and a final will be in-person and even the prof himself said he wouldn’t risk getting COVID to attend lectures if he was in our shoes”
Fall 2022
Need advice on course selection-- CS451 454 447 445 480 486 CO487 3 points, 4 comments
u/Melodie_Z: “… Plan to take CS451/454(hows their workload?), CS445(heard it's easy), CO487(heard it's easy), CS447(not sure about the workload, how much effort?), CS480/486(also not sure about the workload, just think maybe worth knowing something about this area). …”
How does the software engineering option (engineering) work? 1 point, 7 comments
u/Think-Journalist6629: “So for the SE option in engineering you're required to take: \-CS 445/ECE 451 or SE 463 \-CS 446/ECE 452 or SE 464 \-CS 447/ECE 453 or SE 465 Unlike the courses in other options it seems like these have prerequisites of being in CS/ECE/SE. …”
Winter 2022
Spring 2022 onwards - BCS courses that will be online? 7 points, 3 comments
u/wawsacaal: “… support fully remotely is : CS 445, HCI Particular interest in any of the flowing: CS 446, CS447, CS 458”
Anyone taking ECE454/CS 447/647 1 point, 0 comments
CS 447 Study Group 0 points, 0 comments
Cs447 workload and difficulty? 2 points, 0 comments
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