ECE 190Engineering Profession and Practice
- Units
- 0.25
- Faculty
- 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.
Introduction to electrical and computer engineering with an emphasis on the profession of engineering, and engineering design. Topics include engineering design, safety, risk analysis, engineering data analysis, project management, sustainability, business, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property. Additional topics include co-op fundamentals for engineering students, professional development, and diversity training with a goal of understanding the roles and responsibilities of the professional engineer in society.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Students must be in level 1A or higher
- Enrolled in H-Computer Engineering, or H-Electrical Engineering
Antirequisites
- Not completed any of the following:
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4897 | 140 / 140 | TTh 08:30–09:20 W 11:30–12:20 TTh 08:30–09:20 W 11:30–12:20 |
| LEC 002 | 4898 | 139 / 140 | TTh 14:30–15:20 TTh 14:30–15:20 W 16:30–17:20 W 16:30–17:20 |
| LEC 003 | 4899 | 135 / 140 | TTh 15:30–16:20 TTh 15:30–16:20 W 15:30–16:20 W 15:30–16:20 |
| TST 101 | 5365 | 414 / 420 | Oct 21 14:30–16:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
55% liked it92% easy28% useful
From 229 ratings and 34 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
The song written by David Wang is fantastic
Sep 2022 · liked it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Easy course but the most useless course I have taken in school history. Could have replaced it for a software-based course which has some engineering profession concepts. THIS COURSE SHOULD ALSO HAVE INTERVIEW SKILLS which it did not cover. The exams in this course are literally based on random details in the powerpoint. This can make the exams either really easy or extremely difficult (the exams are not worth much though). This info will be never used in your life again (exam questions can literally be about random CO2 graphs lol). I firmly believe this course should be replaced with a useful software course. Some bird course covering Git tools and other software methods will be really…
Dec 2024 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
slop course, just appear at every lecture and lock in a little when doing the projects
Oct 2026 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Great course, pretty much a grade booster if you have an average IQ and decent work ethic.
Dec 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
easy course, stupid ass exam that requires bunch of memorization for nothing
Dec 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
78 posts and comments in 64 threads mention ECE 190, July 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.
Fall 2024
ECE 1A Exam tips 1 point, 5 comments
u/ButtonIndividual5235: “Anyone have any pointers on how to do well on ECE 105, MATH 117, MATH 115, ECE 190 and/or ECE 150. I feel kinda cooked given that i did bad on midterms.”
ece190 midterm extremely unnecessary 18 points, 3 comments
u/ult_dragonking_lover: “Literally why do i even need to handwrite a page of cheatsheet containing all common senses and stupid stats I get why we have this course, but this midterm is so unnecessary esp when we need time to study for programming and physics”
1A ECE midterm advice 11 points, 8 comments
u/MoistPotato4Skin: “… MATH117, MATH115, ECE190, ECE150, ECE105. Needless to say, I’ve only (half) studied 117. I’m kind of in a bind here, and in hindsight I know I have some serious rethinking and restructuring to do in my life. …”
I don't feel like I belong here 153 points, 49 comments
“I've been having too many uncontrollable feelings these past few days, so I'm gonna use this subreddit to vent, you don't have to read this. …”
u/TheBigLoop: “… Also the fact that ECE 190 forces you to make friends at gunpoint helps.”
Winter 2024
Getting ahead in CE courses as a HS student 1 point, 14 comments
“I was wondering if anyone could provide me with the resources to learn some 1A ECE course content over the summer. …”
u/mynewwaterlooaccount: “… the Engineering Profession ECE 105 Classical Mechanics ECE 150 Fundamentals of Programming ECE 190 Engineering Profession and Practice ECE 198 Project Studio MATH 115 Linear Algebra for Engineering MATH 117 Calculus 1 for Engineering Focus on the ones that matter: COMM 192 is …”
Fall 2023
Help! I think i enrolled in the wrong program??? 185 points, 16 comments
u/marmbars: “… I also thought it was weird I was taking "ECE 190: ENGINEERING PROFESSION AND PRACTICE", considering I'm supposed to be in education not engineering; I thought to myself "whatever", as it might be helpful when kids ask me about engineering! …”
Can't find a Coop 18 points, 13 comments
“As a stream 4 ECE, I'm really stressed, can't find a coop despite all my hard work. I have design team experience (circuits), robotics and volunteer internship experience doing some fundraising. …”
u/NorthernPoopLord: “1. Have you done a resume review? The resume is the most important part of getting the job in my opinion, so make sure you spend a decent amount of time optimizing it 2. …”
u/CrazyDolphin16: “Ece students take ECE190 and with that course comes CFE (Coop Fundamentals for Engineering). It's a sub course inside of 190. One of our assignments was to join a 20min meeting with a TA to review our resume. …”
I'm Failing in ECE 19 points, 5 comments
“I need some advice, I'm currently in 1A EE and I just got around 40s-50s on all my midterms. This includes Math 115, Math 117, ECE 105, ECE 150. …”
u/Environmental-Ad5989: “Honestly just try to do well on all your assessments coming up, I was in the same situation as you when I was in 1A but I still managed to pass. arts 190 and ece 190 will carry. Also follow the advice of the guy above me”
u/Own-River5991: “… Make sure to do well in the mark boosters like ECE 190 and ARTS 190. Arts 190 specifically because it is worth full credit. …”
Midterm Grades 1 point, 7 comments
“ECE/Engineering in general: How long after taking a midterm do you usually see the grades? &x200B; View Poll”
u/marmbars: “got a mt grade the day after! ece 190 mt :)”
Spring 2023
UW advice, Please :) 7 points, 4 comments
u/Rivendell_Narwhal: “… ECE 190, ECE 198 and ARTS 190 were all my least favourite courses, mostly a complete waste of time in my opinion. Nothing to worry about in terms of difficulty but I found ECE 190 and ECE 198 to be big time suckers. I don't really know what I would do differently. …”
Spring 2022
Profs to be avoided? 5 points, 46 comments
u/CampEmbarrassed7819: “… This is my schedule ECE105: Bizheva, Kostadinka ECE150: Dietl, Werner ECE190: Wang, David MATH115: Molino, Michelle MATH117: Liang, Zhanlue”
What textbooks should I get? 0 points, 3 comments
u/torido314159: “I will have ECE 105, 150, 190 and Math 115, 117 in the Fall. Should I buy brand new textbooks for all of these courses? Is there any way I can pirate any of them? Thanks!”
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