ECE 390Engineering Design, Economics, and Impact on Society
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Last listed
- Spring 2021
No longer offered. It was in Waterloo’s course catalog since at least Winter 2020 (as far back as Open Data goes) to Spring 2021 and last ran in Winter 2021. It isn’t in the 2024–25 or later calendars.
When it ran
- W20
- F20
- W21
Ran in 3 terms, Winter 2020 to Winter 2021.
Introduction to design-project management, the impact of technology on society and the environment, and engineering economics. [Offered: F, W]
Requirements, as last listed
Prereq: ECE 290; Level at least 3B Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering
In today’s calendar
- MSE 261 lists it as an antirequisite
Reviewed on UW Flow
26% liked it82% easy34% useful
From 73 ratings and 6 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Felt like an afterthought of a course. The vast majority of people will forget everything in this course since they will never use it. Could have been made better.
May 2020 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
This class is not bad. Not interesting at all for an ECE student but I get it's for accreditation.
Without the final the class was an easy 80 (COVID killed the final)Apr 2020 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Some of the concepts and content of this course can be quite useful, but the way it is all presented isn't very organized. Exams just involve learning how/when to use different equations to solve simple problems
Apr 2017 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
cool course
May 2016 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
It's a mandatory course for engineering degree...
Mar 2015 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
22 posts and comments in 19 threads mention ECE 390, November 2014 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 2019
Advice for getting ready for ECE 3B? 5 points, 9 comments
u/Mohtheproo: “… Here's a list of my courses are : ECE 224 - Embedded Microprocessor Systems, ECE 318 - Communication Systems 1, ECE 361 - Power Systems and Components, ECE 390 - Eng Design, Economics, Impact. …”
u/Frozen-Penis: “… it yourself if you want (power triangle, leading-lagging, power factor, all that jazz) ECE 390: doesn't really depend on anything, I found it boring and hard to study for without falling asleep. …”
ECE 3B - How is it? How do I survive? Maybe even thrive? 2 points, 12 comments
u/minecraftraytracing: “… Sahar Pirooz Azad ECE 390 - Engineering Design, Economics, and Impact on Society - Prof. Magdy Salama ECE 318 - Communication Systems 1 - Prof. …”
What is 3B Electrical Eng Like? 7 points, 5 comments
“Basically the question above, wanted to know what your experiences were like, anything you would suggest to watch out for and any course that might be worth reading up on during the coop to ensure …”
u/Frozen-Penis: “… trig and trig identities if you feel like you've forgotten them Not much to worry about ECE 390, hardest part is just staying awake in class”
Spring 2019
What's ECE 3B like for CEs? 1 point, 4 comments
u/Suspicious_Summer: “Core courses Include ECE 318, ECE 356, ECE 358, and ECE 390. Just looking for any feedback on all of these courses from past students, and how much harder the term is than 3A. Thanks!”
What is ECE 3B like? Same as 3A or would you say harder? 2 points, 3 comments
u/powerfulwizkid: “… The courses are: ECE 318 - Analog and Digital Communications ECE 361 - Power Systems and Components ECE 390 - Engineering Economics, etc. …”
u/Frozen-Penis: “… ECE 390: supposedly the easiest one in 3b but it was my lowest mark because I had 0 interest (heh) in the content and didn't bother going to classes or studying much. The "labs" are just group assignments in Excel. …”
Unpopular Opinion: ECE 4A is 10x harder than ECE 2A ever was. 24 points, 11 comments
“fuck my life”
u/Oldshantster: “What courses did you take?”
u/Frozen-Penis: “I found it easy because I was in control of the courses I took. Other than maybe one course, I was pretty interested in what I took in 4th year so it was easy to be engaged. The courses I found the hardest in ECE are the ones I had 0 interest in (examples: ECE 331 and ECE 390).”
Fall 2018
PSA profs and class times are out for Winter 2019 118 points, 39 comments
“nice http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infocour/CIR/SA/under.html”
u/jacer21: “Holy hell why did ECE 390 get a project component Literally conflicts with every elective I want to take”
Winter 2018
Anyone written ECE 390 final by Daniel Miller before? 6 points, 2 comments
u/lifeistragic: “Did they change the course code or something? Are you talking about the controls course (ECE 380) or the eng econ course (used to be ECE 390)? Did you have that quiz in place of a midterm?”
Fall 2017
More changes coming to the ECE curriculum in 2018 54 points, 36 comments
u/jacer21: “… - 3B: Add ECE 307 (Probability Theory and Statistics 2) (Core) + a bunch of new choices for courses, remove ECE 390 (Core) and ECE 318 (EE). Other changes: - Required number of CSEs drops from four to three. …”
Taking ECE 405 as elective in ECE 3A? 2 points, 17 comments
“Is it a good idea, or a bad one?”
[deleted]: “Better now than 4b tbh. Just imagine it as being a core course and 390 as your elective. I'm currently doing the same with the ECE 404 equivalent”
u/microwavemasterrace: “4A and 4B are waste terms for most people. 3A and 3B are both more intensive. But really, ECE 405 is a light course (very very basic linear algebra), and in my opinion it is easier than ECE 390.”
Which class have you not gone to the most this term? 2 points, 24 comments
u/calclueless: “ECE 390 & 358, total waste of a semester.”
What course do you currently have no idea what the fuck is happening in right now? 16 points, 47 comments
“title”
[deleted]: “ECE 390. I have successfully fallen asleep in every single 390 class I have attended”
Check it elsewhere
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2020–21Its last calendar entry, on uwloo
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them
In the scanned calendars
How it read in each calendar from 1974–75 to 1974–75, newest first. The text is OCR of the scanned pages; years whose wording matches are shown once, from the clearest scan. Each year links to its page on uwloo and to that page of the scanned PDF.