ECE 453Software Testing, Quality Assurance, and Maintenance
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Cross-listed
- CS 447
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
- Complete 1 of the following
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Must have completed the following:
- Students must be in level 3A or higher
- Complete 1 of the following
- Enrolled in H-Software Engineering
- Enrolled in a BASc program
- Complete 1 of 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 | 5112 | 0 / 60 | TTh 17:30–18:50 Jan 29 17:30–18:50 Feb 26 17:30–18:50 Mar 19 17:30–18:50 Apr 9 17:30–18:50 |
| LEC 701 | 2058 | 26 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| LAB 201 | 5114 | 0 / 60 | Online or by arrangement |
| TUT 101 | 5113 | 0 / 60 | Th 20:00–20:50 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
67% liked it42% easy58% useful
From 3 ratings and 2 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
52% final 48% assignments (8 assignments). TAs dont even read and give out 100s like its candy, you'll probably only need a 4% on the final to pass the course.
Apr 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Despite the name of the course, it is not a testing course. Tests were open notes and you could bring your computer to the test (no browsers though) because there were sections on Z3 and Dafny that required writing some code.
Apr 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
17 posts and comments in 16 threads mention ECE 453, August 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 2023
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”
Is ECE 406 do-able on co-op term? 1 point, 3 comments
u/Safi_world: “… many of them seem to be online): MSCI 446, SYDE 522, SYDE 572, ECE 417, ECE 451, ECE 452, ECE 453, ECE 457B, ECE 459. …”
Fall 2022
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
ECE Discord Server 1 point, 1 comment
u/maybeeynoone: “Hi I will have to take some of the CS/ECE400 courses, are there any discord channels for CS/ECE2023/ECE2022? especially, ECE 453 and CS467. Please let me know if you have it. It's hard to take the courses alone!!!”
Winter 2021
Anybody take ECE 453 (CS 447) recently? 1 point, 1 comment
Winter 2020
Anyone have experience with ECE653 or its offshoots CS447/ECE453/CS647/SE465 0 points, 1 comment
u/Hadokuv: “I'm picking courses for next semester. I'm an ECE grad student and this weird monstrosity of a course is one of the only software courses that are available that I'd be ok taking with just online delivery. Has anyone taken it and have some insight into it? …”
Winter 2019
ECE 451 and 453 2 points, 0 comments
Winter 2018
CS447/ECE453 crying thread 10 points, 24 comments
u/horses_are_my_life: “how'd yall do? I worked right up until the buzzer and left a lot of marks on the table. Feels bad. Sigh. Plz curve arie.”
ECE453 / CS447 Exam 5 points, 10 comments
u/horses_are_my_life: “what's up. any of my reddit bros studying for ECE453 / CS447 exam on Monday? Anyone else pretty worried?”
Winter 2017
Easiest ECE Technical Electives 10 points, 19 comments
“Hello. I have seen many upper year ECE guys post here. Can someone recommend me the easiest technical electives they have taken. I need to not fail out 4th year :(”
u/afuture22: “… Easy rating 6/10 ECE 453 - Software Quality and Testing Some work since its SE, 3 labs, takes a day-day and half each. Project 3-4 days. Studying for exams another 3 days. Around 75-85 mark. …”
Who is the best professor that you have this term? 6 points, 29 comments
u/afuture22: “Plam (Patrick Lam) for ECE 453 Well also, I dont go to class so...I dont really know if any other prof is good”
SE guys vs CS guys 65 points, 40 comments
u/csishard321: “You have to realize that most of the CS students taking it are in 4th year, so they are usually busy with hard courses like big 3...”
u/UWSE2019: “SE 465 / ECE 453 / CS 447”
u/miaomiao: “Which class? What ever it is, 84 is way too high for midterm average, unless it's a bird course.”
u/Frozen-Placenta: “according to some other comment in this thread Let's just say that the overall average for the first year SEs last term was higher than 84.”
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