ENGL 191Communication in the Engineering Profession (AE, CHE, CIVE, ENVE, GEOE)
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- English
- Cross-listed
- COMMST 191
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 8 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
In this course, students in Architectural, Chemical, Civil, Environmental, and Geological Engineering will enhance oral and written communication competencies in contexts relevant to the engineering profession.
Prerequisites
Antirequisites
- Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in:
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3552 | 20 / 25 | TTh 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 002 | 3553 | 23 / 25 | TTh 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 003 | 3554 | 21 / 25 | TTh 08:30–09:50 |
| LEC 004 | 3555 | 23 / 25 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 005 | 4122 | 22 / 25 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 006 | 4372 | 22 / 25 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3572 | 0 / 25 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 002 | 3573 | 0 / 25 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 003 | 7459 | 0 / 25 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 004 | 7460 | 0 / 25 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 005 | 7461 | 0 / 25 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 006 | 7556 | 0 / 25 | TTh 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 007 | 7557 | 0 / 25 | TTh 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 701 | 1360 | 14 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
38% liked it69% easy55% useful
From 48 ratings and 8 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Overall enjoyable course. Would be nice if the profs had a little less autonomy and the material was a little more standardized.
Nov 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Terrible professor, otherwise the course would have been easier to manage. Andrea Jonahs gave an extremely workload compared to the other professors. If you don't have Andrea Jonahs you'll be okay. Otherwise, gg. Course content was pretty relevant to engineering and communication in the workplace.
Sep 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
I had Dennis Lewis. Very interesting in how he spoke. Very nice dude, and very respectable. Used chat gpt for all my assessments and still did well. Love the dude but I'm not sure if he's still here. Course taught me a little bit about being professional in my writing in the engineering field.
Dec 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
I had Prof. Rawding and he made the class very flexible for our schedule. Term consisted of a group project with some personal writing reflections in between (and one presentation). Class is easy to get 80+, but hard to get perfect. If you want to do well, just follow the textbook.
Dec 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Unlike high school, this course is focused on grammar, formatting and reports. Its focus on a writing in a future career rather than literature gives it a different feel. Although it may not seem like in while grinding through your White paper, this is the most useful course in 1A.
Sep 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
11 posts and comments in 9 threads mention ENGL 191, July 2019 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.
Spring 2022
Quick question about textbooks 2 points, 6 comments
u/libero0602: “… I’m going into first year env engineering and all of my textbooks for my courses are marked optional except for ENGL191 which is only like $37. …”
What courses are considered easy or difficult in the 1A term for Civil Engineering? 3 points, 5 comments
“Starting 1A this September, so just curious what courses people found easy or difficult in them. How long of times did you spend weekly, outside of class studying for these courses?”
u/CreepyWindows: “… I took all of these courses except for ENGL191. CHE102 - Chemistry for engineers. This can be challenging as the course is offered to thousands of eng students, meaning the exams are all multiple choice. Students who struggle in chemistry will struggle in CHE102. …”
u/UnsquabbledToast: “… again, practice, but spend more time studying for the finals than the small crowdmark or mobius assignments (rule of thumb for uni) engl191/spcom191 - these profs are vile. not hard to pass. passing is enough. cive100 - do not let bob scare you. …”
Winter 2022
Thoughts on ENGL 306A with Harris or Lamont? 2 points, 12 comments
“How'd you guys like this course? I see a lot of people have had Harris but I can't find any opinions on Lamont.”
u/DontF33lLik3Dyin: “I had Lamont for ENGL191 last year, he is such a great guy. Literally offered so much help all the time and was always available for questions even way after hours. …”
u/ReplEH: “I had Lamont for ENGL 191 and he’s the best professor I’ve had at Waterloo.”
Fall 2021
What is your least favourite course? 31 points, 55 comments
[deleted]: “ENGL 191 I understand why it’s important, but it turns my brain to guacamole.”
Spring 2021
A Retrospective on Online First Year Civil Engineering 51 points, 29 comments
u/Intense_Stare: “… ENGL 191/SPCOM 191 Communication in the Engineering Profession (Assorted Mix) Not even worth writing about. MATH 116 Calculus 1 for Engineering (I honestly forget) Summary: “Stop saying Hi in the chat, it’s disruptive” Its high school math + integration. …”
Spring 2020
Engineering first year mandatory courses? 0 points, 4 comments
“I'm going into Civil Engineering at Waterloo this Fall. Are there required courses for all first year students like English? If so, what are they? …”
u/c1v1l: “1A Classes: CHE 102 - Chemistry CIVE 100 - Civil Engineering Concepts CIVE 104 - Mechanics 1 CIVE 115 - Linear Algebra ENGL 191 or SPCOM 191 (same course, you’ll get one of them randomly) - Communication in the Engineering Profession MATH 116 - Calculus 1 Pre-Class: Math …”
Spring 2019
Difference between ENGL 191 and SPCOM 191? 3 points, 1 comment
u/DesproGem: “A friend of mine has ENGL 191 on their schedule while I have the latter , why is this? We are both in the same program”
Transferring between engineering programs 4 points, 5 comments
“I'm starting in the civil engineering program in September. But I feel like mechanical engineering is more of a passion for me. So I am considering switching to mech. …”
u/alt-goldgrun: “… (linear algebra), MATH116, CIVE100 (similar to ME100 I suppose?), CIVE104 (mechanics 1), ENGL 191/SPCOM191 (counts as a CSE, which can be counted for any engineering program) Mechanical and Civil 1A are extremely similar, so if you manage to transfer for 1B, you may have …”
Does someone know the difference between ENGL 191 and SPCOM 191? 2 points, 1 comment
u/Obesodamian: “Course Selection period and I don't know the difference between these elective courses for Engineering.”
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