ME 230Control of Properties of Materials
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Subject
- Mechanical Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Phase equilibria, non-equilibrium behaviour, heat treatment of metals, diffusion, strengthening processes. Alloying, composite materials, cold and hot working. Failure of engineering materials; creep, fatigue, corrosion and other environmental degradation processes. Prevention of service failures.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed the following:
- ME115 - Structure and Properties of Materials (0.50)
- Students must be in level 2A or higher
- Enrolled in H-Mechanical Engineering
- Must have completed the following:
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4606 | 117 / 125 | TTh 09:30–10:50 |
| LAB 101 | 4607 | 42 / 42 | T 13:30–16:20 |
| LAB 102 | 5160 | 35 / 42 | W 13:30–16:20 |
| LAB 103 | 5161 | 40 / 41 | Th 13:30–16:20 |
| TUT 201 | 5211 | 117 / 125 | M 15:30–16:20 |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4408 | 0 / 120 | TTh 11:00–12:20 |
| LEC 701 | 1801 | 104 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| LAB 101 | 4409 | 0 / 40 | T 13:30–16:20 |
| LAB 102 | 4620 | 0 / 40 | W 13:30–16:20 |
| LAB 103 | 4977 | 0 / 40 | Th 13:30–16:20 |
| TUT 201 | 4547 | 0 / 120 | T 08:30–09:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
35% liked it26% easy76% useful
From 94 ratings and 25 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
I'm sure this course would be very useful to anyone that actually has any desire in learning intricate details about materials science. Unfortunately, that isn't really me. Lectures lack examples or real information on how to apply ideas beyond the abstract. Assessments are widely application based, leading to a disconnect between the lecture and assessment content. Labs are dense, and the accompanying reports often lack guidance or even a framework. This course made me want to leave ME
Apr 2021 · didn’t like it · 5 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Interesting course if you like the chemical/molecular side of engineering. Goes into great depth about material characteristics, and thus can be a bit confusing at times. Not a very useful course in the real world, nobody is going to ask you about how martensite forms at work.
Oct 2016 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
I found a lot of the course concepts itself pretty interesting and Kwan was very knowledgeable and passionate about what he was teaching which I appreciated, but the course felt like it was lacking a lot of structure and practice problems. Definitely the hardest course I had in 2A in my experience.
Dec 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
The theory behind this course could be interesting, but it's ruined by how disorganized and harshly marked this course is. Far too few practice problems and difficult of assessments are beyond anything provided. Material selection should be at least 3 lectures, since it's 25% of the midterm and most of the course project, but he just posts a video on Learn and calls it a day. Also take the labs seriously because you need a very thorough report for an 80%.
Nov 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
To be honest, the course content is quite useful and applicable in real life, especially in technical interview questions. The course does build off some content from ME 115 and the first year chemistry course but most of the material is new. Our prof (Kwan) was clearly passionate about the course; however, the way he teaches the course lacks a lot of structure and organization. The notes he posts after class don't make much sense unless you attended class and knew what he was scribbling down, and the content for our first lab (near the start of the course) was only taught in the final weeks of our course. The midterms and exams are hard to prepare for, the tutorial questions are limited in…
Apr 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
17 posts and comments in 14 threads mention ME 230, January 2013 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 2021
Mechanical engineering undergrad retrospective 201 points, 42 comments
u/doAbr00talroll: “… • ME230: Really hit or miss according to my friends, I really liked it and thought it was a manageable course. Highest of my 2A marks thanks to the labs and project(s?) • ME269: I took it with Nassar and he's the only reason I passed. …”
Spring 2019
Is mech eng dead 3 points, 13 comments
“I swear in the upper years (mainly 2nd year), we're repeating what we learned from previous terms.”
u/loryk_zarr: “Haha what. Have you been to any 2nd year classes?”
u/loryk_zarr: “… ME230, ok it expands on materials 1 but adds so much that's super useful for mechanical design. ME250, entirely new concepts. ME262 new concepts. I can go on and on lol. …”
u/-MrGoose-: “Courses mentioned in this thread: ME202 ME219 ME230 ME250 ME262 ME269”
Spring 2018
What are your favourite and least favourite classes you've taken? 10 points, 40 comments
u/ehhhk: “Favourite: ME354 Least favourite: ME230”
Winter 2018
Studying for ME354 manufacturing methods be like 52 points, 8 comments
u/RealisticMechStudent: “man, back in ME230 I remember everyone was kinda upset with how the prof was teaching the course, but I think he's improved a lot since then and 340 was a lot better. Just goes to show, you don't know what you've got till it's kwan”
Piazza drama for ME 230 47 points, 19 comments
u/CeeJ0405: “… It was his last term teaching and our class making joke about how future ME230 students are so fucked. …”
u/involutes: “ME 230 had 1 really effective study strategy but is not suitable for cramming at the end of the semester: look at the course outline and read the applicable chapter or section before it is covered in class.”
Advice for MECH 1B midterms? 3 points, 9 comments
“Looking at fellow mechs or anyone who took the following courses: ME115, MATH118, GENE123 and ME101. I'm a bit worried because I am quite behind in all my classes and it at this point, I'm fine with …”
u/Neonorangehats: “… ME230 only gets worse.”
8 hours of class with no breaks 43 points, 39 comments
“Currently in 2A mechanical engineering. Are profs allowed to schedule makeup lectures so that students have classes all from 8:30 to 4:30 with no breaks? …”
u/_Cementite_: “Grab food in the 10 minutes between lectures or bring a lunch. You can also probably get away with skipping the easy classes like ME230 if you really want”
Fall 2017
Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments
“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”
u/Jackhofmann: “PSYCH 483 PSYCH 484 PSYCH 485 PSYCH 486 PSYCH 490R PSYCH 499A PSYCH 499B PSYCH 499C PSYCH 621 PSYCH 630 PSYCH 677A PSYCH 704A PSYCH 704B PSYCH 707 PSYCH 710 PSYCH 714 PSYCH 717 PSYCH 720A PSYCH 721A …”
u/Jackhofmann: “… MATH 674 MATH 692 MATH 97 ME 100 ME 200A ME 200B ME 201 ME 202 ME 203 ME 212 ME 219 ME 220 ME 230 ME 235 ME 250 ME 262 ME 269 ME 300B ME 322 ME 351 ME 353 ME 360 ME 362 ME 380 ME 400A ME 401 ME 423 ME 435 ME 436 ME 456 ME 459 ME 481 ME 482 ME 548 ME 559 ME 561 ME 566 ME 599 ME …”
Spring 2017
Share you're lowest grade, but best 'resume-related' accomplishment 31 points, 84 comments
“There's a surge of sadness with grades on this thread, so if possible, share what program you're in, the shittiest grade on your transcript (if you want) yet a successful project or co-op placement …”
u/ClarkeAntonio: “69 in ME230 Apple/Tesla design jobs”
What courses are you taking this fall? 28 points, 129 comments
“With course selection and add/drop happening this week I figured this would be a cool discussion post. …”
u/onepissman: “ME201 - Advanced Calculus (calc 3) ME202 - Statistics for Engineers ME219 - Mechanics of Deformable Solids 1 ME230 - Control of Properties of Materials ME269 - Electromechanical Devices and Power Processing STV202 - Design and Society (I'm hoping to drop this for ECE240 - …”
Spring 2016
What is your favorite course? 16 points, 63 comments
u/Orobin: “I'm really weird for this but I've liked all my physics-style courses ME 212, 321, 219, 220”
u/IamA_Hobo_AMA: “Im really looking forward to MODS 1 and 2. The little intro to statics in Phys 115 was my favorite part of the course. Really cant wait for the fall term. How did you find ME 230?”
PSA: Fall 2016 teaching assignments are out 16 points, 35 comments
“In case y'all are wondering who's gonna be teaching what next term.”
u/IamA_Hobo_AMA: “No prof assigned for ME230 yet. I wonder if its gonna be Gerlich again.”
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