uwloo

NE 344Electronic Circuits

Units
0.50
Faculty
Engineering
Subject
Nanotechnology Engineering

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), circuit biasing and load-line analysis. Small-signal equivalent circuits and single stage amplifier configurations. Differential and multistage MOSFET amplifiers. The cascode configuration, current mirror and active loads. Feedback circuit configurations and stability. Oscillators, waveform shaping circuits and delay analysis. Introduction to digital circuits, the transistor switch, inverter circuits and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic circuits.

Prerequisites

Antirequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
      • ECE240 - Electronic Circuits 1 (0.50)
      • ECE340 - Electronic Circuits 2 (0.50)
      • SYDE292 - Circuits, Instrumentation, and Measurements (0.50)
    • Not completed any of the following:

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Reviewed on UW Flow

91% liked it29% easy100% useful

From 22 ratings and 8 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • Next step of NE 140, less steep learning curve but materials accumulate fast

    May 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Definitely a challenging course, but do the practice (assignments, examples, etc) and you'll be fine. John Saad is one of the best professors in Nano, and it is absolutely essential to attend his lectures and follow the examples done in class.

    Dec 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Saad is awesome. Challenging course, but you'll do fine.

    Dec 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • This course is a must take if you're interested in analog electronics as a Nano. Assignments were of moderate difficulty but completely fair, and the labs were easy and a great introduction to LTspice. The midterm and finals were also completely fair. The professor basically tells you what is going to be on them so no surprises, but there is a time crunch so practice is essential. You will take away the essentials of different transistor configurations, amplifiers, and oscillators.

    Feb 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Attending is Saad's lectures is absolutely required, but he's a great prof. Pretty difficult content that you need to stay on top of to do okay in the class. Assignments take a long time to complete but the assessments are pretty reflective of them. There were also 2 projects where you got to simulate circuits in LTspice that covered in the course, which was pretty cool. Overall an interesting and useful course if you're interested in electronics, but pretty difficult stuff

    Dec 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

6 posts and comments in 5 threads mention NE 344, August 2016 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 2020

Shutout to the professors 59 points, 15 comments

“I don't know if y'all agree with me, but my professors this term have definitely put a lot of effort into preparing online classes. …”

u/emananoo_10_9: “Some profs have obviously put in an enormous amount of effort to move online, and it is truly incredible, I just wish they all did that... …”

u/emananoo_10_9: “… (or at least it was in the summer) but a few profs stand out as shining stars, namely for NE 344, MUSIC 140, STAT 331. …”

View on RedditRemove this

Fall 2019

Spring 2017

What is the highest number of courses you can take per term? 2 points, 12 comments

“I heard recently that in engineering, there is no hard upper limit on how many courses you can take. Due to time limits/etc, what do you think is the theoretical maximum number of courses that would …”

u/ehhhk: “… In Nano, 3A, you are enrolled in 9 courses straight out: NE 301, NE 318, NE 320L, NE 333, NE 334, NE 343, NE 344, NE 350 and a CSE (Source). Granted, one of those is a seminar, one is a work term report, and one of them is a lab. …”

View on RedditRemove this

ECE 240 with Christopher C.m. Wilson 1 point, 4 comments

“I need to retake ECE 240 and I really want to pass this time because I want to remain in EE. However I cannot seem to find a lot of information about the professor teaching in Fall 2017 so I'd like …”

u/GUYSPLEASE: “Despite the other comment, the 3 ratings on ratemyprof are pretty good. All the ratings are for NE 344 which is actually a circuit class so even if he hasn't taught ECE 240 he's experienced teaching the material. Bottom line, better than Mclevine”

u/DracoYunho: “… Source: had NE 344 with CCM Wilson”

View on RedditRemove this

Spring 2016

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar