PD 22Professionalism and Ethics in Engineering Practice
- Units
- 0.50
- Subject
- Professional Development
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 3 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course provides a framework for understanding professionalism and ethics within society as reflected through practice in the field of professional engineering. Course topics on professionalism include the history of engineering and professions, the licensing of professional engineers and the certification of the practice of offering engineering services to the public, and the regulation of professional engineering in Ontario through Professional Engineers Ontario. Course topics on ethics include the philosophy of ethics and the Code of Ethics, the philosophy of justice, and the definition and disciplining of professional misconduct. Case studies will apply these principles to workplace situations including factors such as environmental ethics, whistle blowing, conflict of interest, and health and safety.
Prerequisites
- Enrolled in a co-operative program
Antirequisites
- Not completed any of the following:
- ECE290
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 081 | 7622 | 12 / 1000 | Online or by arrangement |
| LEC 082 | 7623 | 262 / 2000 | Online or by arrangement |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 081 | 7205 | 0 / 2000 | Online or by arrangement |
| LEC 082 | 7206 | 0 / 2000 | Online or by arrangement |
| LEC 701 | 2691 | 74 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
24% liked it73% easy43% useful
From 49 ratings and 15 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
One of the easier PD courses. I spent around 10-30 min per quiz, 30 min - 1 hour per assignment, and around 2 hours for the final assignment. The content is also somewhat interesting, referencing the PEO Ethics guidelines, which may come in handy when applying for your P.Eng.
Sep 2024 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
I liked the course activities because they were like choose your own adventure things except if I chose the wrong thing a train derailed and killed a bunch of people due to my negligence as an engineer.
Apr 2023 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
this was so useless
Aug 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Took this to fulfill my ethics credit
Jan 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
It might be interesting to see the engineering side of things (at least as a CS), but not as bearable as CS492 or similar ethics courses.
Sep 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
35 posts and comments in 26 threads mention PD 22, March 2015 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.
Winter 2024
fired from coop 128 points, 42 comments
“I was just fired from my coop without warning and would like some guidance on what to do next and opinions on the matter. …”
u/Minor_Midget: “Huh, sounds like a case out of PD22, oh what to do, what to do... few minutes late twice and no one has ever brought this up as an issue to me. …”
u/nemothef1sh: “PD22 reference”
Spring 2023
Would it make a difference if PD was removed forever? 1 point, 13 comments
“also would the university ever consider doing this? sorry if it’s a dumb question lol”
u/ClarkeVice: “It actually would. PD (or work-term reports) are required for a program to be an accredited co-op program and get all of the nice tax breaks that come with that. …”
u/1000Ditto: “… (pd8) from 1980s (pd5) reading the ontario engineering law and filling in the blanks (pd22) straight up philosophy (pd9) then it just defeats the purpose if it”
Fall 2022
Which PD course requires the least amount of work? 4 points, 3 comments
u/hahnoob1: “I need to choose 2 from this list: and I'm wondering which will need the least amount of work. - PD3 - PD4 - PD5 - PD6 - PD7 - PD8 - PD9 - PD10 - PD11 - PD13 - PD22”
Spring 2022
A GUIDE ON HOW TO PLAN AN OPTION 29 points, 15 comments
u/1000Ditto: “… &x200B; |Term|List|Course| |:-|:-|:-| |Coop 4 (or before)|accreditation ethics course|pd 22 (Program note 2)| |Coop 4 course|CSE D|REC 100| |3A \[w8, s4\] assume stream 4 Spring|D|ME 219 (to take ME 220)| |3B \[F\]|D|ME 212| |3B|H|ECE 356| |3B 1 from (320,351,356,358) …”
Spring 2021
After failing PD because of my reflective report in first term, I passed this terms reflective report with 0.42% to spare 110 points, 14 comments
u/lurkincreepyfuk: “Hmmmmm i thiught you only need 50”
u/hisownmotherr: “PD 22”
Winter 2021
How bad is PD22 really? 0 points, 7 comments
u/superuwu1000: “I know all PD courses are boring and stupid and easy etc etc, but PD 22 seems to be a bit different since it's an ethics course run by Douglas Harder himself. …”
u/IcyProfit03: “… I did PD 22 for similar reasons you are considering doing it (to satisfy Ethics requirement). The course content is very dry. And lots of the questions involve lots of referencing to the Professional Engineers Code of Ethics which is a super wordy document. …”
Fall 2020
I'm inserting this at the end of every PD assignment from now on 104 points, 24 comments
“Before I begin, I would like to say thank you to professors, TAs, and other teaching staff involved in the instruction of this course. …”
u/ISuckAtRugby: “… I believe the course was pd22 - Best PD I've ever taken.”
PD for ECE 6 points, 3 comments
u/clumsyce: “… I have already taken PD 20, PD 21 and PD 22. I am looking for courses that don't involve a lot of essay writing. I was thinking about PD 5 or PD 6. If you have taken these courses how was your experience? …”
Spring 2020
PD 22 0 points, 1 comment
Spring 2019
My work experiences by the numbers 48 points, 12 comments
u/sixjobslater: “… of stereotypes), PD5 (though it would be useful but was too vague and fluffed with lingo), PD22 (actually useful if you intend on getting a P.Eng.)”
PD 5 points, 7 comments
“Out of the following PD courses, which one requires the LEAST amount of work? (I know they’re all relatively easy, but fuck PD) PD3: Communication PD5: Project Management PD6: Problem Solving PD7: …”
u/IDGAFOS13: “I took PD5, it wasn't bad. PD22 was the worst by far.”
Engineering PD Course selection 3 points, 5 comments
u/ImpracticalFlux: “… Currently, I am deciding between PD11 and PD22, and correct me if I am wrong, but I think both are compulsory for engineering students? (I am in Chem Eng). &x200B; Has anyone taken these PD courses and recommend either of them? …”
u/-MrGoose-: “Courses mentioned in this thread: PD1 PD11 PD7 PD22”
u/kanoo16: “I added pd11 technical writing to my course selection and got a message saying that since it's a mandatory course for math students and I'm in eng, I would have to write two work term reports. …”
u/ImpracticalFlux: “Ahh. I thought we had to hit the ethics and writing milestone for engineering (Hence PD11 and PD22).”
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