uwloo

SE 350Operating Systems

Units
0.50
Subject
Software 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: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

An introduction to the fundamentals of operating system function, and implementation. Topics include concurrency, synchronization, processes, threads, scheduling, memory management, file systems, device management, and security.

Prerequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Must have completed the following:
      • ECE222 - Digital Computers (0.50)
    • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
      • CS240 - Data Structures and Data Management (0.50)
      • CS240E - Data Structures and Data Management (Enriched) (0.50)
    • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
      • CS246 - Object-Oriented Software Development (0.50)
      • CS246E - Object-Oriented Software Development (Enriched) (0.50)
      • CS247 - Software Engineering Principles (0.50)
    • Enrolled in H-Software Engineering

Antirequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
      • CS350 - Operating Systems (0.50)
      • MTE241 - Introduction to Computer Structures and Real-Time Systems (0.50)
    • Not completed any of the following:

Leads to

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00171910 / 135MW 11:30–12:50
LEC 7012689113 / 9999Online or by arrangement
LAB 20171930 / 34Jan 27 08:30–11:20
Feb 10 08:30–11:20
Mar 10 08:30–11:20
Mar 24 08:30–11:20
Apr 7 08:30–11:20
LAB 20271950 / 34Jan 28 08:30–11:20
Feb 11 08:30–11:20
Mar 11 08:30–11:20
Mar 25 08:30–11:20
Apr 8 08:30–11:20
LAB 20371960 / 34Jan 26 08:30–11:20
Feb 9 08:30–11:20
Mar 9 08:30–11:20
Mar 23 08:30–11:20
Apr 6 08:30–11:20
LAB 20472330 / 33Jan 25 08:30–11:20
Feb 8 08:30–11:20
Mar 8 08:30–11:20
Mar 22 08:30–11:20
Apr 5 08:30–11:20
TUT 10171920 / 135W 14:30–15:20

Resources

Around the web

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Reviewed on UW Flow

88% liked it26% easy95% useful

From 154 ratings and 27 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • So goddamn difficult and amazing. I imagine this is what raising a child is like, except my OS was one of those slow kids. But damn am I proud of it, glorious little OS.

    Jun 2016 · liked it · 4 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Project can be a lot of work, but their marking is incredibly forgiving - just add some extra features and you can get 90%+ even if the thing crashed for half of their demo tests. Make sure you get reliable partners, even if they just show up for demos and do little of the work themselves. Lectures are useful as they intro most of the topics you'll need in the lab, and are easier to understand than the lab manual's vague hints.

    Jan 2016 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Lecture material is very dry, but fairly straightforward. Keep up in lectures as there may be in-class quizzes.
    Do not underestimate the lab. Start early.
    Otherwise get ready to hang out in a lab all weekend...resulting in this:
    http://i.imgur.com/Ljt9J.jpg
    You have been warned.

    Oct 2012 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • this course is pretty difficult but our prof cut out a bunch of content and marked our exam with a curve
    make sure you keep up with content as it's pretty hard to grasp while cramming

    Oct 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Really useful course. Labs are hard but cool, and very doable with a good team and proper planning. Exams can be a bit tough

    Apr 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

72 posts and comments in 41 threads mention SE 350, December 2012 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 2024

Winter 2024

Fall 2023

cs350 students, are yall really that dumb 1 point, 39 comments

“My friend works with the grad students in Ali's lab. He found out 73 students failed the final. That's like 22% of the class lmaooo”

u/Spackal2: “I mean have you taken the course and done well? If not I don’t think it gives you the right to call people dumb, even if you did take the course I still don’t see the point of kicking someone while …”

u/TechnicalSpread7368: “SE350 is a slightly different course. It has a large group lab project and the contents aren’t exactly the same. How would you have any clue about their exam if you haven’t taken the course? And each offering is different too. Which cohort are you in? …”

u/Aveeram: “… I'm talking of the og SE 350 curriculum pre-covid. The project was a small component, content similar to CS350 and final with a good overlap. …”

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Unsuccessful course enrolment? 1 point, 4 comments

“So I am an inbound exchange student. The early enrolment results are here and I got registered in 3 courses only? …”

u/impanini: “… PHIL358 also happens during your SE350 lecture, so that's why that one was also not successful. there's honestly not much you could do really other than choose 2 other courses to take. …”

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Spring 2022

What are the top 2 most useful software courses? 2 points, 9 comments

“I am pursuing a computing option and I need to pick 2 software courses. Excluding the introductory Programming courses and a introductory data structures and algorithms course, what in your opinion …”

u/cormack_gv: “You say, "Excluding the introductory Programming courses and a introductory data structures and algorithms course" so I had no idea what courses you have already taken or meet the prerequisites for. …”

u/marcbisp: “… mean I would also need to take either ECE 252 (Systems Programming and Concurrency) or SE 350 (Operating Systems) before that to fulfill prerequisite requirements. Not sure what you mean by the question about why I’m in a university program if I’m pursuing web development. …”

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Winter 2021

Fall 2020

5x5 things i learned in 5 years at uw that have almost nothing to do with school 680 points, 142 comments

“1. learn how to say no to people 2. laurier library is amazing for studying if you live nearby 3. learn how to talk to old people without sounding like a zoomer - you will have to do it a lot on coop …”

u/tendstofortytwo: “Alright, who wants to be my token engineering friend? This is all pretty great advice, thanks a lot for this! Though it's too late for me to have done quite a lot of this. :')”

u/harmonyIn3rdsNot4ths: “… I'm taking CO 487, CS 341/349/492, MATH 213, and SE 350/465 next term. …”

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I used to take depression pills 426 points, 33 comments

u/mangobikini: “… I remember I couldnt control my jaw during SE350 final. I wanted to cry so bad during the exam. I just hated myself and wanted to end my life. I am taking a break for 2 years since I need to serve in a military as a Korean male. I took pills for a half year now. …”

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Winter 2020

Who are the livesaver profs? 10 points, 25 comments

“Name them!”

u/commissary_lugnut: “Not all current profs this term necessarily, but they still deserve the shoutout: Nishad Kothari, MATH 239 (/u/combinatorist) Alfred Menezes, CO 487 Shai Ben-David, CS 485 - absolute legend Carmen Bruni, MATH 135 - great website/video resources Sebastian Fischmeister, SE 350”

u/uwgooseman: “SE 350 Zahedi cause he just gave everyone 100s on their finals lmao”

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