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SE 465Software Testing and Quality Assurance

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 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Introduces students to systematic testing of software systems. Software verification, reviews, metrics, quality assurance, and prediction of software reliability and availability. Related management issues.

Prerequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • 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

  • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
    • CS447 - Software Testing, Quality Assurance, and Maintenance (0.50)
    • ECE453 - Software Testing, Quality Assurance, and Maintenance (0.50)

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

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 00171860 / 135MF 14:30–15:50
LEC 7012687121 / 9999Online or by arrangement

Resources

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Reviewed on UW Flow

35% liked it85% easy44% useful

From 128 ratings and 22 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • It seems this course has undergone some reorganization in recent years. While previous cohorts may have wanted more theoretical content, current students appear to be looking for more practical, application-based learning. In this iteration, the theoretical material was presented in a way that felt somewhat disorganized, which unfortunately affected my engagement and interest in the course. Several assignments, such as those involving wlang, also felt loosely connected to the course content, adding to the confusion. The overall course structure and alignment between lectures and assessments could be significantly improved to better support student learning. With clearer objectives, better…

    Mar 2025 · didn’t like it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Oh my god this was horrible. Not a single redeeming quality about any part of this course. Professor? Unknowledgeable, abrasive, and egotistical. Content? Useless in real life while the somewhat interesting theoretical parts are a strict subset of SE 212. Organization? I think the first cities in Mesopotamia were better organized than whatever Patrick Lam put together.
    The course focuses on formal verification but it only covers what was learned in SE 212 (in a worse, less-clear way!). Why don't we learn how to use testing libraries like PyTest in our code? What about CI/CD? What about testing at scale? No. Instead were spend 3 months doing Hoare logic again because Patrick Lam said…

    Aug 2025 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • probably the worst course i've taken during my entire program. very disorganized and unenjoyable. prof patrick lam was a disaster for this course, extremely unprepared and clueless at times. he should not be allowed to teach this course again.

    Mar 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • This course is such a trash, should've been garbage collected

    Apr 2023 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • i question how much purpose this course has with AI. seems like software is turning in the gambling "if it compiles just merge" era

    Oct 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

20 posts and comments in 18 threads mention SE 465, March 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.

Fall 2023

Spring 2023

Alternatives on application 1 point, 3 comments

“Hi! This fall I'm strongly consideirng applying to UW Engineering, so I had a few questions - 1. Is there a difference in co-op opportunties in CE and SWE? 2. …”

u/robocop12321: “… SE drowns you out with chemistry reqs, SE 463/464/465, etc… useful but no fun.”

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Fall 2022

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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Winter 2020

SE 350 automatic 100% on 50% final, CS 350 possible exam??? 101 points, 157 comments

“Software Engineering course (SE 350) gets automatic 100 on 50% final exam. Computer Science equivalent (CS 350) planning on online exam. …”

u/thinkerjuice: “What's the SE profs name”

u/UWSE2022: “Because we have SE-only courses such as SE350, 380, 463, 464, 465, etc. that are only offered once a year. They're not going to split a cohort (and thus the courses). Also, since most of our courses are pre-selected the courses have their place in making a balanced schedule.”

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Fall 2019

To CS/SE alumni, what were your top 5 CS courses? 18 points, 13 comments

“That you found valuable/instructive/useful? This can be generalized to be your top N CS and non-CS courses (but focus is on CS).”

u/day711: “… (for interviews) SE 350 (for systems and understanding of how a computer actually works) SE 465 (practical, not hard, useful to know - every eng needs to write tests) CS 480 (useful if you want to do ML) ECE 358 (useful for systems and eventually web)”

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Spring 2019

What is the difference between CS and Software Eng? 34 points, 19 comments

“I feel like I'm gonna get reamed for this since it seems most of you are CS, but I legit don't know. I'm just a Biology boy who knows nothing about computers”

u/pahgawk: “I know you're in biology and not actively deciding which to take between the two, but in case anyone reading this is in that situation, here's my SE graduate perspective on what I think the …”

u/Transcendate: “… Also, what is your opinion of the SE "software engineering" course-chain (SE 465, 464, 463)? …”

u/pahgawk: “… SE 465: Patrick Lam made this course surprisingly good. …”

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Winter 2019

Urgent SE/CS study advice 5 points, 5 comments

“Hello everyone. I am a 2B Software Engineering student in dire need of study tips/advice. Ever since CS137, I've had trouble finding a way to study that I could actually follow along and not give up …”

u/I-Can-Explain: “If you can maintain low 80s without studying then you're probably fine to pass any semester so do whatever the fuck you want. What about CS240 bothers you so much? Its a pretty fundamental course.”

u/I-Can-Explain: “… Also I'd wait till taking SE 463/464/465 before saying you enjoy SE courses. …”

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Winter 2017

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

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