University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering
The Faculty of Engineering is one of six faculties at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It has 8,698 undergraduate students, 2176 graduate students, 334 faculty and 52,750 alumni making it the largest engineering school in Canada with external research funding from 195 Canadian and international partners exceeding $86.8 million. Ranked among the top 50 engineering schools in the world, the faculty of engineering houses eight academic units and offers 15 bachelor's degree programs in a variety of disciplines.
All undergraduate students are automatically enrolled in the co-operative education program, in which they alternate between academic and work terms throughout their five years of undergraduate study. There are 7,600 co-op positions arranged for students annually.History
The faculty of engineering was originally conceived in 1957 as an extension of the then Waterloo College. It was the college's first Faculty, originally named the Faculty of Science and Engineering of the Waterloo College Associate Faculties. The first class consisted of 74 male engineering students. In October 1957, the students started their work terms in what was the first co-operative education program in Canada. These students alternated between being in school and working in industry every three months. The program was later changed to a four-month term system, and has been adopted by all of the other University's Faculties in their co-op programs.
In 1959, the "associate faculties" of Waterloo College separated and became the University of Waterloo and the former faculty of science and engineering was renamed the faculty of engineering.
On Saturday, May 27, 1961, the faculty's first engineering graduates were awarded the Master of Applied Science in electrical engineering. William Cousins Miller, John Shewchun, Ferenc Takacs, and William Jacob Vetter received their degrees from Professor R. G. Stanton, chairman, faculty of graduate studies.
In July 2012, Pearl Sullivan became the first woman to hold the position of dean at the University of Waterloo Engineering. She was one of five women across Canada to head a school of engineering. She held the position until November 2019.
In 2020, Mary Wells was appointed the dean of engineering. She was previously a professor in the faculty's department of mechanical and mechatronics engineering for 10 years.
In 2021, University of Waterloo's faculties of engineering and math partnered with five Ontario faculties of engineering to create the IBET PhD Project, to foster equitable and inclusive research environments to increase the presence of Indigenous and Black academics in STEM. The program has expanded to include 18 academic institutions across Canada and includes IBET Momentum fellowships and academic mentoring to help increase the number of Indigenous and Black academics at Canadian post-secondary institutions. The faculty hosted its inaugural conference for the fellowship program on October 23 and 24, 2022.
On November 10, 2022, the engineering faculty's IDEAS Clinic was renamed the Pearl Sullivan IDEAS Clinic in honour of the lllFaculty's former lllDean, who died from cancer in 2020.
Waterloo Engineering has one of the highest percentages of women in undergraduate programs in Canada. The faculty has a Women in Engineering group that was established in 1992 to support women and non-binary engineering students and alumni. It also has an on-campus residence living learning community for women in the faculty of engineering that is located at the University of Waterloo's United College.Undergraduate programs
There are 15 undergraduate programs offered by the Faculty: Architectural, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Geological, Management, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Nanotechnology, Software and Systems Design Engineering as well as Architecture. Within the engineering programs, there are options that can be taken in the later years of undergraduate studies. Options include mechanical, computer, electrical, or control systems for the Mechatronics Engineering program.
Each of Waterloo Engineering's eight academic units also offers graduate degrees.Architectural engineering
is the newest undergraduate program, introduced in September 2018. It was designed to produce engineers technically skilled in the whole scope of building design, construction, assessment, repair and refurbishment with an emphasis on communication, collaboration and design. There were 373 architectural engineering undergraduate students in fall 2021.Architecture
The architecture program focuses on the culture and practice of design. Students learn the workings of society and culture, of the principles of physics, of materials and techniques of construction, of the human interaction with the natural and built environment, of historical process, of critical thought and the diverse forms of creative expression. There were 341 undergraduate architecture students in fall 2021.Biomedical engineering
The biomedical engineering program is part of the Department of Systems Design Engineering. This interdisciplinary program which focuses on design, combining fields such as biochemistry, cellular physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, and physiology with engineering principles, centres around the creation and development of biomedical systems and devices. There were 414 biomedical engineering undergraduate students in fall 2021.Chemical engineering
The chemical engineering program deals with the use and transformation of raw materials and energy. Students explore areas such as biotechnology, advanced materials, pollution control, alternative energy and other industry applications. There were 604 undergraduate chemical engineering students in fall 2021.Civil engineering
The civil engineering program at University of Waterloo is administrated by the department of civil and environmental engineering. It prepares its graduates for work in fields that include traffic engineering, structural design, building structures, bridges, sanitation, structures, harbours, aerospace, highways, railroads, pipelines, foundations, tunnelling, surveying and cartography, urban and regional planning and overall project planning. There were 604 civil engineering undergraduate students in fall 2021.Computer engineering
Students in the computer engineering program, learn about hardware, software, and computing principles in the context of important devices and systems – systems that control phones, cars, planes, and robots. They share classes with Electrical Engineering students until the second semester of the second year, with the Computer Engineering class required to take Embedded Microprocessor Systems and Systems Programming. There are 1451 computer engineering students, making it the faculty of engineering's largest undergraduate program.Electrical engineering
Students in the electrical engineering program learn fundamental skills in electronics, circuit analysis and electromagnetics. They share classes with Computer Engineering students until the second semester of the second year, with Electrical Engineering students then required to take Advanced Calculus II, and Electrical Properties of Materials. In fall 2021, Electrical Engineering had 418 undergraduate students registered.Environmental engineering
Environmental engineering is an accredited engineering program administrated by the department of civil and environmental engineering. The program focuses on water management and treatment, solid waste management, remediation of surface water and groundwater systems, biotechnology and contaminant transport. The program offers elective courses in earth sciences, biology, chemistry, ecology and planning. There were 273 undergraduate students enrolled in the program as of fall 2021.Geological engineering
The geological engineering program is part of the department of civil and environmental engineering. More than half of the courses that geological engineering students take are offered through the faculty of science. In first year, geological engineering students take courses together with environmental and civil engineering students. In second year, they move into their own stream. There were 63 geological engineering undergraduate students in fall 2021.Management engineering
The management engineering program at University of Waterloo is administrated by the department of Management Sciences. This program covers subjects such as mathematical optimization, stochastic modelling, process improvement and operations research. There were 440 management engineering undergraduate students in fall 2021.Mechanical engineering
The mechanical engineering program at University of Waterloo is administrated by the department of mechanical & mechatronics engineering. The mechanical engineering program is one of the largest engineering programs at the University of Waterloo. Graduates have a foundation in mechanics, power, control, and manufacturing. There were 1006 mechanical engineering undergraduate students attending as of fall 2021.Mechatronics Engineering
Mechatronics engineering, often referred to as "Tron", is administrated by the department of mechanical and mechatronics engineering and was launched at the University of Waterloo in 2003. Its first class graduated in 2008. Mechatronics engineering is a multidisciplinary field of study, combining computers with electro-mechanical technology in order to create robotic, wearable and autonomous systems. Though the program begins with students required to take a spectrum of mandatory courses, it later allows an extremely broad range of electives to enable specialization. Technical electives in fourth year include artificial intelligence, autonomous robotics, multi-sensing systems, computer architecture, micro electro mechanical systems, etc. Through these electives, students are able to strengthen skills within the mechanical, electrical, or computer aspect of Mechatronics. The department is currently chaired by Professor Michael Collins and has 1095 undergraduate students enrolled in total as of fall 2021.