Academic Advising

The Chemical Engineering program is accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). CEAB seeks to assure that graduates of the program meet the academic requirements for professional licensure and that they possess twelve attributes that set graduates up for success in their careers as engineers. In the Faculty of Engineering, we assess students based on a set of program indicators throughout the courses in the chemical engineering curriculum.

List of graduate attributes and associated program indicators

To meet your degree requirements, five Complementary Studies Electives (CSEs), not including MSE 261, must be taken. Courses must be selected as follows:

• one course from list A
• one course from list C
• two more courses from any of lists A, C or D
• one communication course (see communication requirement in milestones section below)

To meet your degree requirements, you are required to take four technical electives from approved lists (see the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar for details). Two of these must be 500 level CHE courses. The technical electives are organized in three thematic areas. Students who select all technical electives from the same list may register for a specialization.

To complement their engineering studies, all Chemical Engineering students are required to clear a number of milestones. A milestone is not a course, but an objective which must be cleared before a specified academic term. If you do not clear the milestone by a specified academic term, you will not be allowed to enrol in that term until the milestone has been cleared.

Five of these milestones are Co-op Work Terms.

The remaining three milestones are:

• Communication Requirement
• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
• Ethics and Equity

Your term standing is available on QUEST shortly after the end of the term. Definitions of academic decisions and promotion rules are outlined in the Examinations and Promotions section of the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar. If you have any questions regarding your term standing please contact Denise Mueller.

If your academic performance during the term was impacted by extenuating circumstances, you may request an exception to the academic decision and rules by submitting a petition. More information regarding petitions can be found under the Academic Support section of the Engineering Undergraduate Students website. You are strongly encouraged to discuss your situation with Denise Mueller or Eline Boghaert prior to submitting your petition.

During your final year, you will participate in the Chemical Engineering Capstone Design program. During two consecutive courses, students work in teams on a real, open-ended engineering design problem under the supervision of a faculty member with expertise in that problem area. Using the skills you’ve acquired over your studies, your team will solve real world problems and present your project at the annual Chemical Engineering Capstone Design Symposium in March.

Congratulations! You are about to join a prestigious network of more than 200,000 Waterloo alumni.  This checklist is designed to provide you with resources and information to help navigate the process of getting ready to graduate.

1. Verify your degree requirements.

2. Submit an Application to Graduate Form:

   • Deadlines can be found on the Registar's Office website. 
   • All students must apply to graduate or their degree will not be awarded. 
   • Form can be filled out and submitted online.
3. Visit the Registrar's Office Convocation page and ensure you have completed all required steps.