Waterloo Engineering uses the University of Waterloo's Brand Guidelines (log in required) as developed by University Relations (UR).
Below is the Waterloo Engineering style guide, which outlines a number of items specific to the Faculty of Engineering, not included in the UR style guide. This document should be used as a companion to the UR Brand Guidelines for all engineering publications.
Spelling and hyphenation
- coursework (as in a coursework master’s degree) is one word, no hyphen
- email, e‐commerce*
- Engineering 5, Engineering 6, Engineering 7
- micro‐electro‐mechanical systems (note the hyphenation) or MEMS
- nanometre, nanomaterials, etc.*
- Nexus (not NEXUS)
- Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre (note the hyphen)
* NOTE: For emerging technical prefixes (e‐,nano‐, etc.) use a hyphen (nano‐engineered materials, nano‐biological systems) except when adding to a one syllable root (nanoscale, nanobots). For established prefixes, consult the dictionary.
Punctuation
Series Comma
Omit the series comma (the comma between the next‐to‐last item in a list and the “and”) unless it is needed for clarity. Therefore write “science, technology and values,” not “science, technology, and values.”
One place where you will often need to include the series comma is in lists of departments, organizations and the like whose names include the word “and.” Therefore write “Our newest research centres are the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research, the Biotechnology and Health Engineering Centre, and the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy."
Capitalization
Academic Units
Waterloo Engineering follows the UR style guide convention of capitalizing names of faculties, colleges, departments, schools, institutes, centres, and other academic units only when they appear in their full and proper forms.
Examples:
- Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty
- the Department of Chemical Engineering, the Chemical Engineering Department
- professor of chemical engineering, the department; faculty member
- the School of Architecture, architecture, the school
Note: To distinguish the faculty (meaning Faculty of Engineering) from faculty members, use phrases such as “faculty member,” “professor,” and “faculty complement” or “Faculty of Engineering” and “Waterloo Engineering” where required to ensure the definition is clear and to avoid confusion.
Programs and options
We do not capitalize the names of disciplines or academic programs or options.
Examples:
- He’s studying computer engineering.
- Waterloo has Canada’s only nanotechnology engineering program.
- She’s taking the management sciences option.
Waterloo Engineering
The faculty’s preferred name for itself is Waterloo Engineering; note that this is considered the formal title, equivalent to Faculty of Engineering, and should thus be capitalized.
Degree names and professional registration
Below are the correct names and official abbreviations of the degrees offered by Waterloo Engineering. Note that none of the abbreviations include punctuation: that is, we offer a PhD, not a Ph.D; a BASc, not a B.A.Sc.
- Bachelor of Applied Sciences - BASc
- Bachelor of Architectural Studies - BAS
- Bachelor of Software Engineering - BSE
- Master of Applied Sciences - MASc
- Master of Architecture - MArch
- Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology - MBET
- Master of Engineering - MEng
- Master of Management Sciences - MMSc
- Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
Guidelines when referring to degrees
Take care to use appropriate apostrophes when referring to these degrees more generally, and do not capitalize the degree.
Examples:
- She’s studying for her bachelor’s degree.
- We offer several master’s degree programs in management sciences.
- Waterloo Engineering has retooled its coursework engineering master’s programs.
Avoid using “PhD” as an adjective. That is, write “a doctoral candidate,” rather than “a PhD candidate.”
Professional registration
- Professional Engineer - PEng
Department names and abbreviations
Below are the correct names and short forms of Waterloo Engineering’s academic units. In informal contexts, in headlines, or where space is at a premium, you may sometimes want to use short forms of longer department names. Use the complete name in a first reference and
the shorter forms only on second reference – if at all.
- Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre- Conrad Centre
- Department of Chemical Engineering - not generally used
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering - CEE
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering - ECE
- Department of Management Science and Engineering - (note the ‘s’ – it is not management science) - MSCI
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering - MME
- Department of Systems Design Engineering - SYDE
- School of Architecture - Architecture
Program names
Waterloo Engineering offers the following programs. These are not the accepted short forms for degrees or departments; they are abbreviations to be used only where copy space is at an absolute premium, such as in WEAL class notes or narrow website columns or sidebars.
- Architecture - Arch
- Biomedical Engineering - BME
- Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology - BET
- Chemical Engineering - CHE
- Civil Engineering - CIVE
- Computer Engineering - CE
- Electrical Engineering - ELE
- Environmental Engineering - ENVE
- Geological Engineering - GE (GEO)
- Management Sciences (graduate) - MSCI
- Management Engineering (undergraduate) - MGTE
- Mechanical Engineering - ME (MECH)
- Mechatronics Engineering - MECTR (TRON)
- Nanotechnology Engineering - NE (NANO)
- Software Engineering - SE
- Systems Design Engineering - SYDE
Titles
In a first reference, give an individual’s full appropriate title. In the second and subsequent references, use his or her surname only.
- Use professor, not “assistant professor,” “associate professor,” or “research professor” as personal titles.
- Try to avoid long job-title pileups in front of people’s names.
Examples: Professor Jane Brown; Mark Morley, a lecturer in systems design engineering; Tammy Marcinko, human resources information analyst; the dean of arts, Douglas Peers, Dean Douglas Peers; President Feridun Hamdullahpur; Professor Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo . . . [second ref.] Hamdullahpur
Use Dr. only for licensed health-care professionals who are members of the following colleges or their equivalents in other jurisdictions:
- the College of Chiropractors of Ontario
- the College of Optometrists of Ontario
- the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
- the College of Psychologists of Ontario
- the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario
- the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario, provided the member holds a certificate of registration that entitles him or her to use the title “doctor” (not all do)
- A member of the College of Naturopaths of Ontario may be called a “naturopathic doctor” (ND) but not “doctor” alone.
Do not use Dr. for people with doctorates outside the health-care field.