WatPD-Engineering

WatPD-Engineering is a small sub-unit of the University's Dean of Engineering Office. Sean Peterson is WatPD-Engineering's Academic Director. The program is overseen by the Engineering Curriculum Committee, which is made up of representatives from WatPD, Co-operative Education, EngSoc, and Engineering faculty.

Here's how Engineering students can expect to move through WatPD-Engineering during their undergraduate careers:

First-year sessions

The Academic Director of WatPD-Engineering and a representative from WatPD visit 1A (stream 4) and 1B (stream 8) classes during the fall and winter terms to introduce students to WatPD-Engineering. These sessions focus on the program's goals, the importance of professional skills for Engineering students, and the two compulsory PD courses (PD19 and PD20) Engineering students take. The dates and times of each session are announced via email each term.

The fall 2020 and winter 2021 first-year sessions have been replaced by module content in various first-year concepts courses due to COVID-19.

Compulsory courses

Engineering students must complete five PD courses, all of which are completed during their work terms. The first two PD courses Engineering students complete are compulsory: students are auto-enrolled into these courses, and they must successfully complete them before moving on to their elective PD courses.

Engineering students who started studying during the Fall 2020 term or later complete PD19: Tactics for Workplace Success and PD20: Engineering Workplace Skills I: Developing Reasoned Conclusions as their two compulsory courses. Engineering students who started studying before the Fall 2020 term complete PD20 and PD21: Engineering Workplace Skills II: Developing Effective Plans.

• PD19: Tactics for Workplace Success
• PD20: Engineering Workplace Skills I: Developing Reasoned Conclusions
• PD21: Engineering Workplace Skills II: Developing Effective Plans

Elective courses

Once Engineering students finish their compulsory courses, they must choose three¹ elective courses from the following list:

• PD3: Communication
• PD4: Teamwork
• PD5: Project Management
• PD6: Problem Solving
• PD7: Conflict Resolution
• PD8: Intercultural Skills
• PD9: Ethical Decision Making
• PD10: Professional Responsibility in Computing
• PD11: Processes for Technical Report Writing
• PD12: Reflection and Learning in the Workplace
• PD13: Research in the Workplace
• PD22: Professionalism and Ethics in Engineering Practice

Academic integrity

WatPD-Engineering fully supports, in principle and in practice, the University of Waterloo's academic integrity policies. WatPD-Engineering students are encouraged to review the Integrity for Waterloo Students materials and extra information provided by the Office of Academic Integrity.

¹ Some Engineering programs have special requirements with respect to PD courses. If you're unsure about the PD course requirements associated with your program, please consult the undergraduate calendar or contact your academic advisor for more information.