What's a class profile?

Since its first inception in 2017, the class profile attempts to capture the thoughts, feelings, and lived experiences of the class from the beginning of 1A in Fall 2019, up until graduation in Spring 2024.

What's SYDE?

Systems Design Engineering (SYDE) is a multidisciplinary program at the University of Waterloo (UW) focusing on systems theory and user-centric design through mechanical and electrical engineering fields. The curriculum emphasizes continuous design iterations, user testing, and feedback to develop technical skills and user design thinking.

Who participated?

The SYDE 2024 cohort experienced 8 academic terms and 6 co-op terms over 5 years with 94 students graduating. 67 of 94 (71.3%) of SYDE 2024 students participated in this survey between Feb 2024 - Mar 2024.

Analyst's Note

All questions in the questionnaire were optional. The profile may not extend beyond this cohort's experiences and may not be applicable to other SYDE cohorts or university students. This profile was conducted by students independent of the University of Waterloo.

Academic terms are denoted as '1A', 1B, … '4B', while co-op terms are 'Co-op 1', … 'Co-op 6', each lasting 4 months. The SYDE co-op sequence follows a 'Stream 4' pattern, with study and co-op terms alternating after 1A. Students then complete their final two academic terms, 4A and 4B, back to back. Monetary values are expressed in Canadian dollars, converted at a rate of 1 USD = 1.36 CAD.

Data about the University of Waterloo is collected from the 2021 UWaterloo Equity Survey,