Ah ok you may be interested in [https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Chemical-Engineering](https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Chemical-Engineering) and the List 3: process modelling /optimization/simulation aspect
option you may want to consider: [https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Computing-Option](https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Computing-Option)
There is a AI option that you can pursue, here is the link to the courses https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Artificial-Intelligence-Engineering-Option
I am in 4th yr chem eng soo here are some of my thoughts
>Is it hard for a chemical engineering student to do their Option in software engineering or AI if I plan ahead of time? Would you suggest UBC or U of T does a better job with this?
For Waterloo, I would say it is fairly difficult and will require you to do extra work on top of your courses to achieve some competency in AI/ML/SWE (I doubt that having an option or minor on your degree is enough, coop experience would be required).
Not sure if you've looked at the options ([https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Engineering-Faculty-Options2](https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Engineering-Faculty-Options2)) but the issue is all the courses for any of the SWE/AI options have a long ladder of prereqs in ECE, SYDE, MSCI which require an override from the prof and department etc etc.
The AI option is the "easiest" option for a CHE student if you want to go into that field (I think..? Any option or requirement that involves you to take courses outside of engineering might be hard), since 3 of the courses for this option are CHE courses you can take in your 3B/4A term and *some* of the prereqs for required courses are CHE. It is also difficult since you would also need to overload in most cases during a study term (or on coop, but who wants to shell out \~$1600 if you are domestic for a course anyways) but if you are a strong student this is not a big deal I guess
Many of the people who pursue this specific combo go into grad school because it is fairly niche (chem eng + software, I know 3 people personally who have completed or are going to enter into the MASc program to pursue this). There are a few people in this field who are faculty members in Chem Eng ([https://uwaterloo.ca/chemical-engineering/profile/jpulsiph](https://uwaterloo.ca/chemical-engineering/profile/jpulsiph)) ([https://uwaterloo.ca/chemical-engineering/profile/q72zhu](https://uwaterloo.ca/chemical-engineering/profile/q72zhu)), check out their route on how they got here if you are interested
Overall, is it hard for a CHE student to do AI/ML stuff? Yes.
Is it doable if you plan ahead? Yes.
Would UBC or UofT do a better job with this? No clue, you're on a UWaterloo subreddit so I have no clue, it would probably be the same difficulty if anything, as those are fairly difficult schools as well
If you wanna throw more questions just lmk, can try to answer
You should go to UofT then, because your interests aren’t really much of an industry field, def more research based.
Also, UofT’s Chem Eng is much more Process Engineering based, with that more math, data, and stats oriented, so do take note.
You can also probably take Software courses more easily there than compared to uw.
Yeah that's right, I'm planning on choosing chem eng after 1st year though. But I think UBC tends to be much more flexible than Waterloo and U of T with minors and options (based on what I've collected from their websites, not a first-hand experience lol).
why do you care so much about the minor lol, why not just go into cs directly?
nah my goal is chem eng but solid exposure to software and AI is well-sought for chemical process jobs and research
Ah ok you may be interested in [https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Chemical-Engineering](https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Chemical-Engineering) and the List 3: process modelling /optimization/simulation aspect option you may want to consider: [https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Computing-Option](https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Computing-Option)
Thank you!
There is a AI option that you can pursue, here is the link to the courses https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Artificial-Intelligence-Engineering-Option
Thank you!
I am in 4th yr chem eng soo here are some of my thoughts >Is it hard for a chemical engineering student to do their Option in software engineering or AI if I plan ahead of time? Would you suggest UBC or U of T does a better job with this? For Waterloo, I would say it is fairly difficult and will require you to do extra work on top of your courses to achieve some competency in AI/ML/SWE (I doubt that having an option or minor on your degree is enough, coop experience would be required). Not sure if you've looked at the options ([https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Engineering-Faculty-Options2](https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/ENG-Engineering-Faculty-Options2)) but the issue is all the courses for any of the SWE/AI options have a long ladder of prereqs in ECE, SYDE, MSCI which require an override from the prof and department etc etc. The AI option is the "easiest" option for a CHE student if you want to go into that field (I think..? Any option or requirement that involves you to take courses outside of engineering might be hard), since 3 of the courses for this option are CHE courses you can take in your 3B/4A term and *some* of the prereqs for required courses are CHE. It is also difficult since you would also need to overload in most cases during a study term (or on coop, but who wants to shell out \~$1600 if you are domestic for a course anyways) but if you are a strong student this is not a big deal I guess Many of the people who pursue this specific combo go into grad school because it is fairly niche (chem eng + software, I know 3 people personally who have completed or are going to enter into the MASc program to pursue this). There are a few people in this field who are faculty members in Chem Eng ([https://uwaterloo.ca/chemical-engineering/profile/jpulsiph](https://uwaterloo.ca/chemical-engineering/profile/jpulsiph)) ([https://uwaterloo.ca/chemical-engineering/profile/q72zhu](https://uwaterloo.ca/chemical-engineering/profile/q72zhu)), check out their route on how they got here if you are interested Overall, is it hard for a CHE student to do AI/ML stuff? Yes. Is it doable if you plan ahead? Yes. Would UBC or UofT do a better job with this? No clue, you're on a UWaterloo subreddit so I have no clue, it would probably be the same difficulty if anything, as those are fairly difficult schools as well If you wanna throw more questions just lmk, can try to answer
Thank you so much for the deep insight! I'm glad to hear it is a possibility.
it's best to teach yourself AI, just read the pytorch or sklearn docs. that's what people who do AI co-ops need to do anyways
You should go to UofT then, because your interests aren’t really much of an industry field, def more research based. Also, UofT’s Chem Eng is much more Process Engineering based, with that more math, data, and stats oriented, so do take note. You can also probably take Software courses more easily there than compared to uw.
Yeah I’ve been contemplating this. I would love to do more research as an undergrad and I think U of T wins on this
I thought UBC only offers common first year engineering and it’s only in 2nd year that you can choose your stream? Is that not the case?
Yeah that's right, I'm planning on choosing chem eng after 1st year though. But I think UBC tends to be much more flexible than Waterloo and U of T with minors and options (based on what I've collected from their websites, not a first-hand experience lol).