Approved Upper Year Non-Technical Elective Courses

What are Non-Technical Electives?

Non-technical electives (NTEs) are courses that complement your Engineering courses in order to satisfy mandates from the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). You can choose your NTEs from courses designated as Category A (Social Science) or Category B (Arts & Humanities), as defined in Western’s Academic Calendar.

Please note: Any of ELI 3000A/B, ELI 3200A/B, ELI 4100A/B, ELI 4200A/B may also count as a 0.5 Non-Technical Elective. 

How do I choose?

In the Academic Calendar, under Courses, each subject area falls under a Category. After looking through the Category A and B subject areas, please use the Official Timetable to see which courses are offered in a given year.

Important:

  1. Courses with a science or statistics focus cannot be approved according to CEAB guidelines. This includes but is not limited to the following courses: Economics 2122A/B, 2123A/B, 2141A/B, 2142A/B, Classical Studies 2700A/B, 2700A/B, 2710A/B, and 2800A/B, Digital Communications 2203a/b, 3204a/b, Digital Humanities 2144a/b, Health Sci 2000a/b & 2300a/b, Kiniseology 2000a/b, Geography 2230a/b, Phychology 2220a/b.
    * If you are considering a course and feel it may be too focused in Science or Statistics, it is your responsibility to contact your Academic Counsellor to verify the course is an appropriate NTE. 
  2. You may take up to a 1.0 credit learn-to-speak language course as part of your non-technical electives. If you choose a learn-to-speak language course, it must be at the appropriate level for you, and your remaining 0.5* course must be from another subject area.


*Civil Engineering students in the International Development options and Integrated Engineering students who only take 1.0 NTE credits total, may take the full 1.0 credit as a learn-to-speak language course due the Social Science and Humanities content in core courses in the CEE and IE programs.


As always, if you are unsure about your non-technical elective choice, or need help choosing one, please contact your Academic Counsellor.