Bachelor of Arts in Honours Arts and Business - Communication Studies

at University of Waterloo Canada

Jumpstart your career with a one-of-a-kind degree that equips you with both scientific know-how and valuable business skills.

Science and Business at Waterloo combines studies in biology, chemistry, and physics with courses in economics, accounting, marketing, law, and entrepreneurship.

Focus your degree by specializing in one of four different scientific disciplines, or take a broader range of courses tailored to your interests. Meanwhile, in one of Canada’s top universities for business, you’ll work in small groups on case studies, business plans, and market analysis, as well as have the opportunity to gain paid work experience through the co-op stream.

When you graduate, the opportunities are many: this is a degree you can put to work in intellectual property, research, mutual funds, technical sales, business development, law, and a host of other fields.

Specializations
You can add additional areas of expertise to your degree by including one or more of the areas of focus in Science and Business.

• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Biotechnology
• Earth Sciences (co-op not available)

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!

The Honours Studio Practice academic plan is designed to prepare students for work in the creative arts sector by teaching and fostering practical creative and analytical skills within a university environment. Students are introduced to studio art practice in our foundation course in the Fall of their first term of study. After that, over three terms (in years one and two) students take at least six studio courses from more than 20 possibilities, each concentrating on specific media: drawing, painting, digital, print, sound, sculpture, photography, performance, installation, and wearable media. Year three is focused on honing technical skills in these areas, in concert with learning how to develop an independent body of work.

The final year is dedicated to creating a cohesive body of work which is then showcased in the Honours Graduation Exhibition in March of the last term of study. Studio courses and the student’s own studio practice are underpinned by courses in modern art, contemporary art and visual culture as well as courses outside the department. Professional practice, such as documentation of work, installation, writing an artist statements and preparation of the exhibition catalogue, are all components of the fourth year studio course.

The Honours Studio Practice academic plan is designed to prepare students for work in the creative arts sector by teaching and fostering practical creative and analytical skills within a university environment. Students are introduced to studio art practice in our foundation course in the Fall of their first term of study. After that, over three terms (in years one and two) students take at least six studio courses from more than 20 possibilities, each concentrating on specific media: drawing, painting, digital, print, sound, sculpture, photography, performance, installation, and wearable media. Year three is focused on honing technical skills in these areas, in concert with learning how to develop an independent body of work.

The final year is dedicated to creating a cohesive body of work which is then showcased in the Honours Graduation Exhibition in March of the last term of study. Studio courses and the student’s own studio practice are underpinned by courses in modern art, contemporary art and visual culture as well as courses outside the department. Professional practice, such as documentation of work, installation, writing an artist statements and preparation of the exhibition catalogue, are all components of the fourth year studio course.

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!

Use your understanding of mathematical concepts to solve complex problems in engineering, medicine, business, and science, from the behaviour of ocean waves to the structure of space-time.

In Applied Mathematics, you’ll deepen your knowledge of calculus and differential equations: the foundation for most mathematical models. You’ll have lots of opportunity to put those tools to work on real-life problems — in the classroom and, if you choose co-op, during your work terms.

Many of our Applied Mathematics graduates work in research, development, and consulting. Others pursue graduate studies in applied mathematics, computer science, engineering, or physics.

Today, economists are turning to sophisticated mathematical models to understand and predict economic behaviour. Meanwhile, the problems that come up in economics have driven many advances in mathematics.

That why we’ve created this program, jointly offered by the Faculty of Mathematics and the Department of Economics in the Faculty of Arts.

Over the course of your degree, you’ll become an expert at using differential calculus, differential equations, and mathematical optimization to understand economic behaviour. If you enroll in the co-op stream, you can add paid work experience on top that.

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!

Philosophy has long been a central component of a liberal arts education — and with good reason. It teaches you critical reasoning like no other discipline. It’s also an excellent addition to studies in mathematics and the sciences. 

In the Philosophy program at Waterloo, you’ll explore enduring dilemmas of human existence, learn the fundamentals of formal logic, and apply philosophical reasoning to highly topical issues and current events. And have the opportunity to apply it all in your co-op work terms, too.

Once you graduate, you’ll have a wide range of options. A philosophy degree is ideal for a career in law and valuable preparation for just about any field that demands breadth of thinking, careful reading, thorough analysis, and clear argumentation.

Whether you want to create a VR training program for surgeons, the next "swipe right" dating app, or an autonomous car, software engineers have endless career options in today’s tech-enabled world.

At Waterloo, you won’t just write code. You’ll also analyze software architecture, apply algorithms, understand digital hardware systems, and design human/ computer interfaces. Plus, you’ll learn how to work in teams and manage projects, all while being taught by one of the best universities on the planet for software engineering (Shanghai World University Rankings 2020).

Then, during your co-op, you’ll put those skills to work at leading companies like Snapchat, Facebook, or hot new startups. When you graduate, you’ll be ready to create reliable, affordable, and faster software for all kinds of different purposes.

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!

Tourism and outdoor recreation represent one of the world's largest industries, creating numerous opportunities for inspired professionals who can develop and deliver rewarding experiences while protecting cultural and natural resources for future generations.

What will I get out of the program?

• You'll learn the critical components of developing, implementing, and evaluating tourism experiences and events.
• Learn from professors who have been recognized nationally and internationally for their excellence in teaching and research.
• Be well-positioned for a career in one of the world's largest industries - developing, planning, and managing tourism areas and organizations in Canada and around the world.

In Canada’s longest-standing Medieval Studies program, you’ll explore the ideas and events of Europe and the Near East from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the modern era in 1500 CE.

When you study medieval history, art, philosophy, legal systems, and politics, you’re not just living in the past. This is a field that offers valuable insights into European politics, modern gender norms, the rise and fall of superpowers, the connections between Islam and Christianity, and more, and you'll have the opportunity to implement that into your work early if you choose the co-op stream.

You’ll have lots of opportunity to connect with other students, thanks to small classes and the regular social and academic events organized by the Classical and Medieval Students Society.

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!

Earn a Bachelor of Science degree and your Commercial Pilot Licence through the largest aviation program in Canada.

Your core science education will be supplemented with courses that include cartography, climatology, geographic information systems, aerodynamics, and remote sensing. Our curriculum also emphasizes the organizational and communication skills you’ll need to succeed in the working world.

Aviation and aerospace industries demand a new breed of specialists who have well-developed analytical and decision-making skills, along with an understanding of complex aircraft systems.

Waterloo’s Science and Aviation program equips you with that expertise.

Program highlights

• Log 200+ flight hours. You’ll spend lots of time in the air — flight hours that count toward your Commercial Pilot Licence with aviation courses through the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre.
• Build valuable skills. When you graduate, your combination of a university degree and a pilot’s licence will set you up for a wide range of airborne and ground-based careers — and give you a distinctive edge over your competition.

What will you learn?
First-year courses
In your first year, you'll take a mixture of Aviation, Geography, and science courses to give you the foundations for your upper-year classes. After first year, most of your classes will be Aviation and science courses with some Mathematics and Geography courses.