Bachelor of Arts in Honours Arts and Business - Liberal Studies

at University of Waterloo Canada

Explore how human interactions are influenced by individual, collective, and structural forces such as mental health, social relationships, economic conditions, education and politics, and movements for social justice and social change. The common goal of those who study Social Development Studies is to help people, communities, and nations flourish.

Through courses in areas such as psychology, sociology, and social work as well as hands-on community engagement opportunities, you’ll be well prepared for a meaningful career in social work, counselling, education, public services, human resources, law, or community and international service organizations. You can also enhance your learning experience by enrolling in co-op and applying what you learn in class to real work situations.

In today’s data-driven world, statisticians are in high demand. Get the skills you need to help businesses market new products, researchers evaluate medical treatments, governments shape effective public policy, and more.

In one of the world’s top centres for statistics, you’ll learn to design experiments and surveys, explore and analyze data, simulate complex systems, and extract meaningful information.

You’ll also get experience in statistical computing, forecasting, mathematical modelling, and statistical process control — all skills that will make you highly marketable. Not to mention up to two years of paid work experience if you enrol in co-op.

Where you apply those skills is up to you. Our grads go on to work in a huge range of fields, including biology, business, engineering, environmental science, finance, manufacturing, and the health sciences.

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!

Mathematics is the foundation of commerce, computing, engineering, and science. This program is the most flexible of all programs in the Faculty of Mathematics.

It provides you with a broad mathematics education, including courses in algebra, calculus, combinatorics, computer science, geometry, number theory, and statistics, in addition to the opportunity to gain up to two years of paid work experience through co-op. If you enjoy mathematics and want the opportunity to hone your analytical, technical, and problem-solving skills, but don’t want to narrow your focus on one major only, then this program is for you.

Fire up the Bunsen burners in one of Canada’s top 10 chemistry programs. You’ll study everything from biochemistry and inorganic chemistry to polymer chemistry, nanoscience, and more. 

Specialize in bio-based chemistry and learn how to synthesize chemicals from renewable resources such as ethanol, corn, or cellulose. You'll focus on designing chemical products that are biodegradable. Or you can specialize in computational chemistry to study the fundamental properties of atoms, molecules, and reactions using quantum mechanics and thermodynamics. You'll learn to solve chemical problems using computer modeling and simulations.

Meanwhile, you can gain 20 months of paid work experience through Waterloo's co-op program, allowing you to explore possible career paths while earning money to help pay for your education. If you’re eyeing a career in teaching or academia, hone your instruction skills as a teaching assistant.

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!

Are you passionate about recreation and sport, and interested in business? At Waterloo there’s no need to compromise. Our one-of-a-kind Recreation and Sport Business program enables you to combine recreation courses with transferable business skills – giving you the best of both worlds!

What will I get out of the program?

• Gain a solid understanding of recreation combined with business skills in areas such as accounting, finance, human resources and marketing. With your solid understanding of recreation and leisure, and the skills to develop and deliver products and services, you’ll be uniquely qualified to pursue a career in the recreation and sport industry and beyond.
• Prepare to work in the public, private, or not-for-profit sectors, start your own business or pursue graduate studies (e.g. an MBA).

Public Health has some of the smallest class sizes in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Waterloo. This means that you will get to know your professors really well—and they'll get to know you too—which will position you for success in your studies.

Gain a new perspective on illness and health
Biology isn't the only thing that determines health... social, cultural, political, and geographical conditions play a pivotal role in individual and population health. In the Public Health program at the University of Waterloo you'll learn how to improve human health by understanding these determinants and seek innovative ways to prevent diseases from occurring in the first place.

We recognize that the world is constantly changing, and so too should the policies, practices, structures, processes, and tools we use to improve health and health care. With this systems-thinking approach, you'll be able to tackle some of the world's toughest health challenges.

Health Informatics Option
An option is an academic plan that provides depth to a student's baccalaureate degree and typically requires fewer courses than a minor. Options are only available to students within their home faculty.

Health Informatics (HI) is a multidisciplinary field that investigates how computer technologies can be used to better generate, manage, store, and apply health information. In the Health Informatics Option, you will take courses from the health sciences, computer science, statistics, behavioural and social sciences, and epidemiology.

Career opportunities often involve the design and implementation of health information systems (e.g., establishing electronic patient records, or establishing ‘best practices’ databases) in various health care settings. For more information, see the Undergraduate Calendar - Health Informatics Option.

Experience: Co-op or Regular
As a Public Health student, you have two great ways to study - co-op or regular. Regardless of which path you choose, you’ll take the same academic courses, learn in state-of-the-art facilities, and have the support of friendly, helpful staff.

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.

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. 

Focus on problems where resources need to be allocated effectively in complex, dynamic, and uncertain conditions.

You'll start with a solid foundation in math, including combinatorics, linear optimization, modeling, scheduling, forecasting, decision theory, and computer simulation. On top of that, you’ll add courses in economics, business, and management science, in addition to the ability to gain paid work experience through co-op.

After first year, you'll choose one of two specializations: Operations Research or Business.

When you graduate, you’ll have all kinds of career options. You might enhance scheduling for airline crews and sports games, improve production and distribution efficiency for manufacturing companies, increase service quality and efficiency in healthcare administration, or develop sophisticated tools for finance and investments.

Delve into the roots of Western civilization and gain a deep understanding of ancient Greece and Rome — cultures that continue to shape our thinking and our society today.

Discover the enduring ideas of greats like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Master enough ancient Greek and Latin to study classic texts in their original language. Explore the many facets of antiquity: from history, religion, and philosophy to art, science, and technology.

Meanwhile, you’ll have lots of room to round out your education with courses from other departments or faculties and with work experience through co-op. Once you’ve graduated, the broad thinking demanded by the program will serve you well in a range of careers, including law, policy, culture, education, and more.

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!

Want to design a brain stimulator to combat symptoms of Parkinson's disease? Develop software to protect companies from cyber attacks? Create the next groundbreaking gaming platform? Learn at one of the top 50 universities in the world for Computer Engineering? (Shanghai World University Rankings 2020)

Between labs and lectures, you'll gain experience with all aspects of computers, from chips and wiring to software, networks, and communications. Meanwhile, your co-op terms will give you 2 years of paid work experience.

You’ll graduate ready for a career as a software developer, hardware engineer, IT specialist, systems designer, and more.

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!