Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Geography and Environmental Management (Co-op)

at University of Waterloo Canada

In this exciting, highly interactive program (formerly Speech Communication), you’ll explore how our everyday forms of communication create meaning and shape our perspective of the world. This degree is unique within Canada for our experience-based study of verbal, non-verbal, visual, and digital communication practices.

You’ll learn to master interviewing skills, become adept at public speaking, and communicate effectively as a leader. You'll also study the dynamics of communication in your personal interactions, your classrooms, workspaces, in your use of online and digital spaces, and more broadly in media and public communication.

Over the course of your degree, you’ll hone your written and oral communication skills while developing expertise in teamwork, research, visual and digital literacy, and critical analysis — just the kind of skills that employers are hungry for. Enrolling in the co-op stream will provide insights into possible careers and paid work experience along the way.

Learn to wow your audience as you explore theatre and performance in one of Canada’s most creative drama programs. Go beyond art history books and collaborate with professors, visiting artists, and other students to make high quality work that contributes to a just society. You'll learn by doing, covering performance to management, design to critical studies, and creation to technology. 

In the classroom, courses in performance, production, design, direction, and management will give you the technical tools to excel at your craft. Meanwhile, complementary courses in politics, race, gender, theory, technology, and aesthetics will help you decide what messages matter. You can apply your knowledge to co-op placements too.

By the time you graduate, you’ll have a rich portfolio to take into the world of theatre, plus a range of creative, analytical, and management skills that will serve you well in any number of roles, on stage or off.

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 one of North America’s top schools of architecture, you’ll get a broad education that covers everything from building materials and construction techniques to cultural history, social context, green architecture, and more. Not to mention you can combine it all with co-op.

However, the core of pre-professional program is design courses, starting right in year one. You’ll get your own dedicated space in our studio where you’ll develop your ideas and skills through a series of hands-on projects.

Learn about society and culture, the principles of physics, materials and techniques of construction, human interaction with the natural and built environment, critical thought, and the diverse forms of creative expression.

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!

Explore earth processes as they relate to human activities to better understand the impacts of human (and natural) influences on environmental sustainability, biodiversity, and hydrology/hydrogeology.

Environmental science applies geologic knowledge to address and solve problems related to the more than seven billion humans occupying the Earth. Topics you'll learn include climate change, groundwater flow and contamination, environmental impacts of pollution, responsible extraction of earth resources, waste disposal, and human engineering of earth processes. Enjoy examining the interactions between and within the Earth's four spheres that include both living and non-living components.

Train with cutting-edge professors and the latest technologies, at Canada's most innovative university, to directly address challenges facing humanity today and future generations.   

Water Science
Investigate the unique properties of water, the distribution and movement of fresh and salt water above, on, and within the Earth, and the quality and quantity of water that humans depend upon to survive and thrive on this planet.

Study the power, elegance, “how,” and “why” of math. In this rigorous program, you'll cover the spectrum of mathematics — from classical to modern — including geometry, number theory, and logic.

Because Pure Mathematics classes are among the smallest and most cohesive in the Faculty of Mathematics, you’ll get to know both your classmates and your profs. (Profs who are doing ground-breaking research when they’re not in the classroom.)

Pure Mathematics will provide you with problem-solving skills that can be applied in industry, business, government, or graduate school.

Study at one of the world’s best schools for computer science, where more than 80 professors are pushing the boundaries of the field.

Computer Science focuses on the study of software, algorithms, programming, and the limits of computation. Using a combination of theory and application, you will learn how to describe problems in a formal, precise way so that machines can solve them. You will also learn about managing large scale programs, and about understanding the power, limitations, and organization of computer software and hardware.

The Bachelor of Mathematics - Major in Computer Science (BMath/CS) will allow you to study computer science with a larger combination of math courses to satisfy your degree. If you are admitted to the BMath program, you will need to declare a major in Computer Science starting in second year. You'll need to speak with an advisor to modify your plan as well as satisfy our requirements.

In one of the most advanced undergraduate finance programs in the world, you’ll focus on the math behind financial markets.

Offered jointly by the Department of Pure Mathematics and the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Mathematical Finance is designed for students with elite mathematical abilities who wish to pursue finance combined with pure mathematics.

Our challenging curriculum includes courses on corporate finance, mathematical finance, asset-liability management, statistics, and forecasting. It also provides a co-op stream where students can gain up to two years of paid work experience.

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!

Our language-oriented stream emphasizes a fluent knowledge of Spanish, focusing on understanding, speaking, reading, and writing, including courses for business and translation. Meanwhile, Waterloo’s Hispanic club gives you the chance to practice your conversation skills with peers.

Alternatively, you can opt to specialize in Latin American Literatures and Cultures. In this stream, you'll study the major literary and cultural trends of Latin America, from pre-Columbian times to the present, while developing strong research skills along the way.

Once you graduate, your Spanish degree opens up all kinds of possibilities, including business, teaching, international relations, and international development. You can also add appeal to your degree by gaining some work experience through co-op.

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!

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!