Bachelor of Knowledge Integration

at University of Waterloo Canada

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.

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 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.

Choose courses from a wide variety of subjects to tailor your program towards your own area of interest. Experience community through small classes and engaged professors. Explore the theory and practice of conflict resolution, human rights, and international development, and get some first-hand experience through co-op placements or a Peace and Conflict Studies internship.

Understand the factors that drive conflict and violence. Think critically about how peace can be built in complex situations to move towards a healthy society where communities and individuals flourish.

You’ll learn from renowned specialists in peacebuilding who bring both academic and practical expertise. Build even closer ties to your classmates and professors by joining the Peace and Conflict Studies Living-Learning Community at Conrad Grebel University College, located on Waterloo’s main campus.

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.   

Ecology
Address ecological sustainability and biodiversity while learning about the fundamental science of life on Earth. Delve into environmental disciplines that examine the history, interaction, and possible future of Earth’s species and ecosystems.

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!

One of the joys of being in university is having time to broaden your horizons, discover new interests, and get involved in a range of extracurricular activities. Liberal Studies gives you that freedom.

Commonly called a liberal arts degree at other universities, Liberal Studies allows you to explore many different subjects in the humanities, social sciences, languages and cultures, and fine and performing arts – plus courses you’d like to take from some of Waterloo's other faculties.

You can add focus to your degree with a minor or minors, or keep it completely general. (And if you do fall passionately in love with a subject along the way, you can switch into a major at any point.) An academic advisor can help you plan your degree and choose courses.

Acquire the expertise to analyze financial information and take a leadership role in any business. This rigorous program covers accounting, finance, business analytics, and investment management, and more.

We offer a rich learning environment where you can develop professional competencies both inside and outside the classroom. Extend your learning through co-op work terms, extracurricular activities, and a host of other experiential opportunities. 

By the time you graduate, you'll be advancing your career, not just launching it! A degree in Accounting and Financial Management sets you up for success. You’ll be able to analyze, interpret, and communicate the information that drives business decisions.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN ACCOUNTING
You can add additional areas of expertise to your Bachelor of Accounting and Financial Management degree by including one or more of the areas of focus within the program.

• Accounting
• Finance
• Entrepreneurship
• Data Analytics

You can also include one of the minors available to all Waterloo students. Popular areas of focus for AFM students include Economics, Human Resource Management, and International Studies.

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 a bilingual country and an ever-more globalized world, knowledge of French as a second language gives you an edge in almost any field.

At Waterloo, you can choose language courses that range from basic to advanced, as well as a wide variety of courses in French linguistics, literature, culture, and civilization. You’ll learn from professors that include Governor General prize-winners and world experts in French.

Life Sciences is the study of living organisms, ranging from the very tiny world of microbiology and genetics to the physiology and zoology of the world’s great mammals – with plants, botany, and more in between!

At Waterloo, Life Sciences is a group of related majors. The four Life Sciences majors (Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, and Psychology) bring together disciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics, and math to help you learn how living systems work and interact. When you apply to Waterloo, you'll select one of the majors and get to do labs and experiments starting right in first year. You can choose the co-op program or the regular system of study 

Biomedical Sciences
Study human and animal systems and their functions related to health, disease, and the healing process. Diversify your knowledge by learning about viruses, bacteria, and other microbes, and how these (along with genetic and environmental influences) can impact health. Examine how the body ages, how disease and injury impact it, and what diagnostic tools can identify physiological problems.

You’ll start with foundational courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and math that prepare you to meet the admission requirements of most health-related professional schools. After first year, you’ll focus on human biology, with courses in anatomy, physiology, histology, microbiology, and biochemistry. Add some complementary courses from science and related disciplines, and then round out your degree with electives of your choice.

The only one of its kind in Canada, this program goes far beyond basic anatomical knowledge and sexual health. Use different perspectives to explore relationships, communication, parenting skills, how media affects our understanding of gender/sex/relationships, the impact of culture on sexual values, and more, all from a social justice perspective.

Meanwhile, the program itself has a real family vibe. You’ll enjoy small classes and a tight-knit community at St. Jerome’s University, one of Waterloo's on-campus University Colleges.

With your degree, you can choose from a slew of high-impact career paths, including teaching, counselling, social services, community engagement, and more. And you can always explore them early through the co-op stream.

Love the written word? An English degree at Waterloo gives you all kinds of opportunity to explore that passion, with more than 150 undergraduate courses available in both the regular and co-op streams.

Take rhetoric courses and learn the art of persuasion. Focus on digital media, where you’ll merge the latest technology with enduring principles of effective communication. Or explore the pleasures and insights of English literature, from Beowulf to Virginia Woolf.

At Waterloo, you’ll be learning from the best: the Department of English features internationally recognized scholars. In their classes, you’ll develop all-important skills in communication, critical thinking, analysis, and persuasion.

At the end of first year, you can choose one of three majors within the English program.

• Literature
• Literature and Rhetoric
• Rhetoric, Media, and Professional Communication

The Rhetoric, Media, and Professional Communication program
Rhetoric, Media, and Professional Communication is one of three majors offered by the English Department. RMPC offers both intellectual challenge and practical insight into rhetoric, professional writing and information design, and digital media.

This degree will give you a solid grounding in classical and contemporary rhetoric and allow you to pursue interests in advertising, technical writing, document design, and digital media.

Courses
In the English-RMPC program you will be taking courses that span a number of different fields:

• Rhetoric and professional communication courses will give you experience not only in writing in a variety of modes and for a variety of purposes and audiences, but also in exploring a variety of research methods.
• Digital media courses will give you opportunities to both analyze and create a broad variety of digital media texts.
• Linguistics courses will show you the nature and structure of the language through which we express and define ourselves. 
• Literature and criticism courses will allow you to select from a broad range of traditions, including British, Canadian, American, and Postcolonial literatures.
• RMPC electives will give you the opportunity to extend your interests in many directions.
• On graduation, you'll be prepared for graduate studies in several areas including literature, language, communications, and composition studies, or for a career in business, industry, government, teaching, or communications—in any field, in other words, that values a well-educated person capable of analytical, critical, and creative thinking, writing, and speaking.