Bachelor of Science in Physical Sciences - Honours Earth Sciences

at University of Waterloo Canada

Who or what is the divine? What does it mean to be human? How do spiritual beliefs shape our world? In this program, you’ll examine how religions have influenced politics, economics, culture, art, science, and society throughout history — and continue to do so today.

Tailor your degree to your passions. We offer more than 100 undergraduate courses covering the religions of the world, Jewish studies, Christian traditions, and religious culture and society. Thanks to strong links with the Department of Religion and Culture at neighbouring Wilfrid Laurier University, you’ll have access to even more learning opportunities.

You’ll graduate equipped with the multicultural understanding, critical thinking skills, and historical knowledge to succeed in a variety of careers. And, if you take the co-op stream, up to two years of work experience on your resume.

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!

How does society handle inequality, poverty, and crime? How do social groups interact? How can we improve health care, criminal justice, religion, the economy, and our relationships to one another?

This is a program where you’ll wrestle with pressing questions — and develop the tools to create solutions to local and global challenges.

You’ll explore topics such as age, class, ethnicity, religion, gender, criminality, education, work, social change, and politics. And when you study Sociology at Waterloo, you’ll learn from leading experts committed to creating an outstanding classroom experience, ranked in the top 100 in the world. (Shanghai World University Rankings 2020)

As a sociologist, you’ll find career opportunities in a wide range of fields, including government, the financial sector, health, policy and research, law, academia, policing, and non-profit organizations. Want to explore them early? You can start by enrolling in the co-op stream and gaining up to two years of work experience prior to graduating.

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!

Cross boundaries. Connect the dots. Look at the bigger picture. Systems Design is designed for people who want the rigour of an engineering degree plus the flexibility to explore topics outside traditional engineering disciplines.

You’ll examine the people, materials, tools, software, and other factors involved in any engineering problem. You’ll learn to look at the system as a whole and assess how one change will affect another element, using a variety of modelling, analysis, and design methods.

Our project-based approach gives you lots of opportunity to apply your learning to real problems. Plus you’ll get two full years of work experience through our co-op program.

Once you graduate, your options are wide open: our grads go on to engineering consulting, project management, graduate school, medical school, startups, 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!

Get ready to tackle the climate crisis. In this program, you’ll study the science behind the challenges facing our planet’s environment. Combine biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science with human geography to address challenges such as flooding, permafrost thawing, drought and forest fires, peatland degradation, rising sea levels and coastal change, and changing economic opportunities in climate sensitive sectors.

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.

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

Literature and Rhetoric
The Literature and Rhetoric degree brings together the dual strengths of the UWaterloo Department of English. It provides a structured course of study to train you in both disciplines and considerable freedom in exploring your own interests. 

In studying literature and literary theory, you will be grounded in the traditions of British, Canadian, American, and Postcolonial literatures. In studying Rhetoric and Professional Writing, you will explore the history and theory of rhetoric, the nature of professional writing and information design, and digital media.

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!

Discover how to enhance quality of life by improving physical, social, and mental health. In Recreation and Leisure Studies, you’ll learn how well-designed recreation programs can foster inclusivity and strengthen the cultural fabric of a community.

Recreation and Leisure Studies represents one of the world's largest and fastest growing industries. If you think about it, anything that you are doing outside of work, school and sleeping, is some form of recreation and leisure.

Here at the University of Waterloo you'll learn from world-class professors how you can influence, encourage, and provide programs and services that help people maximize their quality of life. Whether you're into sports marketing, ecotourism, therapeutic recreation, or event management, the opportunities are endless.

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.

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!

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.

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!