Bachelor of Science in Physical Sciences - Honours Materials and Nanosciences

at University of Waterloo Canada

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!

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.

At Waterloo, we offer much more than just German language courses. Explore German culture, film, literature, and linguistics, or add classes in other Slavic languages like Russian and Croatian, all with the additional appeal of work experience through co-op.

The language skills and cultural competence you develop over the course of your degree will serve you well in a variety of careers, including education, business, and government.

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!

Design bionic limbs. Create laser-guided surgical devices. Develop wearable tech to help athletes perform better. In Biomedical Engineering, you’ll use engineering know-how to develop better ways to diagnose illnesses, treat health problems, and enhance health.

You’ll study biomechanics, physics, chemistry, and design. With that broad knowledge, you’ll be able to collaborate with all kinds of different experts: biologists, medical practitioners, policy makers, and engineers, to name a few. You’ll also learn to model and design complex biomedical systems—and you’ll get plenty of hands-on experience through two years of paid co-op work terms, plus a fourth-year design project.

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 world of finance requires professionals with strong mathematical and analytical skills. You’ll hone them both in this challenging program — one of just a handful across the country recognized by the CFA Institute.

Whether you choose to specialize in Chartered Financial Analyst or Professional Risk Management, you’ll study a mix of mathematics, finance, accounting, and economics — giving you the perfect foundation for a career in banking, investment management, or risk management.

Meanwhile, if you opt for the co-op program, you’ll also have two years of paid 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!

Combine your interests in business and math in this unique program, and gain two degrees in the time it normally takes to earn one co-op degree. This double degree program combines Waterloo's strength in mathematics with the business expertise of nearby Wilfrid Laurier University (walking distance from our campus).

You'll graduate with two prestigious degrees: a Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath) from Waterloo and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Laurier. Together, they give your résumé an enviable edge that will impress employers and prepare you to make your mark as a trader, analyst, executive, or entrepreneur.

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!

If your passions don’t fit neatly into a traditional university program, consider Knowledge Integration (KI).

The Bachelor of Knowledge Integration is a flexible and challenging transdisciplinary program for creative and diversely talented students. KI offers students the opportunity to explore interests on both sides of the traditional arts and science divide, building their program around a core of skills that will equip them to understand and solve complex problems, communicate effectively, and be able to make a difference in and adapt to a changing and complex world.

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.

Combine engineering expertise with architectural savvy to boost the energy efficiency, durability, and sustainability of buildings. In Waterloo's newest engineering program, you'll learn how to design, renovate, and retrofit flexible buildings that adapt to different needs. And have the opportunity to combine it all with co-op.

You'll cover all the science and engineering that goes into good building design, including mechanics, structural analysis, structural design and more. In third year, you'll study at Waterloo's world-class School of Architecture, deepening your understanding of aesthetics, culture, and other elements of design.

As a result, you'll graduate speaking the language of both engineers and architects — a skill that will put you on the fast track to leadership in the building design industry.

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!

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.

Public Health is a direct entry Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) program available through our co-op or regular system of study. You must choose regular or co-op when you apply.

Health Research Specialization
A specialization provides a secondary area of study in addition to your major. It is an academic plan that offers an area of concentration and provides depth to a student's primary area of study. Specializations are only available to students within their primary department.

Employers need professionals who can understand, generate, and interpret health research to help them make effective decisions. Graduate and professional schools are looking for students who have experience in research design, data management, and analysis.

The Health Research Specialization will provide you with advanced opportunities to generate and interpret health research and evaluation data that is vital to the development of health programs, services, and policies. This specialization will provide you with a strong understanding of research methods, access to advanced seminars, and the opportunity to conduct an honours thesis (research project) under the supervision of a professor. Refer to the Undergraduate Calendar - Health Research Specialization page for a full list of courses in this specialization.

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.