What's the Waterloo Co-op Advantage?

Build experience, earn money, and explore career paths before you graduate.

Are you looking for a way to get beyond the classroom and into the workplace? At Waterloo, you can gain real-world experience while earning your degree through co-op. With access to North America's largest selection of co-op jobs, you'll have opportunities to build your skills, explore career paths, and develop your professional network before you graduate.

How does this work? You'll typically alternate between studying and working every four months. By graduation, you'll complete four to six work terms, giving you up to two years of work experience!

Earn money while you learn

As you gain experience, you'll also get paid! You'll typically make between $9,600 and $23,400 per work term. You can use this money throughout your degree to help pay off your student loans or support your lifestyle at university.

As your experience grows, so can your earning potential. Each work term gives you the opportunity to develop new skills, take on more responsibility, and build a stronger résumé before graduation.

Explore different careers and workplaces

One of the benefits of co-op at Waterloo is the opportunity to explore different career paths before graduation. Work terms aren't limited to your program, meaning you can experience a variety of professions that go beyond the subject you applied for.

With over 8,000 employers from across 70 countries, you'll get the chance to experiment with different workplaces to learn what environments work best for you. As you progress through your degree, you'll develop practical skills and gain a deeper understanding of your strengths and passions that'll define your future goals.

Flexibility to shape your experience

Part of what makes Waterloo unique is that we're always working to improve co-op to better match the needs and desires of students.

With co-op options available in almost every program, you'll be able to make the most of the opportunity. You'll also apply directly to co-op from high school, so you'll know when you get accepted whether you're part of the co-op program.

For more flexibility, Waterloo allows multiple ways for securing a co-op job. You'll have access to multiple job boards along with the opportunity to arrange for your own employer as long as it meets co-op requirements.

Support every step of the way

From your first work term to your last, we're here to support you throughout the process. You'll take a Professional Development course before your first co-op and during every work term to develop skills that'll prepare you for the workforce. For more resources, you can go to the Centre of Career Development or your academic advisor to guide you and answer any questions related to co-op throughout your degree.

Build a foundation for your future career

As the oldest co-op program in Canada, the University of Waterloo has built a strong reputation of students who've entered the workforce. Through co-op, students have worked for organizations ranging from startups and non-profits to employers such as Google, PepsiCo, and Health Canada.

In a competitive market, co-op gives you valuable relevant experience to secure a job after graduating and fast-track your career trajectory. With 96 per cent of our co-op grads employed six months after graduation, compared to 83 per cent of all university graduates in Ontario, you can continue to reap the rewards of the program after it's over.