Co-operative Education (co-op) is a well-established educational model that promotes continuous learning through the integration of classroom and applied work-based learning.
Our program is the only pharmacy co-op program in Canada, and one of two in North America. Co-op has been a part of the curriculum at the University of Waterloo for over 50 years. Our students must complete three pharmacy co-op work terms as part of the PharmD degree requirements. The School’s role is to promote a synergistic experience for students and employers, while meeting programmatic learning needs, to ensure the ongoing success of co-op.
1,000+ employers
- We currently have 4 jobs/student, more variety for you to choose from
- Choose where you want to work and which practice setting
- Tailor your co-op jobs to your future pharmacy career
Earn while you learn
- Our students typically make over $10,000 per work term
- Three co-op work terms to provide you with real-world experience to be practice-ready pharmacists
- Enrich your skillset: learn how to navigate job interviews, clinical knowledge, patient care
Find your fit
- Explore different career options and find what interests you
- Start forming your pharmacy network before graduating
- Explore pharmacy in a safe learning environment in the real-world
Pharmacy co-op spotlight
Prepare for your pharmacy future with co-op
Family health teams
Long-term care
Industry
Looking to experience unique co-op work terms?
What our students have to say
Learn more about pharmacy co-op
What’s the difference between co-op, community service learning and rotations?
Co-op is just one part of our experiential learning program, learn more about pharmacy experiential learning.
Hear from employers!
For us, the School of Pharmacy co-op program is incredibly important. It’s the missing piece of the puzzle. Co-op students are extremely valuable to the industry. Students can explore different opportunities in pharmacy while learning hands-on skills, but we also learn from them. Every student brings unique value through their knowledge and skills.