A work term is a key part of your co-op degree. These paid, supervised work experiences take place between academic terms and are designed to help you build skills, explore career paths and connect what you learn in the classroom to real-world challenges.
A quality co-op job offers meaningful work, supports your learning and professional growth, and includes feedback from your employer. Together, these experiences help you develop skills aligned with Waterloo’s Future Ready Talent Framework and prepare for the future world of work.
Each work term is typically four months (12–16 weeks) long and normally aligns with the academic term. Most study/work sequences allow you to complete a double work term, which consists of two four-month work terms scheduled back-to-back. One COOP credit is earned for each four-month work term, and each term must meet all work term requirements.
Requirements for all co-op jobs
All co-op jobs (standard or flexible) must meet the following quality requirements:
- Provide work that is related to your academic program, career interests or skill development.
- Be paid at least the regional minimum wage or meet approved unpaid/underpaid guidelines.
- Due to safety risks, sales jobs that require students to travel door-to-door, solicit sales or provide services in public residential, retail or commercial spaces will not be approved for a work term credit.
- Be supervised by a staff member who is not a family member.
- If your day-to-day supervisor is a student, a full‑time staff member must also oversee and support your work.
- Include a completed Student Performance Evaluation submitted by your supervisor, with a rating of ‘marginal’ or better.
- Be located where you are legally eligible to work (for example, based on citizenship or visa status.
Additional requirements apply if you are:
If you’re unsure whether a role meets these expectations, your co-op advisor can help you assess it before you accept the job.
Standard work term requirements
Most of the work terms you’ll complete will be for standard work term credit. A standard work term is a single, full-time position with one employer that meets all quality requirements and includes:
- 12–16 weeks of work
- At least 420 hours of full-time work
- One continuous role within a single organization
Flexible work term requirements
Flexible work terms allow you to earn a flexible co-op credit for a wider range of experiences that don’t fully meet standard work term criteria but still provide meaningful learning.
Flexible work terms may involve a single employer or position for a shorter duration, or multiple employers or positions combined within a single work term. All flexible work terms must still meet the quality requirements.
You are required to complete a minimum of three (3) standard work terms as part of your program. Check your Academic Calendar or speak with your Co-op Advisor to understand how flexible work terms fit into your co-op sequence.
Flexible work term options
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Single employer or position
- At least 8 weeks of work
- At least 280 hours of work (full-time or part-time)
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Multiple employers or positions
- 12–16 weeks of combined work
- At least 420 total hours across roles (full-time or part-time)
Additional ways to earn credit
You might be in a specific type of role that allows you to earn a standard or flexible co-op credit. Here are some additional ways you may earn a co-op credit:
If your job does not meet one or more requirements for a standard or flexible work term, contact your Co-op Advisor.