Co-operative resources

We strongly encourage all students to apply to our co-op program during the application process, unless they are certain that co-op is not needed as part of their academic or professional development plan within the CM program.

Students who were not initially admitted to the co-op program and wish to transfer in after enrolment will only be considered if they already hold the necessary work authorization to participate in co-op in Canada. The opt-in requests must be managed before the course add deadline of the first academic term.

Students enrolled in the co-op program will be charged a co-op fee during their first academic term (the pre-recruitment term), and during each work term. Students who opt out of the co-op program before the financial refund deadlines are eligible for a refund of the co-op fee that term and will not be charged co-op fees for future terms.

If you wish to opt in or opt out of the co-op program, please submit a completed program/plan change form to compmath@uwaterloo.ca by the relevant deadlines.

The University of Waterloo runs one of the largest co-op programs in the world and Waterloo students are in high demand with leading employers in the technology and financial sectors, both in Canada and in the USA.

As a co-op student, you can either search for opportunities through WaterlooWorks or arrange your own co-op job.

You are not required to secure a co-op position related to your research project. However, to write an adequate work report, your job should be relevant to your studies in Computational Mathematics.

1. WIL 601: Applied Leadership in Work-Integrated Learning

WIL 601 is a required course for both your degree and co-op designation. This course provides you with the tools, strategies and resources to effectively prepare for your upcoming WIL experiences (co-op work terms, internships or other forms of WIL) and future career endeavours after graduation. In this course, you will practice applying career development techniques, learn industry tips from external partners and explore workplace preparation strategies to support your success. 

You are expected to complete this course during your first academic term, and will be automatically enrolled in the course for that term.

2. Work Report

As you complete your co-op, you should be thinking about the content you will include in your eventual work report.

The work report should:

• Discuss the underlying problem you worked on, the approach taken, and the progress made to solve the problem
• Relate your work term to the academic program
• Have an analytic component (e.g., constructive criticism, conclusions, and recommendations)
• Contain a topic that relates to the employer, line of work undertaken by the organization or business practices employed on site

The work report does not need to:

• Contain details deemed confidential by the employer
• Discuss original research
• Relate to a new technical discovery

3. Milestone Completion Form

Once you have completed your work term and your work report, you will need to fill out a milestone completion form for the milestone, “Graduate Studies Co-op Work Report.”

The form, along with detailed instructions, will be sent to you by the Program Coordinator near the end of your co-op term.

The form will need to be signed by:

• Your research supervisor(s), as the first reader of your work report
• Your employer, as the second reader of your work report
• The Graduate Officer