Graduate work-integrated learning (WIL)

WIL is a form of curricular experiential education that formally integrates a student’s academic studies (classroom learning and research) with quality experiences within a workplace or practice setting. WIL experiences include an engaged partnership with at least: an academic institution, a host organization (industry, government, or community partner), and a student. WIL can occur at the course or program level and includes the development of student learning objectives and outcomes related to employability, agency, knowledge and skill mobility, and lifelong learning.

WIL experiences provide students with many benefits, such as gaining practical work experience in their fields of study, understanding the pressing issues in the ‘real world’ such that students’ research has the potential to be more impactful, allowing for experiences that foster a greater understanding the direction they wish to take in their career, giving students the skills needed to be successful in their chosen career path, and at the same time, an edge over other graduates entering the workforce.

Grad WIL at Waterloo

Experiential education, and more specifically WIL, has been a core component of teaching and learning at Waterloo since its inception. WIL provides students with crucial professional development, networking, funding, and opportunities to build skills for transition to the workforce.

Several graduate programs offer WIL experiences through a variety of formats, including co-op, internships, practicum, course-integrated WIL (e.g., assignments or capstone projects), research, and/or entrepreneurial activities. 

For international students, a co-op work permit is required for all WIL experiences in Canada that are degree requirements, and both domestic and international students interested in exploring WIL experiences outside of Canada will need to obtain the appropriate permits and visas to work abroad. For more information on work permits and visas, including resources on campus, please review our permits and visas webpage.

As a graduate student at the University of Waterloo, you have a wide range of skills, knowledge, and experience that you’ve developed through your current graduate program, previous academics and/or prior work experience. The skills and experiences you have acquired are valued by employers in industry, government and non-profit organizations. 

As a graduate student, you possess a range of valuable attributes that can be highlighted in WIL experiences or post-degree employment opportunities: 

Learn how to talk to potential supervisors about applied research opportunities, get skills in writing and communication as well as project and time management, explore self-reflection tools to help make the most of your WIL experience, and more.

The GradWIL Learning Development Process is provided to help shape your decision-making and, as a collective, create the conditions for purposeful work. This learning process has been designed to help guide how WIL is offered at the University of Waterloo, such that learning outcomes (i.e., based on program-specific graduate degree level expectations and/or future-ready talent framework) can be supported.  

The GradWIL learning development process includes:  

Prior to your experience, you’ll have had the opportunity to:    

• Evaluate the level of your current knowledge, skills and abilities. 

• Reflect on your values, needs and the strengths/gaps in your current knowledge, skills and abilities.    

• Plan how to utilize strengths and improve upon gaps in knowledge, skills and abilities while on an experience.   

While on experience, you’ll have had the opportunity to:    

• Develop and/or implement research, evidence-informed solutions and/or other work reflecting your depth and breadth of discipline and context-specific knowledge . 

• Collaborate and build professional relationships with industry and/or community partners.    

• Reflect on your current work experience, demonstrating evolution in your knowledge, skills and abilities, a deeper understanding of your values and needs, and an appreciation for differences in workplace cultures. 

  Following their experience, you’ll have had the opportunity to:    

• Illustrate how your values, knowledge, skills and abilities are connected to your career identity (i.e. overall career goals, interests, and motivations).   

• Reflect on how your career identity can contribute to academia, government and/or private and public sectors to impact people, teams, organizations and communities.     

• Integrate your career identity, experiences and competencies into a post-graduation action plan. 

Through the University’s 2020-2025 strategic plan, we made a commitment to develop talent for a complex future, which includes expanding Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities at the graduate level. This is a signature objective towards the goal of enhancing graduate studies.

The vision for grad WIL at the University of Waterloo is for all graduate students to have an opportunity to participate in WIL – either within their program or offered centrally, outside their program. We will prepare you for your grad WIL experiences through various professional development activities and provide you with opportunities to reflect on your goals, skills and career values.

Through a partnership between Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) and Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE), which began in 2020, the university continues to further develop graduate WIL opportunities. Currently, the project team is in the process of consulting with the campus community, including students, faculty, staff and senior leadership, to gather feedback on proposed models of grad WIL.