Graduate co-op at Waterloo

As a graduate student in a co-op program, you'll either be studying or working full-time in a job related to your program.

You'll have access to the robust supports and services available through the University of Waterloo’s co-op program throughout your GradWIL experience while gaining valuable job-search strategies, enhancing career-ready skills and reflecting on your professional goals.

From your very first term, you will engage in GradWIL activities, beginning with WIL 601: Career Foundations for Work-Integrated Learning—a professional development course designed to help you navigate tasks, strategies and resources you will need to engage in ahead of the recruitment and the co-op job search process.

From the start, you’ll have access to one-on-one support, available throughout your degree. A graduate co-op advisor will be assigned as your dedicated point of contact, beginning two terms ahead of your first work term and through co-op work terms. Along with the supports available, you will engage in GradWIL activities, including peer-to-peer learning sessions, facilitated by your grad co-op advisor, where you can connect with fellow graduate co-op students, share insights, and build your professional network. 

When will your first co-op work term be?

In the study term before your first co-op term, you'll take the WIL 601 course to guide you through Waterloo's co-op process and to start developing key skills for your career. 

After that, you'll typically alternate every four months between study and work terms. However, there are several variations of co-op work/study sequences according to your faculty and program. 

Faculty of Arts programs

  • Economics – MA (Co-op)
  • Economics – MA (Water) (Co-op)
  • English – MA (Critical Media Studies) (Co-op)
  • English – MA (Literary Studies) (Co-op)
  • English – MA (Rhetoric and Communication Design) (Co-op)
  • Political Science – MA (Co-op)
  • Public Service – MPS (Co-op)
  • Social and Legal Studies – MA (Co-op)
  • Sociology – MA (Co-op)

Your first work term will be in your third term.

Year

September to December (Fall)

January to April (Winter)

May to August (Spring)

First

Study

Study

Co-op

Second

Co-op

Study

Study
  • Political Science – PhD (Co-op)

Your first work term will be in the spring term of your third year.

Year

September to December (Fall)

January to April (Winter)

May to August (Spring)

First

Study

Study

Study

Second

Study

Study

Study

Third

Study

Study

Co-op

Fourth

Co-op

Co-op

Study

Fifth

Study

Study

Study
  • Sociology – PhD (Co-op)

Your first work term will be in your third term.

Year

September to December (Fall)

January to April (Winter)

May to August (Spring)

First

Study

Study

Co-op

Second

Co-op

Study

Study

Third

Co-op

Study

Study

Fourth

Study

Study

Study

Fifth

Study

Study

Study

Faculty of Engineering programs

  • Architecture – MArch (Co-op)

Your work term will be in your third term.

Year

September to December (Fall)

January to April (Winter)

May to August (Spring)

First

Study

Study

Co-op

Second

Study

Study

Study
  • Chemical Engineering – MEng (Co-op)*
  • Chemical Engineering (Health Technologies) – MEng (Co-op)
  • Civil Engineering – MEng (Co-op)**
  • Civil Engineering (Health Technologies) – MEng (Co-op)**
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering – MEng (Co-op)**
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering (Health Technologies) – MEng (Co-op)**
  • Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering – MEng (Co-op)
  • Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering (Health Technologies) – MEng (Co-op)**
  • Systems Design Engineering (Health Technologies) – MEng (Co-op)**

Your first work term will be in your third term.

Year

September to December (Fall)

January to April (Winter)

May to August (Spring)

First

Study

Study

Co-op

Second

Co-op

Study

  
  • Management Science – MASc (Co-op)
  • Management Science – MMSc (Co-op)
  • Management Science (Health Technologies) – MMSc (Co-op)**

Your first work term will be in your third term.

Year

September to December (Fall)

January to April (Winter)

May to August (Spring)

First

Study

Study

Co-op

Second

Co-op

Study

Study

*The first work term could also be scheduled in the fall term.

**This program has termly (rolling) enrolment. Students can start in the Fall, Winter or Spring. Regardless, the first co-op term is scheduled in term 3. Additionally, this program has a minimum requirement of one work term, so the second work term can be switched for a study term.

Faculty of Mathematics programs

  • Applied Mathematics – MMath (Co-op)*
  • Computational Mathematics – MMath (Co-op)**
  • Computer Science – MMath (Co-op) 
  • Data Science and Artificial Intelligence – MDSAI (co-op)**

Your first work term will be in your third term.

Year

September to December (Fall)

January to April (Winter)

May to August (Spring)

First

Study

Study

Co-op

Second

Co-op

Study

  

*This program has termly (rolling) enrolment. Students can start in the fall, winter or spring. Regardless, the first co-op term is scheduled in term 3.

**This program has a minimum requirement of one work term, so the second work term can be switched for a study term.