As a co-op student, you'll either be studying full time or working full time in a job related to your program.
In the school term before your first co-op term, you'll take a professional development course to help guide you through Waterloo's co-op process and to start developing key skills for your career. You'll gain valuable tips for success and start applying to jobs and going to interviews with employers during your school term.
After that, you'll typically alternate every four months between school and work terms, and may sometimes have two school or work terms back to back. However, there are many variations of co-op work/study sequences.
Example 1: Co-op starts in first year
Engineering and some Math students will have co-op work terms in January or May of first year.
| September to December | January to April | May to August | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First year | School | School | Work term |
| Second year | School | Work term | School |
| Third year | Work term | School | Work term |
| Fourth year | School | Work term | School |
| Final year | Work term | School | Graduation |
|
School = Four-month school term, Work term = Four-month co-op work term |
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Example 2: Co-op starts in second year
Other students will often have their first work term halfway through second year.
| September to December | January to April | May to August | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First year | School | School | Off |
| Second year | School | Work term | School |
| Third year | Work term | School | Work term |
| Fourth year | School | Work term | School |
| Final year | Work term | School | Graduation |
|
School = Four-month school term, Work term = Four-month co-op work term |
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When will your first co-op work term be?
If you're not sure which faculty offers your program of interest, view our programs grouped by faculty. The dates are for students starting first year in September 2022.
