Make a difference in our communities
Are you interested in the future of our communities, our parks and natural areas? How do we ensure that cities prosper and remain livable places for future generations?
Choose Planning to learn about these issues and more.
The focus in Planning at Waterloo is both regional and local. You will gain experience in regions and cities, large and small. As a Planning student at Waterloo, you will:
- Graduate with 16 months of paid co-op work experience
- Go on field trips to see planning in action
- Learn about real issues and gain valuable skills for your career
Our graduates succeed
Graduating with 16 months of work experience has its advantages. In fact, over half of the Planning students have a full-time job when they graduate. You will join thousands of Waterloo Planning alumni who are:
- Working for private planning firms, determining the best way to redevelop city areas.
- Working as transit planners for Metrolinx, where their jobs help thousands of people travel each day.
- Working with Mattamy Homes developing plans for new homes in growing communities
- Working for Cities creating rural development plans
Wherever you end up, you'll be helping create a sustainable future through smart planning practices.
As a graduate of the Planning program, you can also pursue specialized Master's or PhD programs, or other professional programs such as:
- urban and regional planning
- environmental planning
- geographic information systems (GIS)
- local economic development
- urban design
- business (MBA)
- public administration (MPA)
- law
- architecture
A growing demand...
With the ever-increasing population in cities and towns across Canada and internationally, there has never been a more crucial time to choose Planning for a career.
As a planner, you will work with citizens, politicians, developers, and other professionals to guide the future of our communities and natural areas.
An interdisciplinary approach
Our program focuses on planning as a process, which in broad terms includes policy-making, research, and decision-making. This approach gives equal emphasis to the "how" and "why" of planning and integrates selected disciplines in geography, social sciences, and pure and applied sciences.
Our School of Planning is located within the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Environment, which uses an interdisciplinary approach to address a wide range of environmental issues. The ability to draw upon multiple disciplines will be crucial in the forthcoming decades in planning for more sustainable development.