Co-op

The Co-op system of study will provide you with the knowledge and skills to have a successful career as a professional planner.

Co-op provides on-the-job experience

As a co-op student, you'll alternate on-campus school terms with work terms in jobs related to Planning at the end of second year. During your four-month work terms, you'll gain valuable work experience, make important career contacts, and earn money to help finance your education.

• graduate with up to 20 months of paid work experience
• earn on average $40,000 to $45,000 over the course of your degree to help pay for your education
• learn about the range of careers available
• gain experience with different types of employers or try different specializations within your field
• discover what types of jobs are of interest to you before you graduate

Co-op study-work sequence

Waterloo offers the North America's largest co-op program -- giving you access to the best selection of co-op jobs. Starting in second year, you'll alternate 4 months at school with 4 month terms in paid jobs relating to your program of study. You pay tuition only when you're in school.

Staff members at the University recruit employers and find jobs. These jobs are posted at the University for you to review. You decide which jobs to apply to based on location, the skills you wish to develop, and what you can bring to the job.

You'll usually have an interview with the employer to talk about your qualifications for the job. After you've had your interviews, you rate jobs based on your preference and employers rate you. These ratings go into a computer rankings system which generates job matches. Although jobs are not guaranteed, our overall employment rate for co-op students has been over 90 per cent for the last few years.