Professional Development Program

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Which courses do you take?

Your path through the PD program will vary depending on your chosen faculty. You can learn more about your faculty’s specific WatPD requirements below.

If you still have a question about working through the PD program after reviewing the information below, contact WatPD staff or consult your faculty’s undergraduate calendar.

Applied Health Sciences | Arts | Engineering | Environment | Mathematics | Science

Applied Health Sciences

Co-op students in Applied Health Sciences must complete four PD courses. The first course is completed during the academic term preceding their first work term, and the rest are completed during their work terms. Their compulsory PD courses are PD1: Career Fundamentals and PD12: Reflection and Learning in the Workplace.

Once they’ve finished their compulsory courses, students choose two elective courses from the following list:

Arts

Co-op students in Arts must complete four PD courses. The first course is completed during the academic term preceding their first work term, and the rest are completed during their work terms. Their compulsory PD courses are PD1: Career Fundamentals and PD12: Reflection and Learning in the Workplace.

Once they’ve finished their compulsory courses, students choose two elective courses from the following list:

Engineering

Students in Engineering must complete five PD courses. All five courses are completed during their work terms. Their compulsory PD courses are PD20: Engineering Workplace Skills I: Developing Reasoned Conclusions and PD21: Engineering Workplace Skills II: Developing Effective Plans.

Once they’ve finished their compulsory courses, students choose three elective courses1 from the following list:

1Students who enter Software Engineering (SE) in the Fall 2016 term or later must take PD10: Professional Responsibility in Computing as one of their three elective courses. Students who entered SE prior to Fall 2016 don’t have to take PD10 as one of their elective courses. If you’re unsure about your status with respect to PD10, please check with your academic advisor. If you want to learn more about why PD10 is now compulsory for SE students, please visit the PD10 course page.

Environment

Co-op students in Environment must complete four PD courses. The first course is completed during the academic term preceding their first work term, and the rest are completed during their work terms. Their compulsory PD courses are PD1: Career Fundamentals and PD12: Reflection and Learning in the Workplace.

Students then choose two elective courses from the following list:

Mathematics

Co-op students in Mathematics must complete five PD courses. The first course is completed during the academic term preceding their first work term, and the rest are completed during their work terms. Their compulsory PD courses are PD1: Career Fundamentals and PD11: Processes for Technical Report Writing.

Once they’ve finished their compulsory courses, students choose three elective courses2 from the following list:

2Students who enter Computer Science (CS) in the Fall 2015 term or later must take PD10: Professional Responsibility in Computing as one of their three elective courses. Students who entered CS prior to Fall 2015 don’t have to take PD10 as one of their elective courses. If you’re unsure about your status with respect to PD10, please check with your academic advisor. If you want to learn more about why PD10 is now compulsory for CS students, please visit the PD10 course page.

Science

Co-op students in Science must complete four PD courses. The first course is completed during the academic term preceding their first work term, and the rest are completed during their work terms. Their compulsory PD courses are PD1: Career Fundamentals and PD11: Processes for Technical Report Writing.

Once they’ve finished their compulsory courses, students choose two elective courses from the following list:

How many courses do you need to complete?

Faculty Number of required courses
Applied Health Sciences 4
Arts 4
Engineering 5
Environment 4
Mathematics 5
Science 4