Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science (Specialization) in Water Science

at University of Waterloo Canada

In today’s data-driven world, statisticians are in high demand. Get the skills you need to help businesses market new products, researchers evaluate medical treatments, governments shape effective public policy, and more.

In one of the world’s top centres for statistics, you’ll learn to design experiments and surveys, explore and analyze data, simulate complex systems, and extract meaningful information.

You’ll also get experience in statistical computing, forecasting, mathematical modelling, and statistical process control — all skills that will make you highly marketable. Not to mention up to two years of paid work experience if you enrol in co-op.

Where you apply those skills is up to you. Our grads go on to work in a huge range of fields, including biology, business, engineering, environmental science, finance, manufacturing, and the health sciences.

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!

In Canada’s longest-standing Medieval Studies program, you’ll explore the ideas and events of Europe and the Near East from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the modern era in 1500 CE.

When you study medieval history, art, philosophy, legal systems, and politics, you’re not just living in the past. This is a field that offers valuable insights into European politics, modern gender norms, the rise and fall of superpowers, the connections between Islam and Christianity, and more, and you'll have the opportunity to implement that into your work early if you choose the co-op stream.

You’ll have lots of opportunity to connect with other students, thanks to small classes and the regular social and academic events organized by the Classical and Medieval Students Society.

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!

Become a high school teacher and help students excel at math. There’s no better place to hone your skills than Waterloo, where you’ll gain eighth months of high school classroom experience (along with paid work experience if you enrol in co-op) even before you apply to a Bachelor of Education program.

During your academic terms, you can take a wide variety of math courses or choose to focus your studies in a particular area in math. Add a second teachable from Waterloo's Faculties of Science or Arts.

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!

In Canada’s longest-standing Medieval Studies program, you’ll explore the ideas and events of Europe and the Near East from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the modern era in 1500 CE.

When you study medieval history, art, philosophy, legal systems, and politics, you’re not just living in the past. This is a field that offers valuable insights into European politics, modern gender norms, the rise and fall of superpowers, the connections between Islam and Christianity, and more, and you'll have the opportunity to implement that into your work early if you choose the co-op stream.

You’ll have lots of opportunity to connect with other students, thanks to small classes and the regular social and academic events organized by the Classical and Medieval Students Society.

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!

Law touches virtually every aspect of society. That makes a degree in Legal Studies great preparation for a career in government, business, the non-profit sector, law enforcement, and (of course!) law itself.

At Waterloo, you’ll enjoy small classes led by highly respected researchers, giving you lots of opportunity for discussion, and you'll also have the opportunity to gain work experience through co-op.

Over the course of your Legal Studies undergraduate degree, you’ll explore the impact of law on society, the origins of legal systems, how the Charter of Rights and Freedoms creates change, and issues such as crime, deviance, punishment, and restorative justice.

You’ll graduate with skills in research, problem solving, critical thinking, and communication, along with an in-depth understanding of law and legal systems.

The Honours Visual Culture academic plan focuses on the important role visual culture plays within culture and society. The academic plan is intended to be truly interdisciplinary with a focus on the history and theory of visual culture while recognizing the rapidly growing international contexts and vastly diverse cultures of spectatorship. The plan consists of a spine of five courses in visual culture, beginning with introductory courses that situate art and film within the wider context of visuality (i.e. how we see the world), followed by courses that address visual culture from a variety of disciplines and within diverse theoretical models, and culminates in an independent tutorial-style course in which students prepare a final-year thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. These courses are supplemented by at least 11 other courses that concentrate on different aspects of visual culture, chosen from more than one hundred possibilities taught in over 20 different departments and units across the university.

Students enrolled in the Honours Fine Arts – Visual Culture academic plan may wish to enhance their plan by taking a second upper-level course (VCULT 401) in their final year that is a continuation of the final-year thesis.

Who or what is the divine? What does it mean to be human? How do spiritual beliefs shape our world? In this program, you’ll examine how religions have influenced politics, economics, culture, art, science, and society throughout history — and continue to do so today.

Tailor your degree to your passions. We offer more than 100 undergraduate courses covering the religions of the world, Jewish studies, Christian traditions, and religious culture and society. Thanks to strong links with the Department of Religion and Culture at neighbouring Wilfrid Laurier University, you’ll have access to even more learning opportunities.

You’ll graduate equipped with the multicultural understanding, critical thinking skills, and historical knowledge to succeed in a variety of careers. And, if you take the co-op stream, up to two years of work experience on your resume.

Philosophy has long been a central component of a liberal arts education — and with good reason. It teaches you critical reasoning like no other discipline. It’s also an excellent addition to studies in mathematics and the sciences. 

In the Philosophy program at Waterloo, you’ll explore enduring dilemmas of human existence, learn the fundamentals of formal logic, and apply philosophical reasoning to highly topical issues and current events. And have the opportunity to apply it all in your co-op work terms, too.

Once you graduate, you’ll have a wide range of options. A philosophy degree is ideal for a career in law and valuable preparation for just about any field that demands breadth of thinking, careful reading, thorough analysis, and clear argumentation.

In the world of biotech, specialists who can understand both spreadsheets and gene sequencing are a hot commodity. Enrol in the only accountancy program in Canada that combines biotechnology, accounting, and paid co-op work terms.

You’ll learn about biology, biochemistry, and biotechnology in the Faculty of Science. At the same time, you’ll take accounting, auditing, financial management, and taxation courses in Waterloo’s top-ranked School of Accounting and Finance.

Outside the classroom, you’ll have all kinds of opportunities to get involved in competitions and student clubs. You’ll graduate ready to succeed in your choice of fields: accounting, biotech business development, financial analysis, and more.

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!

Focus on problems where resources need to be allocated effectively in complex, dynamic, and uncertain conditions.

You'll start with a solid foundation in math, including combinatorics, linear optimization, modeling, scheduling, forecasting, decision theory, and computer simulation. On top of that, you’ll add courses in economics, business, and management science, in addition to the ability to gain paid work experience through co-op.

After first year, you'll choose one of two specializations: Operations Research or Business.

When you graduate, you’ll have all kinds of career options. You might enhance scheduling for airline crews and sports games, improve production and distribution efficiency for manufacturing companies, increase service quality and efficiency in healthcare administration, or develop sophisticated tools for finance and investments.

What is co-op?
Co-op lets you explore careers and gain paid work experience while earning your university degree. What could be better than that?! As a co-op student at Waterloo, you’ll normally alternate between four months in school and four months as a full-time employee of the organization you're working for. It's an amazing way to learn to successfully interview for jobs, see how your degree relates to real-life problems, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience – and make money!