Bachelor of Science in Physical Sciences - Honours Materials and Nanosciences (Co-op)

at University of Waterloo Canada

Do you love working with people and creating positive change? Help individuals overcome barriers and get the most out of life through Therapeutic Recreation (TR).

What will I get out of the program?

• Learn how to plan recreation activities for, and contribute to the inclusion of special populations, such as persons with physical or developmental disabilities, older adults, youth-at-risk, and those living with mental health challenges.
• Take part in required practicum and internship placements to learn how to assess the needs of clients and deliver customized programming in both clinical (e.g., long-term care facilities) and community settings.
• Be eligible for registration with Therapeutic Recreation Ontario (TRO) and certification with the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC).

If you enjoy biology and physics and want a career in medical technology or health research, Life Physics at Waterloo is for you.
Run by the Department of Physics and Astronomy — one of the largest and most innovative physics departments in Canada — this flexible and interdisciplinary program is based on a solid foundation of physics, chemistry, and biology.

You’ll enjoy small classes, hands-on labs, and the opportunity to get involved in research and teaching.

Specializations

• Medical Physics: Prepare for a career in medical physics, working in areas such as cancer diagnosis and treatment, or in diagnostic imaging.
• Biophysics: Learn about cellular and organ biophysics, as well as biophotonics and imaging. Graduate with a strong foundation in subjects such as quantum physics and molecular biology.

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.

Choose courses from a wide variety of subjects to tailor your program towards your own area of interest. Experience community through small classes and engaged professors. Explore the theory and practice of conflict resolution, human rights, and international development, and get some first-hand experience through co-op placements or a Peace and Conflict Studies internship.

Understand the factors that drive conflict and violence. Think critically about how peace can be built in complex situations to move towards a healthy society where communities and individuals flourish.

You’ll learn from renowned specialists in peacebuilding who bring both academic and practical expertise. Build even closer ties to your classmates and professors by joining the Peace and Conflict Studies Living-Learning Community at Conrad Grebel University College, located on Waterloo’s main campus.

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 Mathematical Physics, you’ll combine theoretical physics with high-level math courses in differential equations, vector calculus, and applied mathematics. You’ll also get plenty of chances to apply that learning with hands-on labs in mechanics, electricity and magnetism, computer programming, optics, and more.

You won’t find a better place to study than Waterloo. Our Faculty of Mathematics is the largest in Canada. Meanwhile, the Department of Physics is one of Canada’s largest and most innovative, and this program comes with a co-op option so students can gain up to two years of paid work experience while pursuing their degree.

How will the stock market perform next February? How much will insurance companies pay out in claims next year? With an Actuarial Science degree from Waterloo, you’ll have the answers.

In this program, you'll take courses such as the mathematics of finance, risk theory, and pension mathematics taught by professional actuaries in one of North America’s top actuarial schools.

Meanwhile, adding computer science, arts, and various math electives will give you the combination of technical and communication skills that employers are looking for.

Whether you choose the regular stream or the co-op stream, you'll graduate ready to enter a great job market with great prospects and high starting salaries.

Love the written word? An English degree at Waterloo gives you all kinds of opportunity to explore that passion, with more than 150 undergraduate courses available in both the regular and co-op streams.

Take rhetoric courses and learn the art of persuasion. Focus on digital media, where you’ll merge the latest technology with enduring principles of effective communication. Or explore the pleasures and insights of English literature, from Beowulf to Virginia Woolf.

At Waterloo, you’ll be learning from the best: the Department of English features internationally recognized scholars. In their classes, you’ll develop all-important skills in communication, critical thinking, analysis, and persuasion.

At the end of first year, you can choose one of three majors within the English program.

• Literature
• Literature and Rhetoric
• Rhetoric, Media, and Professional Communication

Literature and Rhetoric
The Literature and Rhetoric degree brings together the dual strengths of the UWaterloo Department of English. It provides a structured course of study to train you in both disciplines and considerable freedom in exploring your own interests. 

In studying literature and literary theory, you will be grounded in the traditions of British, Canadian, American, and Postcolonial literatures. In studying Rhetoric and Professional Writing, you will explore the history and theory of rhetoric, the nature of professional writing and information design, and digital media.

Discover how to manipulate individual atoms and molecules in Materials and Nanosciences at Waterloo. As one of the top two nanoscience programs in Canada (Academic World Ranking of Universities 2020), this program has lots to offer, including co-op opportunities. You’ll learn the ins and outs of designing composite materials, ceramics, semiconductor materials, fuel cells, energy storage devices, solar cells, and more. And thanks to small classes, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to connect with other students and professors.

Materials and Nanoscience is a mix of chemistry, physics, and math. You’ll also take materials science courses where you learn about what makes a substance unique. For example, if you arrange atoms in a certain way, why does the material have stability and strength rather than flexibility? In upper years, you can choose to take more chemistry or physics. It all depends on what aspects of materials science you enjoy.

You’ll graduate ready for a career at the forefront of innovation, helping create environmentally friendly, efficient, and cost-effective solutions in fields ranging from aerospace to biomedicine.

Double down on your love of technology, computer science, and business. In this unique program, you’ll get two prestigious degrees and two sets of skills in high demand.

Computer Science (Waterloo) - You will gain an understanding of software, algorithms, programming, and the limits of computation. Using a combination of theory and application, you will learn how to describe problems in a formal, precise way so that machines can solve them. You will also learn about managing large-scale programs, and about understanding the power, limitations, and organization of computer software and hardware.

Business Administration (Wilfrid Laurier) - You will develop a broad understanding of business by taking a variety of courses in all functional areas including those in brand communication, accounting, human resource management, marketing, finance, financial planning, supply chain management, insurance and risk management,
and entrepreneurship. You can specialize in any of these areas to focus your studies.

Plus, you’ll get four to five terms of real-world work experience through North America’s largest co-op program.

In just five years, you'll earn both a co-op Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS) from Waterloo and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Laurier.

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!

Behind just about every advance in information, power, and energy, you’ll find an electrical engineer. Join the ranks of those innovators with a degree from Waterloo, whose electrical engineering program is ranked in the top 75 internationally (Shanghai World University Rankings 2020).

You’ll study the fundamentals of electromagnetism, circuits, algorithms, and instrumentation. You'll also gain hands-on experience starting right in first year, thanks to paid co-op work terms and some of the best electrical engineering student labs in North America.

When you graduate, you’ll have hundreds of career paths open to you: from designing power stations and aircraft control systems to pioneering the future of microprocessors and telecommunications systems.

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!