Co-op learning

World’s best co-opArtsfaculty Image

Waterloo founded co-operative education in Canada and continues to be the co-op leader worldwide. Arts undergraduates take advantage of our renowned co-op through Arts and Business Co-op, the Accounting and Financial Management and Computing and Financial Management co-op programs, as well as numerous departmental co-op options.
 
Many of our graduate programs also offer optional co-op terms as well as the co-op based Master of Public Service program. And with employment rates over 95% each term, Waterloo Arts has the resources and connections to ensure you get the best cooperative education experience possible. In fact, each year the University of Waterloo posts 8,000 more co-op jobs than any other co-op program in Ontario.
 

Arts co-op

In the co-op system you alternate school terms with paid work terms. Co-op undergraduate programs take up to a year longer to complete than traditional degrees, but the time is well spent. Through co-op, you’ll have the advantage of gaining work experience in a variety of settings as well as making important career contacts and earning between $30,000 and $60,000 over the span of your undergraduate program to help finance your education .  
 

The co-op advantage gives you

  • as much as two years of paid work experience
  • a chance to apply classroom theory to real-world job situations
  • career contacts and connections  
  • opportunity to explore different career options.
In addition, employers tell us co-op students develop many valuable skills during work terms, such as clear and concise written and oral communication skills; computer literacy; teamwork skills; creative and analytical problem-solving skills; organizational skills; and the ability to create and meet deadlines. Find out more about Arts co-op.
 

Award winning co-op experiences

Katie Meredith, a fourth-year Political Science student, was named Arts Co-op Student of the Year for 2010. Katie lived and worked in Singapore for her eight-month work term, acting as a research assistant at the National University of Singapore Institute of Systems Science. She completed nine projects in eight months. These included independently researching and designing an online survey for the Singapore business community. She wrote a report that was presented by a colleague at the ISS Innovation Update Seminar. Katie also assessed a government campaign with a team, and presented recommendations to the government organizing committee. She researched and wrote two
independent case studies for teaching purposes at ISS .

Lauren Theobalds, a Drama/Arts and Business student, was named Arts Co-op Student of the Year for 2009. When Lauren began her fall 2009 work term, the odds were already stacked against her – a brand new position with a seriously understaffed team. Working as an assistant to the development and outreach officers of Workman Arts (a not for- profit professional arts company), Lauren assumed a significant hands on role upon arrival and rose to the occasion. She handled the marketing and communications to promote the company’s annual Rendezvous with Madness film festival, and increased attendance by over 46 percent. Lauren was the smiling representative of the company to the entire Toronto District School Board, and worked to increase youth enrollment in the arts program. Not only was she successful, she improved numbers in a way the company had never seen before.

Renee Smith, a Political Science student, was named Arts Co-op Student of the Year for 2008. She was hired as a junior policy analyst for the Strategy, policy and planning Branch (SppB) of the Ministry of Government Services, Ontario. Renee conducted research to save both money and energy through the use of information technology and became the resident expert on a technical issue concerning desktop computer power management using remote power down software. She aided the SppB in adopting a pilot project which is estimated to reduce power consumption by 40 million pounds of CO2 emissions each year, if implemented.

 

 
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