HOW DOES CO-OP WORK IN PUBLIC HEALTH?
Waterloo has the largest co-op program in North America. This means you’ll have access to more jobs, more experiences, and more employers than any similar co-op programs on the continent.
Alternate between academic and paid co-op work terms. You’ll gain experience in promoting your skills while you apply, interview, and compete for a job. You can rely on Waterloo's extensive co-op database for your job search - or if an opportunity arises, arrange your own.
BENEFITS
- Graduate with up to 20 months of paid work experience
- Discover which types of careers you like (or dislike)
- Build contacts to help you start your career
- Gain self-promotion experience during the competitive job-hunt process
- Gain transferable skills to help you in your future career
CHALLENGES
- It can be stressful – you're applying to and interviewing for jobs while keeping up with exams, assignments, and classes
- You might not get your dream job right away
- There is an additional fee that supports the cost of running the co-op program. The fee for 2024/2025 is $786. Learn where this money goes here. As a Faculty of Health student, you'll pay this six times over the course of your degree.
- Your degree takes five years to complete rather than four
- It's a competitive process and jobs are not guaranteed
HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOUR WORK/STUDY SEQUENCE COULD LOOK LIKE
YEAR 1
FALL TERM
STUDY
WINTER TERM
STUDY
SPRING TERM
OFF*
*this is your only summer off over the course of your five-year degree
YEAR 2
FALL TERM
STUDY
WINTER TERM
WORK
SPRING TERM
STUDY
YEAR 3
FALL TERM
WORK
WINTER TERM
STUDY
SPRING TERM
WORK
YEAR 4
FALL TERM
STUDY
WINTER TERM
WORK
SPRING TERM
WORK
YEAR 5
FALL TERM
STUDY
WINTER TERM
STUDY
HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOUR WORK/STUDY SEQUENCE COULD LOOK LIKE
YEAR 1
FALL TERM
STUDY
WINTER TERM
STUDY
SPRING TERM
OFF*
*this is your only summer off over the course of your five-year degree
YEAR 2
FALL TERM
STUDY
WINTER TERM
WORK
SPRING TERM
STUDY
YEAR 3
FALL TERM
WORK
WINTER TERM
STUDY
SPRING TERM
WORK
YEAR 4
FALL TERM
STUDY
WINTER TERM
WORK
SPRING TERM
WORK
YEAR 5
FALL TERM
STUDY
WINTER TERM
STUDY
SAMPLE PUBLIC HEALTH CO-OP JOBS
FACULTY OF HEALTH CO-OP STUDENTS EARNED BETWEEN
$9,600 - $15,000
ON CANADIAN WORK TERMS IN 2023
OVER 8,000 EMPLOYERS
ACTIVELY RECRUIT WATERLOO STUDENTS
FACULTY OF HEALTH CO-OP STUDENTS EARNED BETWEEN
$9,600 - $15,000
ON CANADIAN WORK TERMS IN 2023
OVER 8,000 EMPLOYERS
ACTIVELY RECRUIT WATERLOO STUDENTS
HOW TO APPLY TO CO-OP
Choose Co-op on your OUAC application.
If you're not offered a space in co-op, you’ll automatically be considered for the non-co-op (or regular) program.
