This double degree program is administered jointly by the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo and the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University. Students may register at either university. The academic component is the same, regardless of where students are formally registered, but students participate in the co-op process at their home institution. Thus, the degree attached to each student's registered university is a co-op degree, with the other university's degree being a regular one.
Students receive a Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath), Honours degree from Waterloo and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Honours degree from Laurier and are invited to both universities' convocation ceremonies for graduation.
Enrolment in this double degree program is restricted and students are normally admitted for the fall term of their first year.
The double degree program cannot be combined with any other major, minor, or option designation except as described in the degree requirements notes. The program requires the following:
- Nine or more full-time academic study terms.
- Successful completion of a minimum of 52 one-term courses (26 units). These 52 courses (26 units) must include 24 (12 units) specified mathematics and computer science courses taken at Waterloo and 24 (12 units) specified business-related courses at Laurier. The remaining four (two units) elective courses may be taken at either university.
- Students whose home school is Waterloo: Completion of four (or five at a student's discretion) co-op work terms intermixed with study terms. The first of these work terms occurs during the spring (May to August period) between the second and third study terms. The complete sequencing of terms for Waterloo-registered students is listed in the Co-op Regulations page of this Calendar. Students in this program will be required to pay six co-op fees, which are usually assessed in the first three years of study.
- Students whose home school is Laurier: Completion of three (or four at a student's discretion) co-op work terms intermixed with the 10 study terms. The first of these work terms occurs during the January to April period between the third and fourth study terms. The earlier spring (May to August period) between the second and third study terms is an "off" term (where students are on their own for the term, similar to regular students). With the exception of this first May to August term being an "off" term rather than a co-op work term, the term sequencing for Laurier-registered students is identical to the one for Waterloo-registered students.
The normal duration for this plan is four and two-thirds calendar years (or five calendar years at a student's discretion). Only under especially mitigating circumstances, and with the approval of both universities, can the term sequencing attached to the double degree program be altered, and such instances will usually result in a delay (possibly as much as one calendar year) of graduation date.
All double degree students, regardless of their home university affiliation, are required to satisfy all term-by-term progression requirements of both Waterloo's Faculty of Mathematics and Laurier to remain eligible to continue in the program, and to meet all graduation requirements of both institutions to be eligible for the two degrees. More specifically, students must ensure that their course registration each term, their academic performance level, and their academic conduct in general, comply with all the policies, procedures, regulations, and requirements of both universities. Failure to do so will normally result in students being required to withdraw from the double degree plan. These students may be able to enrol in a (single degree) program at Waterloo (Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath) or Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS)) or Laurier (BBA) depending upon their individual circumstances. Such students may not be eligible to continue in co-op in their new academic plan.