Arts Degree Requirements

In the co-operative (co-op) system of study, the student in an honours academic plan is enabled to integrate work with academics. For a detailed description, see Co-operative Education & Career Action. Beginning in the second year, the co-op student ordinarily alternates four-month terms on campus for academic studies with four months off campus for practical work experience in business, industry, or government. The official study/work sequences for Faculty of Arts co-operative programs are listed below. Additional information about standard and flexible work-term requirements are available through the Co-operative Education website. 

In order to be eligible to receive a co-op designation at the time of graduation, students in Bachelor of Arts (BA) co-op plans are required to complete:

• a minimum of four work terms beyond the 2A level, and
• a minimum of four Professional Development (PD) courses.

Professional Development (PD) Courses

PD courses are intended to enhance the professional development of the student and assist in integrating their academic and work-term experiences. With the exception of PD 1, students are expected to take the courses while on their co-op work terms. The required schedule for completing the PD courses is as follows:

• PD 1 must be taken in an academic term prior to the first work term,
• PD 12 must be taken during the first work term,
• two additional PD courses of the student's choice should be taken during the second, third, or fourth work terms.

BA Co-op Plans

The following BA co-op plans are offered:

• Honours Arts Co-op
Students may pursue the co-operative system of study with any BA honours plan. See the individual Academic Plan sections of the Faculty of Arts section of this Calendar for specific academic plan average and course requirements.
• Honours Arts and Business Co-op
  The Arts and Business co-operative system of study combines an honours academic plan in any honours discipline in Arts (except French Teaching Specialization and Mathematical Economics, and plans offered by the School of Accounting and Finance) with the Arts and Business group of courses. The Arts and Business courses are intended to provide the student with a basic and practical general education and with skills appropriate to a wide range of careers. See the Arts and Business Co-op and Regular page and the appropriate discipline section for details.

Notes

1. Co-operative plans are open only to full-time students.
2. Students with more than 6.5 units (13 courses) completed, including post-secondary transfer credits and credits completed outside the Faculty of Arts, are not eligible to transfer from a regular plan to a co-op plan within the Faculty of Arts. Students who have already successfully completed one or more work terms regardless of faculty may be considered for an exception to this rule – such exceptions will be determined by the admitting program.  
3. Students seeking to complete a BA in the Faculty of Arts as a second degree having already completed a bachelor's degree in any discipline at the University of Waterloo or elsewhere are not eligible for admission to a co-op plan.

Legend for Study/Work Sequence Information Chart

Study/Work Sequence Information Chart