University of Waterloo

Overview

Located in Ontario, Canada, the University of Waterloo (UWaterloo) conducts the world’s biggest tertiary cooperative education program, offering over 120 programs to thousands of students every year. Due to its high research output, the public school is part of the U15, an association of elite research universities in Canada. It is also a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges in Canada.

UWaterloo offers well over 5,000 undergraduate and professional programs, more than 1,500 graduate degrees, and over 300 doctorate programs. The most popular fields include mathematics, computer science, geography, social science, engineering, environmental sciences, and statistics. Education in the university is divided into six faculties, namely applied health sciences, arts, engineering, environment, mathematics, and science.

UWaterloo has a main campus that spans around 1,000 acres and runs three regional campuses and four affiliated colleges. It operates a library network that carries over 1.4 million publications as well as two large science museums. To accommodate students who live in faraway areas, eight housing facilities are found within the vicinity while a transit system ferries learners to and from the university’s main campus and various facilities.

As for its research efforts, the university runs over 40 research institutes and facilities. While their research scope is broad, they are known for delving into science and technology, touching on fields like nanotechnology, quantum computing, cryptography, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence.

Established in 1959, UWaterloo was once part of Waterloo College, Waterloo Lutheran Seminary’s academic arm. The college put up a separate affiliate board called Associated Faculties in 1956, whose academic structure laid the foundations for the institution’s contemporary cooperative education program. Associated Faculties eventually separated from Waterloo College and was renamed the University of Waterloo.

As of 2020, UWaterloo is home to more than 30,000 undergraduates, over 5,000 graduate students, more than 1,000 faculty members, and over 2,000 administrative personnel. A large number of the school’s graduates have gone on to become Nobel laureates, business leaders, government officials, and successful professionals based in more than 150 countries.

UWaterloo’s notable alumni include Rupi Kaur (poet), Kevin O’Leary (entrepreneur), Chris Hadfield (astronaut), Mike Lazaridis (Blackberry founder), and Donna Strickland (Nobel laureate in physics). Meanwhile, its administrative board has seen distinguished personalities like David Johnston (Canadian governor-general) and Robert Mundell (Nobel laureate in economics) hold high positions.

As a leading figure in cooperative education, UWaterloo encourages its students to be “in harmony with the truth” and enforces that statement by focusing on applied knowledge in its brand of instruction. Outside of academics, the university also hosts competitive sports programs and a slew of student organizations.