About the Programs
Computer Science
Computer Science (CS) is commonly offered by the Faculty of Mathematics as a co-op program, with students usually attending 8 school and 6 co-op terms in their degree. However, CS is more flexible than the other two programs because of the ability to choose from a wider range and number of electives, to take terms off, and to change their academic schedules to fit their needs.
Computing and Financial Management
Computing and Financial Management (CFM) combines the core CS courses with electives from areas such as accounting, economics, and financial management. This is a joint offering by the Faculty of Mathematics and the School of Accounting and Finance. The program is offered only as a co-op program with 6 co-op terms.
Computer Science/Business Administration
Joint with Wilfrid Laurier University, the Business Administration and Computer Science Double Degree (CS/BBA) is an exclusive offering that allows students to gain experience in CS as well as many subfields of business. There are 10 school terms and either 4 or 5 co-op terms in the usual schedule, so it's a longer degree with more academic terms than CS or CFM.
Preface
The 2025 CS Class Profile consists of data relevant to CS, CFM, and CS/BBA students. These are combined as students in these programs tend to have similar experiences with many required CS courses being shared. In the standard co-op offering, CS and CFM take 4 years and 2 semesters to complete, whereas CS/BBA can take up to a full 5 years.
CS, CFM, and CS/BBA at the University of Waterloo are known to be very prestigious programs and are well known in Canada and across the world. For prospective students or anyone who is interested in learning more about what the students are like, this Class Profile will attempt to answer some of your questions, and you may even learn a thing or two you didn't expect!
According to Institutional Analysis & Planning, there were 969 graduates from CS, CFM, and CS/BBA in 2025.