Co‑op
Be part of the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics - one of the first internationally accredited business schools in Canada (AACSB accreditation), that offers Canada’s largest business degree co-op program. Our Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is full time and direct entry, which means your business education begins on day one.
Through class discussions, case analysis exercises and competitions, and training from professors and industry executives, this program delivers an immersive experience revealing the reality of today’s business world.
Your future professors work hard to make sure your academic experience is current, complete and designed to open doors in your career. Here are a few things you can count on in this program:
Here are just a few of our students’ favourite ways to apply their learning in the real world throughout their degree (check out the Experience Guide for even more):
You also have the opportunity to earn all the university credits required for the major professional designations: CPA (accounting), CFA (finance) and CHRP (human resources).
Looking to do more with your degree? Add an option or minor to your BBA degree.
You'll build a solid foundation and become a well-rounded business graduate, as well as a specialist that will lead directly to the career you want by having the freedom to choose one of 10 business concentrations in upper years:
The Lazaridis School is a recognized leader in North American instruction and research in accounting. In the Lazaridis BBA Accounting concentration, you will earn all the accredited undergraduate courses for your Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.
After graduation you can continue your professional accounting education with an additional five graduate-level courses as part of the Lazaridis Graduate Diploma in Accounting to fulfill the academic requirements for the CPA designation.
As an accredited institution with CPA Ontario, we have designed a program that combines practical work experience, academic study, and professional education to develop your core technical competencies across all six areas of the CPA Competency Map:
How do companies handle the uncertainty that comes with an ever-changing society and planet? Sustainability has become a major strategic issue for businesses across all sectors, with every organization demanding greater understanding of sustainability issues. Career advancement in this area will favour those who see the role of a business holistically and can lead others in anticipating and responding to the evolving needs of our society.
The competitive landscape is being redefined and demanding higher levels of attention from businesses committed to social responsibility. They are being redefined by global conditions such as:
The Lazaridis BBA Business and Sustainability concentration provides you with a broad view of the positive purpose of business and the perspective that business is instrumental in improving lives and livelihoods. You will learn how to apply your diverse business skills and judgement in ways that have a positive impact not only on your organization, but the wider world as well.
Want to be your own boss? Want to build something entirely new? Entrepreneurial skills have been cited as critical for the future of work. With the Lazaridis BBA Entrepreneurship concentration, you will develop the skills needed for the future world of work -- whether that is for your own venture, working for a startup, or helping others to make their dreams a reality through consulting.
This selection of electives requires you to be creative, innovative, and to understand how to validate an idea for a new venture and build a sustainable business model that’s ready to launch. If you’re ready to develop your entrepreneurial mindset, this concentration will help you:
Finance is the beating heart of the global economy, and for something this important, you must possess the depth of understanding to make decisions that can impact millions. The Lazaridis BBA Finance concentration provides you with an extensive offering of electives created by Lazaridis professors to help you master the financial concepts in your area of interest. You will understand the application of these concepts to build a set of skills that will launch your finance career.
The Lazaridis BBA Finance concentration will give you a stand-out competitive advantage for securing a career in finance across several fields, and any combination of fields that you can think of, including:
If you’re interested in pursuing your Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, the Lazaridis BBA Finance concentration offers several electives that will help you prepare for the CFA exams.
Did you know that Waterloo Region is a major centre of the Canadian insurance industry? The Lazaridis BBA is centred near some of the most successful insurance and financial service companies in North America, such as:
With a concentration in Insurance and Risk Management, you will learn how to connect this vital business sector to the rest of the economy. As well, graduates of this concentration will receive credit for courses required for the Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) Designation. A major strength of the insurance and risk management industry is the commitment to continuing education in the field, networking, and relationship building – all skills you will gain at the Lazaridis School.
Broaden your horizons with the Lazaridis BBA concentration in International Business. Blending Laurier’s unique approach to experiential learning with an immersive international study tour, this concentration will help you pursue a career with a global perspective, including roles such as:
Exclusively offered during the Winter term, there are five required courses that make up the international business concentration culminating in your international study tour. Make your mark on the world and gain exposure to global companies and markets in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
A constant feature of nearly every business is people. From the employees who make decisions to those who carry them out, Human Resource Management remains one of the most critical pieces to a successful organization.
The varieties of expertise needed in the field of human resource management will require someone who can see the organization with both an individual and strategic lens. Managers and leaders in this field bring value to their organizations in many ways, including:
The Lazaridis BBA Human Resource Management concentration consists of specific electives that complete the coursework requirements for two provincial designations: the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and the Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL). Delivered by Lazaridis professors with relevant industry experience -- majority hold CHRP or CHRL designations themselves -- students will learn the necessary content to pursue their provincial-level designations and set themselves up for long-term success in a fulfilling career.
How do you get consumers to notice you? What colours would best represent your brand? Where do your most loyal customers live?
Marketing is at the center of any business (or any business idea for many of our students) and is consistently among one of the most popular concentrations in our Lazaridis BBA. Lazaridis professors have developed a wide range of courses to help you expand your knowledgebase and carve out your niche in this industry making you a highly sought-after prospect at some of the world’s leading organizations.
Whether you’re interested in the creative side, or more intrigued by the research component, love the strategy of it all, or understand the steps to building a brand, these courses are purposefully designed to equip you with the information and skills necessary to hit the ground running in your marketing career.
The demand for people who can see the big picture and design a roadmap to success is always growing. The Lazaridis BBA Strategic Management concentration is for anyone interested in a management consulting or strategy analyst role. This is a cross-disciplinary concentration that offers a large range of course options delivered by leading professors. It was designed with flexibility of choice in mind and is reflective of the fact that strategy looks holistically at organizations and is dynamic in nature. This breadth of choice allows you to refine your concentration based on your areas of interest.
The concentration will benefit students who are vying for a co-op placement in management consulting, as the demand to hire Lazaridis BBA graduates in consulting roles has grown exponentially in recent years. By taking this concentration you will gain a competitive advantage with potential employers as you demonstrate focused learning on strategic management while completing your degree. Designed for students interested in:
Business is built on results. The more prosperous companies are those that consistently achieve the five supply chain 'rights': deliver the right products in the right condition, and at the right place, time, and price. It takes skill to deliver these results and the Lazaridis BBA concentration in Supply Chain Management will teach you how to make it happen.
You will gain the necessary skills to identify and implement the fundamentals of supply chain 'rights' by building on the solid foundation of the overall Lazaridis BBA degree. In the end, you will graduate from this concentration career-ready for positions in:
The Business Administration (BBA) program is offered by the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, and is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business – delivering on excellence and the highest standards for business schools in the world.
Students applying to this program from a Canadian province outside of Ontario are encouraged to review our course equivalents by province chart. This chart will show you what courses from your province are equivalent to the admission requirements listed under the Ontario High School Admission Requirements section.
Students applying to this program from an international curriculum must present the following:
Students applying to this program from an international curriculum are encouraged to review our curriculum-specific requirements. You will find which courses from your country's curriculum are equivalent to the admission requirements listed above. If your country or curriculum is not listed, please reach out to international@wlu.ca.
Laurier's language of instruction is English, and so we may require you to provide evidence of your English proficiency to help make sure you are successful in your academic courses.
Your three most recent years of full-time education must be in English without taking any ESL (English as a Second Language) courses. If you do not meet this requirement, you must provide evidence of your English proficiency.
We reserve the right to request an English-language test from any applicant.
If you do not meet Laurier's English proficiency requirement but are academically qualified for your program, you may be eligible for a conditional offer of admission.
The Academic Transition Pathway (ATP) program is offered through our affiliated institution, Wilfrid Laurier International College, and provides an option for meeting our English-proficiency requirement. If you have received an offer to Laurier with a condition to meet our English-proficiency requirement, you can meet that condition by successfully completing the ATP program.
Visit our admission requirements section to find specific requirements for transfer students, indigenous applicants, mature learners, homeschooled applicants, senior citizens, refugees, and more.
It’s not only about the journey; it’s about the destination. Let us help you get to where you’re going.
Here are just some examples of our graduates' destinations. What’s yours?
Note: Additional training and education may be required.
Alumni for life means that you have access to Career and Employment Support offered at Laurier for your entire career.
Co-op is a way to integrate what you are learning in the classroom with practical experience in your field of study. Build your resume, earn money, develop your network, and graduate with work experience.
You can apply for admission to co-op in your first year and may be eligible for an admission interview early in your second year. As a student in this program, you will be eligible to complete three work terms of four months’ duration, between second and fourth year, enabling you to obtain 12 months of full-time work experience.
Interested? Learn more about co-op.
98%employment rate for co‑op students – 2023 / 2024
Getting a university education is an investment in your future.
At Laurier, we take financial health seriously by providing a wide variety of funding opportunities for you throughout your degree, such as scholarships and bursaries, and by equipping you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.
Want to know what it’s really like to be in this program? U Community is our Discord server where future Golden Hawks like you can connect with current students to get their first-hand stories and tips on living and learning at Laurier.
Questions? Email chooselaurier@wlu.ca, call 548.889.8888 or see all contact information.
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