In this Guide
Learn the many ways you can extend your classroom experience to the real world.
- Take required leadership courses including OL101: Leadership and Personal Development and OL140: Leadership Foundations to develop self-leadership skills, learn about the practices of effective leaders, explore how leadership is both an art and a science and explore the concept of followership – the companion side of leadership.
- One of the most important skills of effective leaders (and followers!) is communication. In the second term of your first year, consider taking OL200: Communication Skills for Leadership to improve your communication skills.
- Enhance your academic experience at Laurier through professional one-on-one, online and peer-to-peer resources available through Academic Advising and Support.
- Take leadership courses and explore concepts such as influence, persuasion, and negotiation (OL365), leading organizational change (OL340), and leadership ethics (OL300). As a part of these courses, you will complete case studies, reflection papers, and assignments that focus on real-world challenges facing today’s students, employees, and organizations.
- Work one-on-one with a faculty member to explore a leadership topic in depth by taking OL380: Directed Studies.
- Participate in the Academic, Creative and Engaged Research Showcase (ACERS).
- If you’re thinking about applying to graduate school, talk with your professors and visit the Career Centre.
- Consider taking OL481: Project Management for an introduction to much-valued project management skills and help earning an entry-level project management certification from the Project Management Institute (Certified Associate in Project Management).
- Want to put your leadership skills to the test? In your third or fourth year, OL401: Leadership Skills: Practice and Application, offers you a unique opportunity to apply the leadership skills developed over your studies and the chance to represent Laurier in the Collegiate Leadership Competition!
- If you’re applying to graduate school sign up for a scholarship proposal writing workshop and book a further education application appointment.
As a Leadership student, you can:
- Join student clubs such as the Human and Social Sciences Association (HASSA) and build leadership skills through joining an executive team.
- Participate in the Youth Leaders on Board program and for the opportunity to get matched with a local organization to serve as a student member of the board of directors.
- Apply for employment opportunities such as a grading assistant, instructional assistant, or Youth Leader on Board program assistant.
- Participate in the Collegiate Leadership Competition for a chance to apply your leadership knowledge and skills and complete against other universities and colleges from Ontario, the U.S., and beyond.
Outside of your program, there are many co-curricular opportunities for you to participate in.
- Check out the Experience Catalogue for a full list of co-curricular experiences that are currently offered across campus.
- Volunteer with the Students’ Union (e.g., Laurier Orientation, Hawk Walk, EcoHawks, Food Bank, Emergency Response Team, Shinerama).
- Volunteer on campus with the Accessible Learning, Global Engagement, Sustainability Office, Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, WLU Student Publications and more.
- Get involved in the local community by volunteering off campus.
- Apply for on-campus jobs:
- Check Navigator frequently for job postings or contact individual departments directly.
- Search for job opportunities on the Students’ Union website.
- If you meet eligibility criteria, apply for the Laurier Work Study Program or International Student Work Experience Program.
- Attend Job Fairs to network with employers.
- Explore ways to get involved in research.
- Look into StartUp Lab opportunities for support in launching a new venture.
Job/Volunteer Search Tips
- While on-campus opportunities are posted year-round, recruitment often starts early! Start looking in the winter term for opportunities in the following academic year.
- Have your resumé and LinkedIn profile reviewed by Career Centre staff for both on and off-campus opportunities.
- Laurier offers a variety of co-curricular certificates that you can complete during your studies. Earn certificates in topics including academic development, professional development, wellness, leadership and career development.
- Participate in workshops, programming and events offered by the Career Centre, Gendered and Sexual Violence Prevention and Support, Laurier Library, the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and more.
- Engage in the First-Year Leadership Program including Campus Councils and House Council and the Leadership Certificate.
- Connect with Global Engagement to learn about international options available to you including opportunities abroad and language and culture sharing programs.
Design Your Degree
These are a few popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge. See undergraduate options, minors and courses for more information.
Develop Your Knowledge and Skills
As a Laurier student, you will develop the following competencies through your curricular and co-curricular experiences.
Competency Framework
Competencies are categories of transferrable skills that appear on your online Experience Record to help you reflect on what you've learned from your experiences. The competencies include:
- Adaptability and Resiliency
- Collaboration and Teamwork
- Communication
- Creativity and Innovation
- Critical Thinking
- Digital Literacy
- Diversity and Intercultural Understanding
- Functional Knowledge
- Leadership
- Problem Solving
- Professional Attributes
- Self-Awareness
Functional Knowledge
- Enhance your understanding of how to be an effective leader and follower and learn how to apply your leadership skills to effectively work with and inspire others.
- Develop self-leadership skills including time management, accountability and decision-making capacity.
- Gain an understanding of toxic leadership and how factors such as followers and the situation can support or challenge toxic leaders.
- Explore ethical issues from a variety of perspectives – who are the stakeholders? How are they affected by a decision or behaviour? Who stands to gain? Who stands to lose?
- Come to appreciate the ways in which diversity enhances organizations.
- Develop a deep understanding of the various theories and approaches available to leaders and how you can adapt those approaches to your personal leadership toolkit and situation.
- Acquire project management skills and knowledge needed by today’s organizations.
Discover Career Options
All your experiences at Laurier can help you prepare for your future. Attend Career Centre events and workshops or book a career consulting appointment to explore career and further education options.
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82 Faculty of Liberal Arts respondents from the 2024 Laurier Graduate Survey conducted by the Career Centre. Graduates were surveyed within 12 months of graduation. Other includes those travelling, volunteering or out of the workforce. 9% of graduates were looking for employment when survey data collection ended.
Alumni Careers and Pathways
Sample Further Education Programs Within the First Year After Graduation
- Master’s Degree - Social Work, Education, Globalization, Social Justice and Community Engagement
- College Program - Human Resources, Public Relations, Occupational Health
- Bachelor’s Degree - Education, Social Work
Sample Jobs Within the First Year After Graduation
- business innovation coordinator
- event coordinator
- marketing coordinator
- project administrator
- project manager
- social media manager
- talent advisor
Careers Of Alumni Two to Five Years After Graduation
- customer success specialist
- event manager
- finance broker
- human resources
- operations manager
- research associate and teaching faculty
- retention specialist
- sales and business development manager
Career Options and Resources
Need some guidance on what you can do with your degree? Discover some career options and find resources to help guide you.
Career and Industry Options
- communications
- counselling/social work
- education/teaching
- event planning
- government
- healthcare
- human resources
- journalism/media
- law/legal field
- library/archives/museum
- non-profit/advocacy
- project management
- public relations
- research
- sales and marketing
- student affairs
Career Resources
Your Experiences Tell Your Story
Share your story through your Laurier Experience Record. An interactive, shareable and official record of your hands-on experiences and learning opportunities at Laurier – the first of its kind in Canada!
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