In this Guide
Learn the many ways you can extend your classroom experience to the real world.
- Take required courses and explore other programs of interest through electives.
- Learn about co-op – apply at the end of first year.
- Live in the Faculty of Science Residence Learning Community to extend opportunities for learning and development beyond the classroom.
- Leverage math and statistics learning resources available through Student Success's Math and Course Support for your courses.
- Enhance your academic experience at Laurier through professional one-on-one, online and peer-to-peer resources available through Academic Advising and Support.
- Explore courses in related areas of study and think about a Minor or an Option to complement your degree.
- Select a concentration in Financial Risk Analysis, Big Data or Statistical Analysis:
- The concentration in Financial Risk Analysis will prepare you for a diverse set of careers in the financial, business and insurance industries.
- The concentration in Big Data will prepare you for a career as a data architect or data programmer, applying a deep knowledge of computer science to create new tools to find value in the vast amounts of information generated in business today.
- The concentration in Statistical Analysis will prepare you for a career as a data scientist or statistician in many domains including agriculture, environment, medicine and clinical research.
- Look for research and instructional assistant opportunities in the Mathematics or Computer Science departments.
- Apply for the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Assistantship (USRA) program.
- Apply for research opportunities through MITACS Globalink Research Internship and MITACS Accelerate Project.
- Participate in Datathons, Hack-a-thons, or the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition.
- If you’re thinking about applying to graduate school, talk with your professors and visit the Career Centre.
- Complete coursework for your concentration.
- Attend the Canadian Undergraduate Mathematics Conference (CUMC) or the Applied Mathematics, Modeling and Computational Science (AMMCS) conference.
- Participate in student competitions such as Datathons and Data Analysis Case competitions.
- If you’re applying to graduate school, sign up for a scholarship proposal writing workshop and book a further education application appointment.
As a Data Science student, you can:
- Join student clubs such as the Laurier Analytics Society (LAS) or the Faculty of Science Students’ Association (FOSSA) and build leadership skills through joining an executive team.
- Seek part-time employment or volunteer opportunities in the Mathematics department or with Student Success' Mathematics and Course Support.
- Apply for a student representative position on the department or faculty committee.
- Attend networking events through the MS2Discovery Interdisciplinary Research Institute or in the Mathematics or Computer Science departments.
- Participate in Datathons or Problem Solving Workshops run by institutes such as the Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute and the Fields Institute.
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
- Develop a rigorous theoretical understanding of important techniques in statistical data analysis.
- Develop the practical skills necessary to implement data analysis, data mining and visualization techniques using technology.
- Become familiar with current data science technologies, such as machine learning, data mining, data visualization, artificial intelligence, parallel programming, and others.
- Build up an understanding of business practices and the economic environment.
- Increase your digital literacy as you learn a variety of computer languages and software packages used in data science such as R, Python, Matlab, Java, C, SQL, Hadoop, Spark and others.
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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Employed
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Pursuing Further Education
13 Data Science respondents from the 2024 Laurier Graduate Survey conducted by the Career Centre. Graduates were surveyed within 12 months of graduation. 8% of graduates were looking for employment when survey data collection ended.
Alumni Careers and Pathways
Sample Jobs Within the First Year After Graduation
- analytics data specialist
- business data analyst
- data analyst
- data engineering analyst
- data scientist
- quantitative developer
- sales and operations associate
Sample Further Education Programs Within the First Year After Graduation
- Master's Degree - Business Administration, Data Science & Analytics
- University Certificate - Business Analytics
Careers Of Alumni Two to Five Years After Graduation
- data engineer
- data governance manager
- data scientist
- decision support and quality improvement analyst
- development database coordinator
- senior analyst
- senior software developer
- senior technology consultant
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
- analytics
- big data
- data architecture
- finance/banking
- gaming
- insurance
- intelligence
- machine learning
- market analysis
- marketing
- privacy/security
- research
- risk assessment
- software development
- statistics
- technology
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!
Share Your Feedback
We'd love to hear from you. Complete the Laurier Experience Guide Feedback Survey to share your thoughts.