program description students will have the opportunity to hone the skills they need to solve problems in computer science, business, communications, and more. combinatorics looks at permutations and combinations. optimization explores ways to make any operation work more efficiently within given constraints. together, they provide powerful methods for modelling and solving large management problems, from optimizing flight schedules to making a factory’s layout as efficient as possible. in combinatorics and optimization at the university of waterloo, students will learn concepts such as enumeration, combinatorical designs, graph theory, linear programming, nonlinear optimization, operations research, and combinatorical optimization, and how to use them in real-world applications. plus, students will have the opportunity to gain paid work experience through the co-op program. when students graduate, they can put their skills to work in areas as diverse as cryptography, electronic security, software development, social media, and risk analysis.