Joining the Institute for Co-operative Education

After you are accepted into the program, you’ll have at least two academic semesters before your first work term. After that you’ll alternate between study and work terms. However, you must remain a full-time student throughout the program and register for at least 12 credits per study term for undergraduate students. You must be either on a work term or in school full-time each term.

Note that each academic program has its own study /work term sequence and all 3 Co-op work terms cannot be scheduled in the summer term.

Graduate students have a flexible schedule and work terms are available in any semester, but they must maintain their full-time status.

Check with the Co-op office for more details.

Joining Co-op gives you the chance to work for a wide range of employers. Prior to each work term, you apply for jobs that are posted on COMPASS, our on-line system. You are encouraged to also find opportunities on your own, as long as they meet our criteria, or create your own job. You can also do your work term outside of Quebec or overseas.

While finding a job is ultimately your responsibility, we give you all the support we can.  We offer mandatory workshops on writing resumés, cover letters, and interview skills, and coach you while you develop your job search. As part of the Co-op experience, we offer you additional workshops to enhance your career development.

All Co-op students on work terms must be paid by their employer, but Co-op puts the emphasis on experience, not salaries. The salary you earn from your work term depends on your field, employer, your work experience (including Co-op work experience) and other factors. Visit our Employers section to see salary ranges.

Work term evaluations

Co-op students receive a grade of Pass or Fail for each work term. The work term evaluation is based on three components:

• Employer evaluation: Employers will establish performance objectives with you during the first few weeks of your work term. They will have an opportunity to review your performance during the work site visit and close to the end of the work term, and complete an evaluation form.
• Work term report or presentation: After each work term you must complete a written report or give a presentation (PowerPoint), depending on your program and work term level.

Reflective Learning (Reflection in Action)

Undergraduate and Graduate students also participate in a Reflective Learning course throughout their work terms. In this course you’ll learn to think critically about the workplace, reflect on your personal goals and objectives, and examine the relationship between what you learn in the classroom and on the job. Each reflective learning course is worth three complementary credits and is marked on a pass/fail basis. The grade has no impact on your overall GPA, but it is indicated on your transcript.

Students who are currently on a work term are enrolled in a Work Term and Reflective Learning course and will have access to all relevant information they need during the work term. 

For students who are not currently on a work term, all important information can be found on COMPASS.

Log into COMPASS. You can also access COMPASS by logging in to the Student Hub and going to My CU Account > Experiential learning & professional development.