The Engineering Co-op Program offered by the Faculty of Applied Science prepares students for the job market through valuable paid work experience. The Co-op Program is available to both undergraduate and MEng Electrical and Computer Engineering students. With specialized undergraduate programs designed for Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering and a combined MEng Electrical and Computer Engineering program, the Co-op Program gives students a first-hand look into industry.
The Engineering Co-op Program is designed to integrate academic studies and technical engineering work. These work terms are not internships, students must receive pay during their time working, which can assist with the cost of education. By participating in the program, students can complete their degree while building their skills and resumes with relevant work experience.
Applying to Co-op
Students who wish to be considered for the program must meet all the requirements of the Faculty of Applied Science (Engineering) and will be selected on the basis of their application which will look at career motivation, maturity, commitment, written and verbal communication skills, and academic marks. To graduate with co-op standing, a student must have satisfactorily completed a minimum of four work terms of four months, in addition to the normal academic requirements.
Undergraduates can apply for the Engineering Co-op Program at the beginning of either their second or third year of their Engineering degree. The year-round program entails one spring, one fall, as well as three summer work terms. Participation in the program will require an extra year to finish a B.A.Sc. degree. MEng students have a choice of completing one or two work terms of summer and/or fall before graduation.
For more information, please visit the Engineering Co-op Program website.
Student Testimonial:
“Working at Shopify has been absolutely amazing! A few highlights are the work culture, talented employees, limitless learning opportunities, aesthetic offices, and free food! First, it’s awesome that Shopify looks for curious learners who are passionate about their work and unafraid to be themselves. In addition, how much you want to learn depends on you, people are happy to share their expertise and answer any questions. I’m glad I get the opportunity to connect with talented shopifolks and ask about what interests me— from design, to system architecture, to specific technologies. Similarly, how much impact you want to make depends on you, teams are supportive of interns taking on responsibilities and tackling challenging problems. Throughout my internship, I also get many opportunities to identify gaps in our technology and implement solutions to fill them. For example, I strongly believe in programs failing earlier rather than later so I added a few precondition checks on the client side for our deployment tool. Now the failing commands that previously failed in ten seconds because of a third party service fails in a second, yay for developer happiness!”
—Nicholas Wu, Computer Engineering