Engineering Co-op Program
The Faculty of Engineering offers a Bachelor of Engineering Co-operative Education program (BEng Co-op) that allows students to alternate career focused work terms with study terms and receive a Co-op degree designation upon graduation. Co-op enables students to apply what they learn in class to real-world work situations and then apply what they learn at work to their classroom studies, thereby enriching their learning. It also helps students to learn more about their career options by test-driving different work environments before they graduate. Graduation from this program requires satisfactory performance in both areas. The schedule of study and work terms varies according to the discipline, details of which are outlined below.
BEng Co-op is a selective program. Students interested in participating must apply, via Work-Integrated Learning & Co-operative Education - Dalhousie University.
The Study and Work Schedule
The co-operative system requires students to alternate periods of study with periods of university approved, full-time, paid employment. The period of employment is called a work term and is normally four months (16 weeks) in length. Some programs combine two or more four-month work terms. Work terms have academic requirements that must be completed in addition to the requirements of the employer.
Each discipline has a specific work and study term schedule which students are required to follow (see the study and work sequence chart below). Work terms do not begin until third year of the program. All programs end on an academic term rather than a work term to allow for the formal integration of workplace and classroom learning.
Study and Work Sequences
| Discipline |
Fall |
Winter |
Summer |
Fall |
Winter |
Summer |
Fall |
Winter |
| Electrical |
Study |
Study |
Work |
Study |
Work |
Work |
Study |
Study |
| Industrial |
Study |
Work |
Study |
Work |
Study |
Work |
Study |
Study |
Environmental, Civil and Mineral Resource
|
Study |
Study |
Work |
Work |
Off |
Work |
Study |
Study |
| Chemical, Materials and Mechanical |
Work |
Study |
Work |
Study |
Work |
Work |
Study |
Study |
See Work-Integrated Learning & Co-operative Education - Dalhousie University for a full description of the Co-op Program.