Cooperative education relies upon a three-way partnership between students, employers, and the university.
The Computer Science Co-op Program formally integrates academic studies with paid work experience. Beginning in their third year of Computer Science studies, Co-op students alternate four month academic terms with four month Computer Science relevant work terms.
Co-op Program recruitment takes place in April up until the middle of May with new admissions being announced at the end of August. Admission to the Co-op Program is based on grade point average, performance in completed second year Computer Science courses, and other factors. Normally, the first Co-op work term takes place January 2 through April 30. Students must successfully complete the equivalent of three work terms to receive the Co-op designation on their degree. Most students who participate in the Co-op Program graduate in December of their fifth year, rather than April of their fourth.
Co-op students will have completed courses covering a broad range of topics that may include:
- Algorithms and Data Structures
- Programming in Java, C, C++, Assembly
- Object Oriented Design
- Databases
- Operating Systems
- Software Engineering
- User Interfaces
- Computer Organization and Digital Logic
- Analysis of Algorithms