Academic Credit

Undergraduate co-op students in Business, Economics, BTM, Computer Science, Data Science, Water Science and Environmental Health, User Experience Design, and double-degree programs receive academic credit for participating in co-op. (Students admitted to Faculty of Arts Co-op in 2024 and beyond will also receive academic credit for participating in co-op.)

To obtain the co-op designation, you must complete all the requirements of both your academic program and co-op education requirements. Once you have completed co-op, you will have the notation "Co-operative Education" appended to your transcript and noted on your degree.

Co-op students follow the same academic program as regular students. Because of the alternating pattern of work and study terms, there may be some differences in the scheduling of individual courses.

Co-op Requirements

• To obtain the co-op designation on your transcript you must obtain at least four half-credits by passing the Fundamentals of Co-operative Education course and three work term courses.
• Co-op credits will not take the place of any other courses and are in addition to the course total required for your academic program.
• Credits are awarded on a pass or fail basis and the marks are therefore not included in your GPA or your total credit count.
• Co-op credits will not count toward the GPA or credit count requirements of any scholarship or funding program.
• You may appeal assessments of your grades for co-op credit. All decisions made through the co-op petitions process are final.

COOP-000: Fundamentals of Co-operative Education

• The Fundamentals course is a mandatory preparatory program for co-op students at Laurier.
• Students participate in modules that focus on skills such as résumé and cover letter development, interview preparation, personal branding and career types.
• The course also helps you prepare for their first work term and assists in establishing strategies for effective goal-setting and reflective practices.
• Lessons and modules incorporate a blend of lectures, active learning, practice settings and expertise from the professional community, including employers, alumni, senior co-op students and cooperative education professionals.
• This half-credit course is assessed on a pass or fail basis, with an emphasis on feedback and development where possible. Participation and attendance is mandatory and success in the course is required to continue in the cooperative education program.

Work Term Courses

• Work term courses are called Work Term One, Two or Three. (If you are in a double degree program with an optional fourth work term, you may enrol in Work Term Four.)
• Academic credit will be granted on a pass/fail basis and noted on your transcript.
• To pass a work term course, you must achieve a rating of at least satisfactory for your performance, as evaluated by your employer, and of at least satisfactory for your work term report, as evaluated by a faculty member.
• If you fail a course you will not receive academic credit for the work term and we will review your status to determine whether you may continue in co-op.

MyDegree

• Indicate that you want to graduate with the co-op designation when you submit the online "apply to graduate" form.
• The Registrar's Office will ensure that MyDegree includes your co-op designation about four weeks before your convocation.