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Business and Economics Co-op Program

Business and Economics co-op consists of three work terms of four months’ duration, between second and fourth year, enabling students to obtain 12 months of practical, full-time work experience. It has been designed to allow employers to have a position filled year-round by Laurier co-op students. Students apply for admission to Business and Economics co-op at the end of their first year.

Academic Credit

Undergraduate co-op students in Business and Economics programs receive academic credit for participating in the Co-op Option. To obtain the Co-op Option on your transcript you need to pass the co-op fundamentals course, receive a rating of at least satisfactory on each work term report and receive a rating of at least satisfactory on each performance evaluation.

"Through co-op, I have been able to experience business-to-business marketing. In my first work term, I became skilled at using graphic design software and began learning HTML coding and movie editing, and I will get to explore other types of work before choosing a career path."

Klara Raic, Business Administration, class of 2014.

Co-op Work Terms

Each work term is developed in collaboration with the employer and approved by the Department of Cooperative Education as a suitable learning environment that will engage the student in productive work. Students apply to employers with whom they are interested in working. Employers are encouraged to interview on campus. Although employment cannot be guaranteed, every effort is made to ensure that suitable employment is available for students admitted to co-op.

The student's performance in the workplace is supervised and evaluated by the student’s employer. Co-op staff members monitor each student's progress during the work term. The co-op curriculum supports student learning goals, personal evaluation and reflection; students are required to set goals each term and write work term reports. Students are compensated by their employer for work performed.

Professional Recognition

Honours Business and Honours Economics courses may be counted toward credit with numerous professional organizations, including the following:

  • Certified General Accountants of Ontario
  • Certified Management Accountants of Ontario
  • Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario
  • Human Resources Professionals Association
  • Insurance Institute of Canada
  • Purchasing Management Association of Canada

Laurier’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics has received the highest form of accreditation from the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International, whose standards are recognized internationally. Laurier's Business and Economics co-op programs are accredited until Dec. 31, 2019 by the Canadian Association for Cooperative Education.

Programs with Co-op

  • Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
  • Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics
  • Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics and Accounting
  • Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics and Financial Management
  • Honours Bachelor of Business Technology Management (BBTM)

Note: Co-op is not available to students in the Honours BA in Applied Economics program.

The time spent on work terms is recognized as part of the experience requirements for the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.

Jobs and Salaries

Contact Us:

Waterloo Campus

E: lauriercoop@wlu.ca
T: 519.884.0710 x4484
F: 519.884.8829
Office Location: 192 King Street North

Office Hours:

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Brantford Campus

E: lauriercoop@wlu.ca
T: 519.756.8228 x5844
Office Location: 38 Market Street