- To increase the opportunities for students seeking to pursue co-operative education opportunities by increasing the number
of co-op placements.
Commentary:
- The number of students involved in co-op is growing rapidly. In Fall 1996 there were 102 students enrolled in co-op
programs; in 1999 - 730 and in 2000 - 1017. There were 88 students who successfully completed one or more co-op
placements in 1996/97; this had increased to 252 in 1999/00 and preliminary numbers indicate this will reach 338 students
for 2000/01.
- In 1996/97 only one degree program had a co-op option; in 1999/00 this had increased to 6 degree programs and in 2000/01
7 degree programs (including 20 academic departments) have a co-op option. In these 7 degree programs, 21% of students
are now registered in the co-op option.
- The Bachelor of Computer Science is the degree with the highest participation rate - 32% of the students are enrolled in
the co-op option. The Engineering Physics field of the Bachelor of Engineering degree has the highest participation rate
for a major at 83%.
Co-operative Education Programs
Co-operative education integrates classroom learning with work experience in alternating terms. Co-op work terms allow the
student to acquire experience in the area of career interest, while the academic terms are devoted to fundamental and theoretical
studies. Work terms are 4-month, 8-month, 12-month and in some cases 16-month work periods, depending on the program
and year of study. The Co-op option typically adds one year to the length of the degree program. The first year work term is
a 4-month work term and is optional. A feature of Carleton programs is that more senior students are available for longer work
terms. Most of Carleton's co-op programs adhere to the criteria recommended by the Canadian Association for Co-operative
Education (C.A.F.C.E.) which require that the work experience is:
- Productive work, related to the degree program;
- Paid and supervised;
- Monitored by the University;
- Constitutes 30-50% of the academic terms;
- Evaluated by the co-op employer.
Co-op education programs
