Co-op education

Students in Memorial University’s bachelor of engineering co-operative education program are valuable to employers locally, nationally and internationally because they combine their cutting-edge technical knowledge and problem solving-skills with an energetic team approach. Students are able to contribute to all aspects of an engineering project, including design, production, inspection, calculations and proposals. In fact, we encourage employers to be demanding in order to optimize both student learning and employer benefit.

Memorial's engineering co-operative education program requires students to complete a minimum of four, four-month work terms for graduation as shown in the chart below. This schedule allows practical skills and knowledge to be applied to a variety of engineering and management-related tasks.

Engineering Program Organizational Chart

	Fall	Winter	Spring
Year 1	Engineering One *
Year 2	Term 3	Work Term	Term 4
Year 3	Work Term	Term 5	Work Term
Year 4	Term 6	Work Term	Term 7
Year 5	Work Term	Term 8	-

* Students who complete the Engineering One requirements during the first two semesters of Year One may undertake their first work term during the spring semester of that year.

The Academics

In Engineering One, the first year of the engineering program, all students take a common program, which comprises courses in mathematics and basic science (physics and chemistry), as well as courses covering engineering fundamentals common to all disciplines. The engineering courses in Engineering One introduce students to engineering problem-solving, analysis, design, communication and teamwork. Students will develop an understanding of the specialties, as well as the interdisciplinary nature of engineering practice.

The major programs of Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering are offered in academic terms 3 through 8. The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science also offers an Oil and Gas Engineering option beginning in academic term 6, which provides students in any discipline with a background in issues related to the offshore oil and gas industry.

The Objectives

Some learning objectives for work terms are:
• Acquire technical skills;
• Develop interpersonal and communication skills;
• Learn to work on a team;
• Experience a professional environment;
• Develop work and time management skills;
• Examine and confirm career choices; and
• Learn to work under supervision.

The Work

The type of work our students can undertake varies from well-define positions with specific tasks and procedures to unstructured situations where they work with only objectives and deadlines. The co-op co-ordinators in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science can advise employers on structuring job descriptions to meet the needs of both students and employers.

The Communications

To develop interpersonal, time, and project management skills, students must complete communications assignments during work terms. The assignment varies each term but can include a job diary, personal work term journal, short technical report, portfolio, descriptive technical report, oral presentation on a technical subject, fully-documented technical report, or any other type of report determined in conjunction with the employer.

The University

In the co-operative partnership between the student, employer and Memorial, the co-op office provides:
• support to develop positions;
• advertisement of your job descriptions to our students;
• collection and forwarding of applications; and
• assistance with monitoring and evaluation of student performance.

Memorial also operates co-op/internship programs in Business, Physical Education, Recreation, Computer Science and Economics at the undergraduate level, and Applied Social Psychology and Computational Science at the graduate level. Co-operative Education co-ordinators are housed in their respective faculty or school. All co-ordinators report to a director of Co-operative Education. The Division of Co-operative Education manages all cooperative programs at Memorial and a co-operative education services centre provides common services to all co-operative programs.

The Employer

Work term employers are asked to provide:
• work assignments suitable to employer and student needs, ranging from 14 to 17 weeks;
• participation in the selection process;
• appropriate professional guidance and supervision to students throughout the work term;
• a salary consistent with the employer's organizational salary structure;
• an opportunity for a university representative to monitor the student during the work term; and
• a written evaluation of the student's performance at the end of the work term.

Frequently, employers also provide financial assistance to students for initial travel to and from the work location.

More Information

To discuss how you can participate in Memorial’s Engineering co-op program, or for assistance with job postings and interview scheduling, contact:

Office of Co-operative Education
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John’s NL A1B 3X5
Student Placement Administrator 709 737 8816
Director for Cooperative Education 709 737 8815
Fax: 709 737 2537
coopeng@mun.ca