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Thompson Rivers University
Thompson Rivers University

Co-operative Education

What is Co-operative Education?

Co-operative Education blends on-campus learning with practical applied learning. Enhance your education with career-related work experience before graduation.
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How Does Co-operative Education Work?

Students alternate study terms with paid, monitored work-terms in professional industry, non-profit, private business, and public sector organizations.

The Co-op program at TRU provides students with a great way to learn valuable career skills and an opportunity to test-drive the wide variety of career options.

Because students earn three credits per Co-op work-term, there is a tuition charge per work-term (semester). The charge is equal to that of a regular three-credit course at TRU.

At TRU, students enter Co-op at various points in their education depending on program requirements. While the summer semester is the most common time to complete work-terms, students are required to complete work-terms in the fall and/or winter semesters to fulfil their Co-op designation. Co-op work-terms in the fall and winter semester provides students with additional experience they would not normally receive during the summer.

Note: To achieve the Co-op designation at Thompson Rivers University, students must complete a minimum number of work terms in their degree or diploma. Students in a four-year degree program must complete a minimum of three work-terms, while students in a two-year diploma program must complete a minimum of two work-terms in order to receive their Co-op designation.

Sample Co-op Timetables for Students

Am I eligible for Co-op?

Check out the Programs page to check your program's eligibility.


Alum sees co-op placements through students’ eyes

As she approached the final stretch of her one-year work term at Raptor Integration, Brianna Pham, a third-year Bachelor of Computer Science student, sat down with her supervisor, Lorelei Guidos. As a former TRU co-op student of the year with five work terms on her resume, Guidos related to Pham’s position and understood the extraordinary value of co-op and uses those experiences to inform her leadership style.

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