Acadia’s Co-operative Education program (http://co-op.acadiau.ca/) ranks highest in Canada in the 2013 Globe and Mail Canadian University Report in its category of very small post-secondary institutions.

Its A- rating is the highest of any university of any size in Atlantic Canada and the second highest for any Co-op program in the country.

For students who haven’t yet considered applying for Acadia’s Co-op program, here are three more good reasons to take the plunge. Compared to their counterparts who graduate without Co-op, students who graduate with Co-op:

• have lower debt;
• find a better job sooner after they graduate;
• get paid more when they start their careers.

The Co-op program integrates academic studies with paid work experience in the student’s field of study, and it’s an option in almost all Acadia programs. Students must have a GPA of 2.5 or above and be starting their second or third year of study.

Co-op coordinators Michelle Larsen (Science and Computer Science) and Shelley McMullin (Business and Arts) assist students at every step. “Overall, our role is to help students achieve whatever goals they have and really move them forward in their careers,” says Larsen.

Co-op students graduate with at least a year’s experience, gained through either three four-month work terms or a 12–16 month internship. Perhaps surprisingly, being in the Co-op program may add only one extra semester before graduation.

Rise in confidence, skills, experience

“That one year of experience makes the student more competitive when they graduate,” says McMullin. She also points out that many graduate programs now require a student to have practical experience before they’re admitted.

“I believe Co-op is a transformational experience,” says Larsen. “I would say the largest thing that students come back and say to us is that the growth in confidence they experience is monumental.”

Students make all kinds of connections, and they have a greater sense of what they want to do when they graduate. “They’ve built up a huge repertoire of skills and knowledge that wouldn’t be possible during just a regular degree,” she says, “because they’re being exposed to opportunities that go well beyond the classroom.”

Employers appreciate the education, skills, and enthusiasm that Co-op students bring to the workplace. “For employers who are also Acadia alumni, hiring a Co-op student is an amazing way to be able to give back,” Larsen says.

For video and more information on Acadia’s Co-op program, please visit: http://novascotia.ca/news/smr/2013-05-22-Grad-Jobs/