Co-op in Science, Engineering and Architecture
Graduate with up to 20 months of paid experience in your field.
Classes, then real work, then back to classes.
Co-op is a paid, full-time job in your field that counts toward your degree. You are hired by a company as an employee and paid for the work you do. Work terms run 4, 8, 12 or 16 months and can start in September, January or May.
Most students go out on their first placement in the summer after second year. Complete four work terms, and you graduate with the co-op designation on your degree.
You can choose co-op now or later.
Choose co-op when you apply
Applying to Chemical, Mechanical or Mining Engineering from high school for Fall 2027? You can select the co-op version of the program directly on your OUAC application. Admission requirements are the same as the regular program, and you are in from your first day. You will need to reach a 3.5 GPA to go out on your first work term.
Apply once you are here
In Computer Science or a Chemistry program, or in Engineering without co-op? You can apply starting in your second year. Come to the co-op information session each September. Meet the academic requirements, and you will follow the same path as students who chose co-op at application.
Programs that offer co-op
- Chemical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mining Engineering
- Computer Science
- Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture. Co-op is built into the degree. See the McEwen School of Architecture co-op webpage for details.
Requirements and timing for each program are further down this page.
How co-op works
- Join: You are registered in co-op upon admission, or you can apply once you meet your program's requirements. We run an information session every September.
- Prepare: You work one-on-one with the co-op coordinator on your resume, and we run mock interviews so you get the practice before it counts.
- Apply and interview: Co-op roles are posted on CareerHub, and you apply to them yourself. You are also expected to run your own search beyond what is posted. Plenty of students find their own placement, and we approve it and handle the paperwork.
- Work: You are a paid, full-time employee for 4 to 16 months. The coordinator stays in touch, and each work term is graded satisfactory or unsatisfactory on your transcript.
- Return: You come back to class knowing why the theory matters, which tends to change how you study. Most students who do more than one placement work for more than one employer, so co-op is also how you find out which part of the field you actually want.
In our most recent survey of engineering graduates, every graduate with pre-graduation work experience had found a job.
Employment Survey 2026, School of Engineering and Computer Science
In their own words
I worked on daily metallurgical production reports sent to over 200 people, particle size analyses, daily reagent inventory levels, and the XRF project. My co-op experience helped me truly understand what metallurgy is.
Nate Randell
4th Year Chemical Engineering. Placement at Alamos Gold.
What five years looks like
There is no single co-op schedule. Your sequence depends on your program, how long your placements run, and when they start. These are two examples. Both finish in five years, earn the designation, and many other combinations do the same.
Sequence Example 1
| Year | Sept to Dec | Jan to Apr | May to Aug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Study | Study | Summer |
| Year 2 | Study | Study | Work term 1 |
| Year 3 | Study | Study | Work term 2 |
| Year 4 | Work term 3 | Work term 4 | Work term 5 |
| Year 5 | Study | Study | Graduate |
Sequence Example 2
| Year | Sept to Dec | Jan to Apr | May to Aug |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Study | Study | Summer |
| Year 2 | Study | Study | Work term 1 |
| Year 3 | Study | Study | Work term 2 |
| Year 4 | Study | Work term 3 | Work term 4 |
| Year 5 | Study | Study | Graduate |
Full-time co-op students finish the degree in five years rather than four. During a work term, you are earning a full-time wage and paying a co-op fee for that term instead of a full term of tuition.
What you will earn
Co-op students earn a median of $26 an hour. Over a four-month work term at 40 hours a week, that works out to roughly $18,000 before deductions.
| Program | Median Hourly | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | $26.00 | $18.84 to $40.00 |
| Computer Science | $25.25 | $22.00 to $28.00 |
Based on recent placements. Wages vary by employer, location and how many terms you have completed.
Where students work
Our students have worked at more than 70 employers across these six areas. Larger employers hire across several of them.
Mining and exploration
Mine planning, geotechnical work and technical services at operating mines.
Employers include: Vale, Agnico Eagle, Glencore, Teck Resources, IAMGOLD, KGHM, Impala Canada, Pan American Silver, Alamos Gold, Discovery Silver, Canadian Natural Resources.
Recent roles: Mine Engineering Intern, Geotechnical Co-op Student, Tailings Engineering Co-op.
Employers include: Vale, Agnico Eagle, Glencore, Teck Resources, IAMGOLD, KGHM, Impala Canada, Pan American Silver, Alamos Gold, Discovery Silver, Canadian Natural Resources.
Recent roles: Mine Engineering Intern, Geotechnical Co-op Student, Tailings Engineering Co-op.
Processing and metallurgy
Mills, smelters and refineries in process and quality roles.
Employers include: Glencore, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Vale, Alamos Gold, Discovery Silver.
Recent roles: Mill Metallurgist Intern, Process Technology Engineering Co-op, Operational Excellence Co-op Student.
Employers include: Glencore, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Vale, Alamos Gold, Discovery Silver.
Recent roles: Mill Metallurgist Intern, Process Technology Engineering Co-op, Operational Excellence Co-op Student.
Engineering consulting
Project work across several clients, often with more variety in one term than a single site provides.
Employers include: Hatch, WSP Canada, Pinchin Environmental, Bestech.
Recent roles: Controls and Automation Student. Acoustic Voice and Vibration Student. Field Technician.
Employers include: Hatch, WSP Canada, Pinchin Environmental, Bestech.
Recent roles: Controls and Automation Student. Acoustic Voice and Vibration Student. Field Technician.
Technology and software
Building the communications, safety and control systems that mines run on.
Employers include: Jannatec Technologies, Hard-Line, Becker Varis Mine Technology, Spin2 Software, Noka.
Recent roles: Junior Programmer. IT and ERP Co-op Student. Engineering Programmer Co-op.
Employers include: Jannatec Technologies, Hard-Line, Becker Varis Mine Technology, Spin2 Software, Noka.
Recent roles: Junior Programmer. IT and ERP Co-op Student. Engineering Programmer Co-op.
Manufacturing and equipment
Designing, building and maintaining machinery, from underground vehicles to industrial systems.
Employers include: MacLean Engineering, Bristol Machine Works, HTS Engineering, Domtar, Enbridge
Recent roles: Reliability Engineering Co-op Student. Mechanical Engineering Intern. Contracting and Engineering Co-op
Employers include: MacLean Engineering, Bristol Machine Works, HTS Engineering, Domtar, Enbridge
Recent roles: Reliability Engineering Co-op Student. Mechanical Engineering Intern. Contracting and Engineering Co-op
Research and public sector
Government labs and research facilities, including one two kilometres underground.
Employers include: SNOLAB, CanmetMINING and Natural Resources Canada, Ontario Power Generation
Recent roles: Student Research Assistant. Student IT Technologist. Mining Technician Co-op.
Employers include: SNOLAB, CanmetMINING and Natural Resources Canada, Ontario Power Generation
Recent roles: Student Research Assistant. Student IT Technologist. Mining Technician Co-op.
Most placements are close. Some are a long way from here.
Just under half of our co-op placements are in Greater Sudbury and about seven in ten are in Northern Ontario. Students have also worked in Calgary, Vancouver, Thunder Bay, Yellowknife and Rankin Inlet.
Staying close has a practical advantage. A work term here does not mean moving cities or carrying a second rent, so more of what you earn stays with you.
The largest integrated mining complex in the world
Nine operating mines, two mills, two smelters and a nickel refinery, with more than 300 supply and service companies around them and roughly 14,000 people employed. Process control, materials, mechanical systems and heavy equipment at full scale.
SNOLAB, two kilometres underground
A clean laboratory inside an operating mine, running dark matter, quantum technology and life sciences experiments for more than a thousand researchers from 165 institutions across 23 countries. Our co-op students have worked there in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science roles.
A mining technology sector that runs on software
Sudbury companies build the communications, safety and automation systems used in mines worldwide. Our Computer Science students have worked at Jannatec Technologies, Hard-Line, Hexagon Mining, Varis Mine Technology and Sofvie, all without leaving the city.
Research bodies that hire students directly
CanmetMINING and Natural Resources Canada, MIRARCO on this campus, and the university's own freshwater and environmental research groups. Placements here have run from mining technician work to project management and lab research.
What it takes
| Program | Minimum standing | When you can apply | First work term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical, Mechanical and Mining Engineering | 3.5 GPA | On your OUAC application, or starting in second year | After second year |
| Computer Science | 3.5 GPA | Starting in second year | After second year |
| Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry | 6.0 GPA | Starting in second year | After second year |
| Architectural Studies and M.Arch. | Co-op is built into the degree. See the McEwen School of Architecture co-op webpage for details. | ||
- Laurentian uses a 10-point GPA scale. See how grades convert.
- Good academic standing throughout, in every program.
- Eligibility to work in Canada. International students no longer need a separate co-op work permit. You need a valid study permit that authorizes on-campus work, and a letter from us confirming the placement is part of your program.
- A co-op fee of $824 is charged for each four-month work term you register in, at the start of that term. This is the 2026-27 rate.
Meeting these requirements gets you into co-op. Getting a placement is a separate step, and it is competitive. You apply, and employers choose, the same as any other job.
If you are heading toward a P.Eng.
Ontario licensing is competency-based, and since July 2026, the minimum is two years of engineering experience after earning your degree. Co-op placements do not reduce this requirement, but they do give you real work to discuss in your application. The skills you show during a work term can count toward your competency-based assessment. Each work term can serve as an example for your application, so keep notes while your experiences are still fresh.
Connect with the coordinators
Keenan Roy
Placement Coordinator, Science and Engineering Co-op
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Architecture
Victoria Dominico
Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Coordinator, Architecture
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Architecture