The Chemistry Co-op Option
Jenny Hogenbom, BSc 2020: I graduated with a BSc in Chemistry (2020) with the Co-op option. The chemistry department at Acadia was my home – the small class sizes made for building a very tight-knit community and I knew all my peers and professors well, and that support system was invaluable to my success. Through co-op, during the 5 years of my undergrad I gained well over a year in work experience in a variety of environments (including industry, government, and academia), building an incredibly strong resume with tons of technical and transferable skills that make me a competitive candidate for jobs in my field, as well as giving me insight I would not have otherwise had about professional life as a chemist. Not to mention I was able to earn money throughout my degree and was able to graduate without any student debt!
Students typically enrol in Co-op in September of Year 2 and will gain Professional Development (PD) training in resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, work ethics and professional practices as part of this program.
Points of interest:
- There has been 100% placement rate for students over the past 3 years in Chemistry
- Companies that hire Acadia Chemistry Co-op students include: Sepracor Canada Inc., Maxxam Analytics, Irving Oil Refinery, Genzyme Diagnostics Inc., Institute for Marine Biosciences and the list goes on
- Co-op and Honours are compatible … you can do both!
- Co-op will extend your degree, but offers a multitude of benefits like:
- 1 year's worth of hands-on discipline-related work experience by the time you graduate
- The ability to test-drive careers…find out what you want
- Opening previously closed doors to industry and government
- Paying for your education as you go: Ave. salary $14.50/hour
- Industry contacts and references
- Full-time job offers before you graduate, higher starting salaries
Co-op Scheduling
Option 1: Completion of three 4-month Co-op work terms (WT) with an optional fourth work term. Semesters where students are enrolled in full-time studies on-campus are denoted with an 'A'.
Semester | Fall | Winter | Summer |
Year 2 | Enroll, PD | PD | WT1 |
Year 3 | A | A | WT2 |
Year 4 | WT3* | A | WT4 |
Year 5 | A |
*WT3 may be completed during either the Fall or Winter semester of Year 4
Option 2: Completion of one Co-op work term (WT) and a 12-16 month internship (I) completed between year 3 and 4. Semesters where students are enrolled in full-time studies on-campus are denoted with an 'A'.
Semester | Fall | Winter | Summer |
Year 2 | Enroll, PD | PD | WT1 |
Year 3 | A | A | I1 |
Year 4 | I2 | I3 | I4 |
Year 5 | A | A |
For more information check out Co-operative Education in Chemistry at Acadia.