The DIRO's Co-op option allows students to accumulate significant industrial experience, as well as earning a salary during their studies.

Even before finishing their degrees, students who enroll in the Co-op option will have accumulated a year's worth of real-world experience in the workplace, forming useful industry contacts. It's not uncommon for co-op employers to hire their co-op students into full-time positions after the completion of their degrees!

In the Bachelor's in Computer Science program, the Co-op option includes 3 mandatory semesters of industrial internships. Students can qualify for the Co-op option after 2 semesters of coursework if they meet the requirements for the option (a selection interview and a GPA of at least 2.7/4.3).

The Co-op option is particularly attractive to students who want to accelerate their progression through their Bachelor studies, all while gaining industrial experience and turbocharging their career options: after only 9 semesters, just barely 36 months of studies, students graduate with a Bachelor's degree and 1 year of work experience with up to 3 companies.

Of the 9 terms in this option, 3 are reserved for the mandatory industrial internships. These internships are always completed in the 4^th (Fall), 6^th (Summer) and 8^th (Winter) semesters.

Students must have completed 2 semesters of study in the Bachelor's program before they can be admitted into the Co-op option. They must have:

• Started their full-time studies in September.
• Successfully finished the courses outlined in Section 9 of the Guide to Undergraduate Studies (in French).
• Maintained a grade point average of 2.7/4.3.

Students must submit applications by March 1, in their 2^nd semester, by completing the appropriate application form (in French).

Admission results are announced in late April of that semester. Students selected for the Co-op option must subsequently enroll in full-time courses during the upcoming summer semester as well as completing the 4 mandatory courses in the program: IFT2015, IFT2035, IFT2255 and IFT2105 (all in French).

During the summer semester, admitted students will take part in tailored activities designed to help them find and choose their Fall internship: these CV writing workshops, interviewing techniques and training, and interviews with prospective employers.

Click here for more information regarding the entire internship process (in French).