Co-op

The Co-operative Education Program is intended to provide students with hands-on, valuable technical experience in a variety of different work environments.  The majority of Engineering Physics students enroll in the program and they have been successful in completing their undergraduate degree with up to 16 months of work experience.  The benefits of joining the program include:

  • Gain relevant technical work experience
  • Explore and determine career goals
  • Opportunities for international placements
  • Earn competitive wages
  • Establish contacts within industry, making it easier to secure a job after graduation

Acceptance into the program requires submitting an application form and completing an interview with the Engineering Physics Co-op Coordinator.  The application form can be obtained from the Science Co-op office (Room 170 – 6221 University Blvd, Chemistry/Physics Building) or at the Science Co-op website.

Co-op Schedule

Students normally complete four work term placements interspersed throughout the nine academic semesters.  Students who have deficiencies in their program before entering Engineering Physics are encouraged to complete as many of those as possible during the open summer semester before entering second year. Please seek the advice of an adviser in Engineering Physics.

Year Fall Winter Summer
1 School School Apply to co-op
2 School Co-op term #1 School
3 School School Co-op term #2
4 Co-op term #3 School Co-op term #4
5 School School

Through the Co-operative Education Program, students are exposed to the various careers which exist in industry.  The experience gained proves invaluable in helping a student decide which career path to eventually follow. To this end, the flexibility provided by the academic program allows a student to customize their degree by pursuing one of the four options as well as getting further specialization through the selection of appropriate electives.

Among the tasks that past Engineering Physics co-op students have performed:

  • Assist with the design of mechanical lift apparatus
  • Construct and diagnose various prototype digital circuits; combinational and sequential digital circuits (Flip-flops, logic gates), analog amplifiers and power supplies based on transistors, diodes, multi-vibrators based on operational amplifiers
  • Assist in the design and construction of various experimental solid-state laser systems
  • Build and test small electrical circuits for computer-laser interface
  • Design analog circuit for diffuse reflectance spectroscopy
  • Constructed framework of the national water distribution database
  • Construction of various laser components and laser testing with spectrometer
  • Create an automated test for build verification
  • Draw up verification plan and carry out characterization of transceivers.
  • Analyze test results using Microsoft Access and Excel
  • Research, propose, and implement new software testing plans
  • Technical write-ups and reports
  • Performing hardware validation of various chips
  • Research – pure and applied in the areas of heat transfer, radiation heat transfer, optics, semiconductor processing
  • Digital signal processing algorithm research and design
  • Investigate light-emitting polymers in porous alumina matrix
  • Write applications using C++
  • Develop device driver software
  • Develop UNIX Shell and Perl scripts to automate testing and data reduction
  • Develop SQL programs for Oracle Database Applications
  • Program in Visual Basic 6.0 (including ActiveX, COM, ADO)
  • Create logistical Java program
  • Develop window application for monitoring an industrial welding laser using Borland C++ Builder

A sample of companies that hire ENPH graduates:

  • Ballard Power Systems
  • Nokia Mobile Phones
  • IBM Canada
  • Imperial Oil
  • PMC Sierra
  • Electronic Arts
  • BC Cancer Research Centre
  • BC Hydro
  • MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates Ltd
  • National Research Council of Canada
  • TRIUMF
  • Honeywell
  • Bosch (Germany)
  • Canada Space Agency
  • Kodak
  • General Electric
  • Sanyo Electric Corp.
  • Sony Corp.