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B.A. Honours English with Co-op

Are you interested in gaining valuable employment experience while pursuing a degree in English? Carleton offers a Co-op Program for English Majors. Students can choose this option when they apply to the university or after beginning their program at Carleton. In addition to completing their English coursework requirements, co-op students take a course that teaches them how to present themselves professionally to employers and then they apply for full-time, paid work-term placements that use skills developed in their studies. English students in the program have worked for employers such as:

Co-op Requirements

Students registered full-time in the B.A. Honours English program may apply to the Co-op Program if they achieve the following:

To receive the Co-op designation on their final transcript and diploma, students must

English Majors on the Job

The Department of English at Carleton takes seriously the importance of preparing its students for the job market. To that end, it offers its majors a Co-op option and a practical course, From Degree to Career. Students consistently report that these initiatives have prepared them to navigate the transition from degree to career skillfully and confidently. The two stories below are illustrative of the kinds of positions our students tend to find during their three terms of Co-op.

First a junior policy analyst with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and later a communications assistant with the Department of Justice, Alicia Haniford’s first two Co-op terms required advanced writing skills. After returning to her academic studies, Alicia reported that one of her bosses told her “government departments can spend years training their employees to write the way that I’ve learned to write in my classes at Carleton.” Alicia’s last Co-op placement was in the private sector at the QC Career School, where she expanded her responsibilities into program creation, staff management and development of course content. Upon her graduation, Alicia was offered a full-time position at the QC Career School.

Ayla Sully was initially intimidated by the prospect of applying to co-op positions. This feeling quickly subsided when she discovered how many job descriptions included key phrases such as “excellent written communication; teamwork and collaboration; analytical skills.” Ayla credits the open, cooperative nature of English seminar courses for equipping her with these skills by encouraging an open exchange of ideas. Her sense of preparedness was not misplaced, for Ayla’s three terms of Co-op included rewarding and well-paid positions with Hub350, Library and Archives Canada, and Hydro Ottawa. Like many English students, Ayla has heard the hesitations surrounding her degree, and is eager to refute them: “The next time someone asks, ‘What are you going to do with your degree?’ I can confidently say that I’m going to be a critical thinker, a team player, and most importantly, a good communicator, which is a top skill across the employment sector.”

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