Work term transfer

If you are a student with a recognized co-op work term from another accredited post-secondary institution, you may apply for transfer credit for one work term. You may apply in writing for work term transfer credit during your initial academic term within the BCom program. The work term for which you wish to receive transfer credit must meet the following criteria:

• paid employment
• written final report submitted
• supervised by a Co-op Practitioner at the institution in question
• 12 weeks minimum full-time work
• work must have been applicable to the program you were in at the time

If your previous work term meets the criteria, you must apply for transfer credit by November 15. However, please contact a Placement Coordinator by September 30 to indicate your intention to apply for transfer credit. This way, if it is determined your work term is not transferable, you will still have the opportunity to use that experience to challenge for work term credit.

To Apply:

• Write a one page statement demonstrating how your work term meets the above criteria
• Attach a copy of your official transcript from the institution where you completed the work term, if it is not already on file.  

List of approved institutions & courses for Co-op Transfer Credit*

List of courses not accepted for Co-op Transfer Credit

*There may be other institutions and programs from which we can accept transfer credit for a co-op work term. If students would like to transfer a work term from an institution or program that is not listed here, please check with the Placement Coordinator

Work term challenge

If you are a third year BCom student enrolled in COM 204 in Fall 2013, or a second year student that took COM 204 in Fall 2012 and yet to complete your first work term, you have the option to submit the first work term as a work term challenge in September 2013 and then complete the other two as regular work terms. The following information is intended to explain how to receive credit for work experience completed prior to entering the BCom program.

You must meet the following criteria to be considered for work term credit by challenge: 

• You must have developed professional and personal competencies such as:

1. Analysis
2. Problem solving
3. Decision-making
4. Organizing/managing self and others
5. Written/verbal communication
6. Technical/computer
7. Interpersonal relations
8. Initiative and self-reliance
9. Industry/job specific

• The work must be related to your business studies
• The work should have helped you establish and achieve your career goals
• The work was supervised
• The work must total a minimum of 420 hours
• The work must have been paid

You must apply to challenge a work term in your first academic term within the Gustavson School of Business. What you must submit for your application package:

• Work Term Challenge Application Form - this is a fillable pdf form; however it must be printed and signed by you (due September 30)

• Work Term Challenge Evaluation Form - to be completed and submitted online by the employer (due September 30)
• Employment Confirmation Letter – includes written confirmation of your employment and the total number of hours that you worked, submitted on company letterhead (due September 30)

The Business Co-op office will pre-approve the applications and notify the result to you by e-mail by October 15, informing you whether or not your application package has been approved. Upon approval, you may then begin to write your work term challenge report.

Work Term Challenge Report (due November 15):

This is a formal report on the nature of your work experience, skills developed, how the experience relates to the BCom program, your career objectives, and recommendations about the work term. For complete guidelines, please see Work Term Challenge Report Guidelines.

Need help writing your report? Check out the Gustavson Writing Guide and Gustavson Guide to Executive Summary Writing.

Evaluation Process

A notification will be sent to after the work term challenge report deadline of November 15, informing you if the report is marked as "satisfactory" or if it requires revisions.

Approved work term challenges are registered by Records Services for the Spring (January – April) term.  

Approved work term challenges will receive a satisfactory a grade of "COM" that is entered on the your transcript by Records Services after February 28.

Questions?

If you have further questions about challenging a work term, please contact the Placement Coordinator.