Employer FAQs

MSVU co-op students bring a diverse skill set based in foundational courses appropriate to their co-op term.

Sample duties for public relations students may include:

• Developing and implementing strategic communication plans
• Researching and writing (e.g. news releases, editorials, speeches and newsletters)
• Completing media monitoring and preparing media analysis reports
• Creating effective communication tools using a variety of multi-media techniques
• Planning and coordinating special events, conferences and meetings
• Creating content and managing social media platforms

Sample duties for business administration students may include:

• Planning and coordinating special events
• Preparing tax returns
• Completing administrative duties
• Assisting with recruitment of employees and payroll processes
• Preparing marketing plans and assisting with social media
• Promoting products and building relationships with clients

 Sample duties for tourism & hospitality management students may include:

• Answering guest inquiries regarding hotel services and tourist attractions
• Establishing a personal rapport with guests in order to learn about and anticipate their needs
• Completing food and beverage services
• Assisting with itinerary development (e.g. writing itineraries, booking properties, scheduling attractions and arranging car rentals)
• Booking appointments, answering telephones and responding to email requests
• Arranging and conducting tours

Yes. All co-op terms are paid, full-time employment with a minimum of 35 hours per week. Visit the co-op salary guidelines to learn about average salaries.

Co-op terms must be at least 13 consecutive weeks. The average length for a co-op term is 14-16 weeks. Tourism co-ops can range from 13-24 weeks, depending on organizational needs.

Public relations and business administration co-op students complete at least two years of their degree before completing their first co-op work term. Tourism students complete one year of their degree before their first co-op work term. See more information on co-op work term sequencing.

Public relations and business administration students have cohorts completing co-ops from January – April, May – August, and September – December every year. Tourism students only complete co-ops during the summer term (May – August or May – Mid-October) given the seasonal nature of the industry.

No. To maintain fairness and equity, the Co-op Office cannot screen resumes, make selection recommendations, or call references for employers.

An employer is never asked to hire a student they consider to be unacceptable. As a result, some students may not secure jobs and some employers may not obtain students.

We use an online job posting portal called Career Connects for our job postings. Career Connects allows you to submit job postings, review applications, arrange interviews and submit rankings following interviews. You can view the Career Connects Employer User Guide in Employer Resources.

We encourage employers to contact the Co-op Office at any time if there is a need or an issue involving the student. More formalized contact with employers by mail, email and in-person throughout the co-op term includes a confirmation of the hire, a work site visit with the university representative, and an end-of-term evaluation of the student.

Your evaluation is a part of a student’s final grade. In addition to your evaluation, a student’s grade consists of the work site visit, the student’s successful completion of an in-depth work term project, the completion of learning objectives, and a return-to-campus debriefing session with faculty.

If you are a Nova Scotia employer, you may be eligible for the Nova Scotia government’s Co-operative Education Incentive (CEI) funding program. If you are a Canadian employer, the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) may be a good option.

The MSVU Co-op Student of the Year Award was instituted in 1999 to recognize the 20th anniversary of co-operative education at Mount Saint Vincent University. These awards may be granted on a yearly basis to co-op students in each of the following academic disciplines: Business Administration, Public Relations, and Tourism & Hospitality Management.