Cooperative Education Programme

Engagement with industry and embedding employability within the curriculum is at the heart of the University of Limerick ethos. The Cooperative Education programme is a tangible expression of this culture, Under the Cooperative Education programme, UL undergraduate students across the faculties of Business, Science & Engineering, and Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences undertake a placement as a formal, compulsory and academically accredited element of their four-year degree. Students are required to undertake a six-to-eight-month placement in second or third year, the timing and duration of which are prescribed according to the placement calendar of their programme of study.

Spanning some 56 degree programmes, co-op is the largest placement programme in Ireland and Europe. Some 2,000 students participate in the Cooperative Education Programme at UL every year. The global dimension of the programme is significant: more than 20% of students undertake placements across a network of over 25 countries across all five continents.

The programme harnesses all the significant benefits of collaboration between employers, the university and students. The role of Academic visitor is pivotal in contextualising these relationships.