Cooperative Education
Cooperative Education (Co-op) is a program that offers students the opportunity to earn three academic credits in a given semester while working in a position that relates to their field of study. Students spend 150 hours during the semester in the field as well as attend a seminar (see course catalog for full description). By linking the classroom with the workplace, co-op allows the student to orient themselves to the world of work, as well as to explore career choices in a temporary setting. Cooperative education placement often leads to future employment as employers can make informed hiring decisions based on students' job performance.
Job placement can be on or off campus as well as paid or unpaid, but must be related to the student's major and/or career goal. Placement is not guaranteed, but Career Services will assist students in finding potential leads.
Students interested in taking the cooperative education course must have completed English 101, 103, or 105; completed 18 college-level credits for Cooperative Education I and 24 college-level credits for Cooperative Education II; have a grade point average of 2.5 or better; and completed COE 297 if interested in taking COE 298.
All students taking cooperative education must meet with a Career Counselor
from Career Services before registering for the course and/or securing
a job. The Counselors in Career Services will ensure that students select
a job that is going to meet their career goals and will verify that all necessary
paperwork has been completed. It is highly recommended that students begin
meeting with a staff member 8-10 weeks before the semester in which a student
would like to begin the coop experience.
