Cooperative Education

In Cooperative Education courses, students may register for one, two, or three credits depending upon their individual program requirements. The number of credits awarded for cooperative work experience depends on the learning contract established between individual disciplines and the student. No more than three credits may count toward a student’s graduation.

Cooperative Education is not a course in the traditional sense. There are usually no weekly lectures or written examinations. Students earn a grade based on an evaluation of carefully‐planned learning objectives. Individual departments or programs establish criteria for students in their respective curricula.

Since most cooperative experience is part time, students should meet with the appropriate department chairperson early enough in the semester to plan their individual programs. Students meeting the following minimum requirements are eligible to participate in the Cooperative Education program:

1. A student must have a clearly stated set of career goals related to the potential work experience and must be enrolled in the curriculum under which the work experience falls. The student must have an interview with the department chairperson.
2. A student must be interviewed by and hired by an employer approved by the department before beginning the cooperative work experience.
3. A student must have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours of course work in the curriculum or the equivalent, before entering the program.
4. A student must have at least a 2.0 cumulative grade‐point average in the semester preceding entrance to the Cooperative Education program.