This credit is not counted toward the number of hours needed for graduation, but it will add academic hours to a student's credit total. The Cooperative Education Program is administered by the Career Services Center. Students are assigned, during the Career Orientation course, to a center coordinator. The coordinator acts as a liaison between the university and the working community, developing co-op opportunities and maintaining an effective rapport between program participants. Jobs are developed with employers who will provide meaningful work experience, the standard rate of pay for the work being done, and a careful evaluation of the student at the completion of the work quarter.
Coordinators help students in the entire placement process, providing counseling and contacts.
A student then applies directly and is hired on his or her own merit. The co-op schedule, showing the semesters a student will be in school and at work, is prepared by the coordinator in consultation with the student and the appropriate academic advisor. The co-op student typically alternates periods at work and at school from the end of the freshman year to the beginning of the senior year. Two students are often paired with the same employer, thereby keeping an opening filled at all times. Variations in length and pattern of co-op schedules are considered on an individual basis, and many factors are taken into account.