Work experience is a very important part of the educational process at the SIUE campus. Cooperative education is optional. Internships are decentralized and are handled by each department s faculty members. These internships may run from one to twelve credit hours. Each department determines whether its program will be required or optional.
Student teaching is required.
Internships occur usually for one term, generally during the last term of the senior year. Generally, it is unpaid. If a department has a paid position that can be considered an internship, it can be turned into a co-op assignment with our office. The advantage here, of course, is that it is their major field of study. Employers appreciate the program because they obtain workers with experience.