Cooperative Engineering Program (Co-op)

Nobody knows cooperative education, its applications, and its payoffs better than we do. After all - we invented it!

Cooperative education, or "co-op" as the program is widely known, introduces our undergraduate students to the professional engineering environment. The program is designed to integrate the academic curriculum with on-the-job experience to provide our students with an outstanding engineering education. Co-op gives our students a chance to practice their chosen profession in a real-life situation to help them determine their future career path. Plus, co-op helps students finance their education.

The co-op program is well received by the students at the College of Engineering as well. Overwhelmingly, 96% of graduating seniors felt that the College's program, including the co-op experience, provided a better education than a traditional college program. In addition, 98% of those surveyed said they would recommend the College of Engineering's co-op program to their younger siblings.

Founded at UC in 1906, co-op is now offered by more than one thousan institutions of higher education - but it is central to the overall mission of only a select number of schools. At UC, we have the largest mandatory co-op program of any public engineering school in the country.

For in depth information on co-op, including a schedule, requirements, and a list of some of the major corporate employers of our co-op students, visit the Cooperative Education Information provided to our current students.

This valuable on-the-job experience helps our students learn and mature in a professional engineering environment. Our students graduate with solid experience which makes them more valuable to future employers and increases opportunities for more responsible initial career assignments.

Co-op also provides an opportunity for students to preview their career path to make sure they are headed in the right direction. It provides career perspective that can't be learned in a classroom. The year-round schedule permits students in the program to have six to seven quarters of highly beneficial professionally related experience before graduation and to obtain first-hand knowledge of professional practices and opportunities.

Co-op helps create a perfect match for future employers since our graduates know what they want in their careers. Companies hire graduates who are already familiar with the environment and have an understanding of the corporate culture. Professional Practice assignments assist students in developing an understanding of human relationships and in learning to work with others as a team. Individual growth is encouraged by the fact that, in addition to demonstrating theoretical knowledge, the student is developing supplementary skills and attitudes possessed by professionals in the field. The perspective gained by participation in the program enables students to define their goals more clearly when seeking career positions.

Wages of students are usually determined by the location and type of work to which they are assigned. During co-op quarters, wages are received by the students directly from their employers. Our students' earnings from their co-op employment help finance their education - average salaries for engineering co-op jobs are about twice as much as the total tuition during the undergraduate program. So even our students from outside of the state of Ohio can pursue an affordable education at the College of Engineering.