COOPERATIVE EDUCATION AND INTERNSHIPS

Want to get some real hands-on experience before graduation?

The Career Services Center offers assistance in securing cooperative education and summer internship positions.

An internship is a work experience that is either directly related to your major field of study or your career interests. Internships are typically full-time in nature for one term either during the regular school year (spring or fall semester) or during the summer. However, internships may also be six-month assignments or even part-time for a specified time period.

There is no substitute for practical work experience.  No longer are just high grades, good communication skills, some summer or part-time work experience, and participation in student activities/organizations enough! In today's highly competitive job market, students with career -related work experience are the students who are getting the best interviews and job offers. Through internships you get your foot in the door,  gain valuable work experience, earn money to help defray college expenses, make valuable networking contacts, and learn about the "real world" of work in general.

Most internships are paid positions in which students earn competitive salaries. Employers realize that the students need to earn money to pay their living expenses and still save money for school while on their internship assignment.

Unpaid internships are primarily found in the non-profit sector. While unpaid internships can offer great work experience, you will need to determine if you can afford to work without compensation. 

The Career Center does not award academic credit, nor is there any automatic credit. Questions concerning academic credit should be directed to the appropriate academic department before you report to work. Some departments allow students to receive elective credit for approved internships during a regular school term. In addition, you may be required to write a short paper or do a class project in order to receive the credit hours.

Cooperative education offers you the chance to gain hands-on experience by rotating semesters of school with semesters of full-time work for a corporation or agency that is in your field of interest. Co-op is not "summer work", nor is it a short-term professional internship. The program is designed to provide you with increasing responsibility on the job, commensurate with the increased academic skills and experienced gained from the previous school and work terms. Alternating periods of work generally coincide with the semester schedule of the university. Co-ops often require a commitment of two-three work terms, whereas a summer internship is a one-time offer. Summer internships offer you the chance to spend a summer working in your major field of interest. While gaining valuable work experience, you are also earning a salary, thus helping finance a portion of  your education. Co-ops and internships are open to all students who meet the job criteria as specified by the employer.

NOTE: You must sign up with the co-op office and register on-line through our web registration in order to be considered for a cooperative education or internship position. Also, many corporations prefer to hire students who have just completed their freshman year, so plan to register early!

It is important to work closely with your major advisor in establishing a degree plan that will accommodate a co-op work experience. Before leaving campus for the co-op work assignment, you must complete a checklist of required documents for your file, including a signed degree plan and copies of letters regarding any scholarships or financial aid.  Be aware that the deadlines for many co-op and summer positions are months in advance of the actual starting date of work, so again, plan ahead!

Information concerning co-op and summer internships is posted on the bulletin boards outside of our offices in Eckhardt Hall, room 102. There you may look through the hundreds of files that we have with information from various corporations and agencies. Although we cannot do your search for you, we will be happy to assist you by providing access to all our information.

The Cooperative Education/Internship Office is located in Eckhardt Hall, Room 102, and is open from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.

STUDENT GUIDELINES

The students should follow the following guidelines on co-ops and internships:

• Job Selection

• Commitment

• Responsibilities

• Important !!!  

JOB SELECTION PROCESS

Job Considerations

Students should research potential employers based on the following considerations:

• Opportunities for career-related experience.

• Salary.

• Reasonable location.

Every effort will be made to help you locate a co-op assignment which best meets the above three criteria. Former co-op students report the most benefit from choices based on career-related experience rather than salary or location.

Job Selection

The selection of a co-op work assignment begins in the cooperative education office, where you will find detailed information about specific opportunities and can make the best match between employer and student. It is your responsibility to research and identify Co-op positions in which you are interested. You will need to complete the appropriate application forms. The employer may then invite you to the job site for an interview, come to the campus for an interview, or interview you on the telephone. Occasionally, students are hired based on the application form and referral alone.

The employer should notify both the student and the co-op office about the acceptance or rejection of an application for a co-op position. Once you have received an offer, you should immediately report to the co-op office for “off to work” information.
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Commitment To Cooperative Education

To enter the cooperative education program, you must be committed to completing the number of work terms planned through the co-op degree plan in cooperation with their co-op coordinator and faculty co-op advisor. The university recognizes unforeseen circumstances may necessitate that students drop out of the co-op program prior to completing the planned number of work terms. However, you should keep both the employer and the co-op coordinator informed of any intention not to complete the program.

Most employers expect co-op students to remain with them throughout their co-op program. There are several reasons for this arrangement:

1. Many employers participate in co-op to facilitate recruitment of well-trained graduates. Therefore, the employer plans a program which provides increasing responsibility with successive work terms. Leaving the employer just as one begins to “learn the ropes” may be unfair to the employer, as well as to you. By changing employers every work term, you may fail to gain increasing responsibility. You might also be continually serving a trial period with each employer.
   
   

2. The employer makes a major investment in a co-op student. The employer is entitled to expect that you will remain long enough to provide productive services to the organization. However, you must earn your invitation to return for successive work terms with the employer, based on job performance and academic performance.
   
   

3. As a co-op student, you will benefit by establishing a record of consistency in experience. This is extremely important when seeking permanent employment. Employers are aware of co-op and the commitment it requires. The university recognizes that under certain circumstances it may be desirable or necessary for you to change co-op work assignments. Such a change may be approved after consultation with the cooperative education office. However, before applying to another employer, you must submit a letter of resignation to the original employer and a copy to the cooperative education office.
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STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

To the university during the school semester

Grade Point Requirement

Participation in the co-op program requires a minimum grade point average of 2.5 for an undergraduate student and 3.0 for a graduate student. If your grades fall below this average at any time, the co-op office needs to be notified to discuss further participation in the program.

Co-op Degree Plan.

Before the co-op office will send your application to an employer, you must complete a co-op degree plan that has been approved by your academic advisor. The co-op degree plan will show which courses have been completed or are in progress, the grades of all completed courses, when you plan to be in school or at work, and when the future courses are scheduled. 
Important: You must keep this degree plan up-to-date by working with faculty advisors and the Co-op coordinator.

To the University During Co-op Work Terms

Technical Report.

To earn cooperative education course credit, you may be required to write a technical report. This report, along with the employer’s evaluation and the student’s evaluation, will be submitted to the faculty co-op advisor. A copy of the employer evaluation and the student evaluation should be submitted to the co-op office.

Reporting Change of Address.

You will need to submit a current address and telephone number to the Co-op office EACH semester. Class schedules and evaluation forms will be sent to you each semester.

Dealing with Problems while on the Co-op Job.

Problems related to the co-op job should first be discussed with the direct supervisor. If the problem cannot be resolved at this level, you should discuss the problem with the organization’s personnel representative. You are encouraged to communicate feelings in a tactful way through the chain-of-command and to resolve your own work-related problems. However, if you believe you have done all you can and you are still not satisfied, you should contact the co-op office.

To Co-op Employers

Researching Potential Employers.

You should obtain information on career-related experience opportunities, salary and location on potential co-op employers. Since you will be working for this employer at least two work terms, you will want to know as much as they can about the organization.

Accepting the Employer’s Co-op Offer.

Once your application has been submitted to a prospective employer and you have been selected, you are expected to accept a reasonable offer from that employer. Obviously, if you interview with a number of different employers and receive multiple offers, you will have to make a choice based upon which opportunity you feel will provide the most valuable work experience.

Maintaining Current Contact Information with your Employer.

Your employer will need a campus address, E-mail address, and telephone number while you are in school. You should notify the co-op office and the employer’s personnel office of any change of address between work terms.

Reporting Grades to Employer.

Some employers require you to provide a current copy of a transcript or grade report each work term. Be prepared to provide this information on request.

Work Term.

You are expected to report and remain on the co-op assignment for the entire length of the university-specified work term dates, unless specific approval is granted by both the employer and the co-op office.

Employer Personnel Policies and Procedures.

You are expected to follow all employer personnel policies and procedures and maintain high professional standards, including assuming responsibility for safeguarding proprietary information.

Evaluating the Co-op Experience for the Employer.

You should provide your employer with honest feedback concerning the co-op experience to help continuously improve their co-op program. This can be done at the end of the work term when you complete the Work Experience Evaluation Form.

Discussing Future Work Assignments.

You should discuss your next work term assignment and salary with the employer at the end of each work term. You should also reaffirm your intention to return for the next work term no later than mid-point in the next school semester. Regardless of verbal commitment, a letter of verification should be sent to the employer. Some employers require you to submit an updated application form.

Resigning from Co-op Work Assignments.

A letter of resignation must be sent to the employer with a copy of this letter submitted to the co-op office. This must be done before applying for other positions. The employer needs to know your intention to return for succeeding work terms in order to plan the work load and personnel requirements.
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IMPORTANT!

FINANCIAL AID: Students who receive financial aid may be affected by participation in the Co-op Program

You can receive aid only for the semesters in which you are enrolled in six or more credit hours at TAMUK. The financial aid office must be kept informed of the semesters you will be in school and the semesters that you will be working on co-op assignments. You must be making satisfactory academic progress as required by the particular financial aid program. Scholarships are considered a source of Financial Aid. If you receive a scholarship, it is your responsibility to notify the appropriate scholarship donor/organization of your planned co-op work experiences.

It is your responsibility to see that all financial aid affairs are in order before leaving campus for a co-op work term. You are also responsible for knowing the financial aid deadlines for the upcoming semester and are responsible for submitting all financial aid forms on time.

POST-WORK TERM EVALUATION CONFERENCE

A post-work term evaluation conference should be scheduled with the co-op office within the first month following the end of your work term. The purpose of this conference is to review your co-op experience and evaluations, consider any indicated adjustments in your situation, and review your remaining co-op program at Texas A& M University, Kingsville.
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