If you have accepted an offer to go on co-op for a fall or spring semester, you should follow the below steps to get that set up with the university or choose to withdraw for the semester. Relevant summer jobs are typically internships (no credits enrolled for the job experience) and relevant fall or spring jobs often are co-op employment (enrolled in UN3002, UN3003, etc co-op credits for job assignment), however a student may decide to take credits in the summer and not take credits in fall/spring. Taking credits through the university for the job is what makes it a co-op versus an internship.
- First, until you have a 100% accepted and confirmed offer agreed to, you should maintain any course registration you have for the semester in question. Likewise, don’t skip registration for a semester unless your job is confirmed already.
- Once you are accepting employment, consult with Financial Aid and your health insurance carrier to determine if you need to maintain part-time student status, full-time student status, or if no student status is acceptable for you during the semester you will be away from campus. Also discuss how your co-op compensation (salary) may affect your FAFSA status.
- 2 credits of co-op is considered full-time status (equivalent to 12 or more credits on campus).
- 1 credit of co-op is considered part-time (half-time) status (equivalent to 6 or more, but less than 12 credits on campus).
- 1 credit of co-op, plus any other registered Michigan Tech credit (online course or on campus) is considered full-time status. Please see an academic advisor if you are considering an online course so we can discuss options.
- If you do not need to have student status for any reason, then you can just choose to take no credits for that semester (internship, not co-op).
- International Students: must take 2 co-op credits in the fall/spring semester and 1 credit in the summer. Also make sure to consult with IPS regarding maximum limits working in the U.S. while on a student visa.
- Once you know what you need to do for co-op credits see Career Services (2nd floor Admin Bldg) to drop any course registration and add applicable credits. Part of this process includes meeting with an academic advisor to go over current progress through the curriculum, estimate graduation timing, discuss if there is a academic need for online/transfer coursework while on co-op, registration for the return semester, etc.
- If you are choosing not to take any co-op credits, instead of going to Career Services, go to the Registrar’s Office (1st floor Admin) to withdraw for the upcoming semester. Make sure you are activated for the next semester’s registration by completing the Undergraduate Application for Readmission. You can submit the re-admit app anytime after your co-op semester starts and you should do so before registration for the semester you plan to return occurs.
- For the BSME, co-op credits are usable as free electives only.
- For the BSME-Enterprise, co-op credits are usable as free electives or up to 2 credits of enterprise modules.
- Co-op credits are graded based on reports/reflections and supervisor/student evaluations that are submitted during and after the job assignment. Reports are submitted to Career Services and that office determines due dates, grades, etc.
- If you plan to try and complete any transfer coursework while you are working your job assignment, please reference FAQ #5 on the ME Undergraduate Advising web page for the transfer process, and consult with an ME academic advisor regarding course options to progress towards your BSME completion.