Congratulations on getting a co-op! Keep a copy of your offer letter/email because you will need this.
Career Services will be enrolling you in the co-op class. Go to the Career Services co-op page to to start the process. You’ll also need to meet with your academic advisor and Financial Aid.
Be prepare for a co-op to delay your graduation by one year because of the order that the ChE classes need to be taken. These classes are also only offered in certain semesters. You can use this as an opportunity to fit in two co-op experiences. The table below shows one way to do this. Another option is to use the extra semester to spread out your classes and/or fit in a minor or study abroad.
| Year | Fall Semester | Spring Semester | Summer Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Year |
Classes. Take calc I plus all the usual fall freshman classes. Most of these classes are offered in the fall, spring, and summer. |
Classes. Take calc II plus all the usual spring freshman classes. Most of these classes are offered in the fall, spring, and summer. |
Open. Work and take a break. |
| Second Year |
Classes. Take the usual fall sophomore classes. Some of these classes are only offered in the fall and summer. |
Classes. Take the usual spring sophomore classes. Most of these classes are offered in the fall, spring, and summer. |
Co-op 1. On first co-op for 6 months (summer-fall) |
| Third Year |
Co-op 1. On first co-op for 6 months (summer-fall) |
Classes. Take the usual fall junior classes. These classes are offered in the fall and spring and are prereqs for the spring junior classes. |
Co-op 2. On second co-op for 6 months (summer-fall) |
| Fourth Year |
Co-op 2. On second co-op for 6 months (summer-fall) |
Classes. Take the usual spring junior classes. These classes are only offered in the spring and are prereqs for the fall senior classes. |
Open. Finding a summer internship is usually easier when you have previous co-op experience. |
| Fifth Year |
Classes. Take the usual fall senior classes. These classes are only offered in the fall and are prereqs for the spring senior classes. |
Classes. Take the usual spring senior classes. These classes are only offered in the spring. |
Graduated!! Start your full-time job with a significant amount of industrial experience! |
A co-op is usually longer and during the school year. An internship is usually shorter and during the summer.
It is usually easier to find a co-op than a summer internship.
You can earn college credit while working by taking the co-op class. During the fall and spring semesters some students need student status for financial aid or insurance reasons. In this case, you will need to enroll in the co-op class or some other online course. During the summer, in most cases, it is up to you on whether or not to seek the co-op credit.
To participate in the program you must:
The complete list of requirements is on the Career Services’ co-op page.
Yes! Engineering co-ops and internships are almost always paid positions. Some companies also provide assistance with housing, tuition, and relocation costs. Co-op salary data can be found in Career Services’ annual reports.
Yes. The co-op classes (UN 3002, UN 3003, UN 3004, UN 3005) can count towards your technical electives or free electives.
Maybe. You’ll need to plan ahead. If you come in with credit for calc I and some other courses then you might be able to get this to work. You will also need to take thermo along with the junior year ChE classes, which is challenging.
Here are the important things to know:
If you are interested in working out a schedule like this, then make a rough draft and bring it to your academic advisor to review together.
It depends. Enrolling in the co-op class allows you to retain your student status while you are gone. This can help you keep your financial aid, scholarships, and health insurance. You can also use the credits towards your degree requirements as technical electives or free electives.
Your next step is to check with Financial Aid to see how the co-op will impact your situation. They can help you determine if you should be taking the co-op class and if you should take it for one or two credits for financial aid purposes. In most situations one credit will give you part time status and two credits will give you full time status.
If you are here on an F-1 visa then Career Services recommends you register for co-op credits during the summer as well. By registering as a co-op student you are considered a full-time student and will not be utilizing your practical training time.
For each semester of co-op you can sign up for 1 or 2 credits of co-op class . If you need to be a full-time student during your co-op then you need to be signed up for 2 credits.
Yes, your co-op class is graded. It is a course that you will complete on Canvas while on co-op. Your employer will do a midterm and final evaluation on your work, and this evaluation will be submitted to Michigan Tech. You will be asked to do a midterm and a final evaluation of your employer as well. Lastly, to complete your co-op you must write a final report. All of this is used to determine your grade for the class.
See also : Do I have to take the co-op class or can I just skip it?
Steve Patchin, Michigan Tech Director of Career Services, is very knowledgeable on this subject. He recently co-wrote a posting for NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers in which he cites the data. Here are the questions (and answers) they address:
Check out the article!
