Co-op
Cooperative Education (co-op) is a program which allows students to obtain professional work experience while still in college. It is a unique opportunity for students to apply their academic preparation to "real world" settings and situations. Co-op programs provide students the opportunity to combine classroom study with periods of paid professional employment directly related to a student's major and career goals.
Criteria for Participation
- Students must have one semester as a degree-seeking student at Â鶹ÊÓƵ prior to the first co-op rotation.
- Students must be enrolled as a half-or-full-time student (minimum 6 credit hours) in the semester prior to enrollment in the cooperative education program.
- Students must have earned a minimum 2.0 overall GPA at the time of their co-op application.
- Students must have no holds on their student record from any source (financial, academic, conduct).
- Students must have received a completed grade and have resolved any outstanding non-completed grades for previous co-op rotations.
- There is no credit given for co-ops. However, the name of the organization will be displayed on transcript noting it was a co-op.
- Students are not permitted to start a co-op experience beyond the fourth week of the semester.
- International students must receive work authorization prior to enrolling in each co-op rotation.
- University College will assess all applicants holistically, considering their academic progress, related experience, academic and extracurricular activities, among others, to evaluate students' likelihood of success in the program.
- Students must work 30-40 hours a week.
- Cooperative education position must directly relate to student's major or concentration
Cost
$500 Cooperative Education fee, plus one-hour equivalent of the KSU general fee ($73.70). Once registered, these fees will be assessed to your student account. You may pay your bill online at using a credit card, checking, or savings account. Fee can be waived for eligible students.
Non-credit card payments can be made at the Bursar’s Office or any of the KSU regional campuses. Payments by mail should be sent to Â鶹ÊÓƵ, Bursar’s Office, PO Box 5190, Kent, Ohio 44242.
While on a cooperative education experience, students maintain full-time student status with the ability to access university services/resources (housing, health center, PARTA, library, campus event tickets, etc.), eligibility for loan deferment and insurance. Membership at the Recreation Center can be had for a reduced cost of $55 for the semester.
Financial Aid Eligibility
Students participating in a cooperative education program do not earn credit hours during the semester away. As a result, students are not eligible to receive federal or state grants, student loans, or institutional scholarships. However, students will be reported to their federal loan services as enrolled full-time, allowing for student loans to remain in the in-school deferment status and therefore not enter repayment.
Registration
Students must complete the .
Contact
Contact Career Exploration and Development at 330-672-2360 or career@kent.edu with any questions.
In Summary
Over 60% of all students participating in cooperative education and internships are offered full-time positions before graduation.
The cooperative/internship education experience leaves students with a sense of accomplishment and personal satisfaction.
Students have a clearer and more specific sense of their career objectives than students in traditional college programs.