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COOPERATIVE EDUCATION (CO-OP) AND INTERNSHIPS

The Civil Engineering program offers an optional cooperative education (“co-op”) experience. This option provides students with valuable work experience that supplements and enhances their academic program. Co-op students must complete all of the normal requirements for graduation from the program, in addition to the co-op assignment(s). To participate in the co-op experience, students must meet the following qualifications:

1.    Successfully complete all courses required in the first two years of the Civil Engineering program as specified in the applicable YSU Undergraduate Bulletin;

2.    Maintain an overall GPA of 2.5 or above in all required coursework;

3.    Maintain an unrecalculated GPA of 2.0 in all engineering courses;

4.    Maintain an unrecalculated GPA of 2.0 in all major (CEEGR) courses; and

5.    Obtain approval of the Department Chair and Engineering Co-op Coordinator.

In order to pursue a co-op assignment, the student will first work with the University’s Coordinator of Professional Practice to identify an appropriate employment opportunity. Assistance will be provided in developing student resumes and arranging interviews with prospective employers. The employer retains the right to interview, evaluate, and select prospective cooperative education students. Salary, working conditions and fringe benefits are negotiated by the student and the employer. Once an opportunity is located, a Co-op Agreement is signed by both the employer and the student, with approval by the Department Chair. The student then registers for either ENGR 3798 (first assignment) or ENGR 4898 (subsequent assignments), and obtains a copy of the course syllabus from the Department Chair. To successfully complete the co-op assignment, Civil Engineering students must:

1.      Work a minimum of 300 hours;

2.      Maintain a log book to record the number of hours worked each week and a brief description of their work responsibilities;

3.      Submit a 3-5 page summary (typed, double-spaced) of the work experience to the Department Chair before the end of the semester; and

4.      Complete the Student Co-op Evaluation Form and return it to the Coordinator of Professional Practice.

Since most CEEGR courses are only offered once per year, it is generally not possible for students to pursue a traditional alternating co-op experience without significantly lengthening the time required for completion of the program. Rather, students will normally find that one of the following options permits more efficient coordination of co-op (or perhaps more accurately termed “internship”) experience(s) with the academic program:

1.    Pursue full-time or part-time co-op/internship employment during summers;

2.    Pursue part-time co-op/internship employment concurrently with full-time or part-time enrollment in courses during the academic year; or

3.    Pursue full-time co-op/internship employment for an entire academic year, then return to full-time academic enrollment the next year.

At the end of each work period, the student will be evaluated by the employer using the Employer Co-op Evaluation Form. The Department Chair will also evaluate the student’s work based on the log book and summary paper submitted, and notify the Engineering Co-op Coordinator of the letter grade to be awarded for ENGR 3798 or 4898.

Dept.of Civil/  Env.& Chemical Engineering

2460 Moser Hall

One University Plaza

Youngstown, OH 44555

Email :scmartin@ysu.edu

Tel: (330)941-3027

Fax: (330)941-3265