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 ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ 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 ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡, 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.