Intern or CoOp

Like volunteering, internships and Cooperative Education (CoOp) programs are designed to help you gain experience related to your major. Students seek these opportunities to gain academic knowledge and real-world work experience to become more marketable for full-time, post-graduation careers.

Internships: An internship is most often a one semester experience that may or may not be for academic credit. It may also be paid or unpaid, but employers should comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Students typically seek internships in their junior and senior years in college. If seeking credit, you should meet with your academic advisor to discover if you are eligible to pursue an internship. Schedule an appointment with Career Services to develop a strategy for finding an internship.

Cooperative Education (CoOp): Cooperative education programs (CoOps) are multi-semester experiences that are always for course credit and always paid. Students may experience two forms of CoOps: parallel or alternating. A parallel CoOp student works and goes to school at least 3 semesters in a row, averaging 15-25 hours a week at work and 9-12 academic credits. An alternating CoOp student alternates between workplace and school semester by semester, working 40 hours a week during work terms and going to school full time during academic terms.

To become CoOp eligible, attend a CoOp Information Session. Call Career Services or check “Career Events” in JasonQuest for details. You may attend a CoOp Information Session at any point of your college career, but you should consider attending a session your sophomore or incoming junior year to be ready for open positions.

For a full listing of all CoOp forms for students, prior to and during program, visit the Resource Library in JasonQuest.

Want to Request an Appointment? Contact Career Services at 850-474-2254 or request an appointment outside business hours here.