two women working at desk on project offsite

Cooperative Education (co-op) is a professional work experience designed to complement a student’s academic major or desired career path. Co-op affirms your choice of major and/or career and enables you to develop a competitive edge and sharpen skills employers value. 

Benefits of co-oping:

  • Students can earn up to nine credit hours during their college career for their co-op experience. 
  • Co-op provides students the opportunity to integrate classroom learning with hands-on industry employment, training, and mentoring.
  • Co-op fulfills the University’s experiential education requirement for graduation.
  • Co-op is available for students in every academic major.
  • In 2021, co-op students were employed with 136 organizations.
  • Many students gain full-time employment with their co-op employer after graduation.

Co-op Employers

 Advantages

 Co-op Stories

 

Unique Approach

Co-op is available to undergraduate students from all majors. Students may co-op with an employer for one semester or multiple semesters, depending on employer need and student availability. Most co-op students work part-time (15-30 hours per week) while maintaining a full course load, allowing them to graduate on time.

Click here to hear from students about co-op. 

Professional experience that pays

Students who participate in co-op gain career-related professional experience that looks great on a résumé, while earning general elective credit. Most students participating in cooperative education earn $10-17 per hour, which can help cover tuition and other expenses.

Facts

  • The co-op program has been in existence at MSJU since 1982.
  • Approximately 1/3 of graduates who had a co-op accepted full-time positions with their co-op employers.
  • The University has been honored with the Sam E. Sovilla Award for Excellence by the Ohio Cooperative Education Association.

Requirements for Participation:

  • Enrollment in a bachelor’s degree program
  • Successfully complete the Foundations of Professionalism course (CED 220)
  • Be approved by the student’s department
  • Adequate time to dedicate to work experience

Credit Hours

Total Required Work Hours

Recommended Hours Per Week

0

60

5

1

60

5

2

120

10

3

180

15

Contact Information

Contact the Career & Experiential Education Center at (513) 244-4888 or e-mail to learn more.