Cooperative Work Components
An integral part of the Bachelor's degree program is Engineering Technology and Sciences is the Cooperative Education* Program. Students participating in the Co-op program will be paid an appropriate rate by the cooperating firm during his/her work period. The work assignments will alternate on a semester basis with the periods of academic study at South Carolina State University. Persons interested in the Co-op program should make application with the Office of Cooperative Education in the Career Planning and Placement Center.
Cooperative Education Objectives
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To give students practical experience under actual working conditions that will enable them to comprehend for fully the relationship between the "theoretical principle" and the "practical industrial need";
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To help students develop an awareness of the human factor in the industrial and professional world in order to be able to work more successfully with associates; and
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To acquaint students with the economic factors of technology and industry with particular emphasis on the relative values of time, money, and materials.
*Cooperative Education
A student enrolled in Engineering Technology and Sciences may participate in the Cooperative Education Program. This program is a plan of education, which permits a student to go to college and work in industry on an alternating basis. The purpose of the program is to provide students with challenging planned work experiences directly related to their college curriculum. The academic requirements are identical to those of the regular four-year student, except that Co-op students spend at least two semesters in industry gaining practical work experience related to their career-field. The alternating pattern is worked out in a predetermined schedule, allowing students to complete their programs of study in a minimum of time consistent with the obtaining of meaningful work experience.
Co-op students register as and are considered to be full-time students while in both on-campus and off-campus phases of the program. Acceptance in the Cooperative Education Program is normally limited to students who have completed their freshman year and have an above-average academic record. The student earns six (6) academic credits for each of his/her work-learning periods. These credits are applied as elective credits toward meeting the degree requirements. Co-op credits will not substitute for required courses in their curricula.
Students may enroll in classes at another institution during their Co-op assignment, provided they have the approval of their academic advisor or chairperson before enrolling. Once approval is granted, students should execute and file with the Office of Enrollment Management an "Authorization for Transfer of Credit" form.
Participation in the Cooperative Education Program requires (1) filing an application, (2) meeting eligibility criteria, and (3) obtaining approval of the student's academic advisor. While supplementing income is not the primary purpose of the program, participants will find the income earned during their work periods to be of help to them in the financing of their education. At graduation, this integration of on-campus education and on-the-job experience is often the difference between starting permanent employment as a beginning trainee or being accepted for a higher-level position as an experienced employee.
Students interested in participating in the Cooperative Education Program should contact the Director of Cooperative Education. For additional information on the Cooperative Education Program, please refer to the Cooperative Education, Career Planning and Placement section of the South Carolina State University Undergraduate Catalog.
