Cooperative Education Program

The College of Engineering offers a formal cooperative education program which provides one full year of industrial work experience for undergraduate students who wish to enroll in the program. As the attached schedules for the junior and senior years show, coop students spend three of their last eight semesters (including summers) working and five semesters at University Park. The freshman and sophomore years are the same as those for regular students. Students in the coop program typically take an additional year to finish their degree.

The benefits of participating in the coop program are many and obvious. Challenging jobs related to the subject matter covered in the Chemical Engineering curriculum also make course work significantly more meaningful. Credit given for coop work experience, which will appear on coop students' transcripts, is a very helpful aid to obtaining employment after graduation from the program. Moreover, many coop students frequently stay with their coop employers for permanent job assignments provided both parties have experienced a satisfactory relationship during the coop years.

Eligiblility

In order to be eligible for the coop program, students must file a computer resume form with the Coop Office (205 Hammond) preferably early in their fourth semester. They will then select companies that they wish to interview and will be interviewed by prospective coop employer-sponsors later that semester. The interviewing process is similar to that used for permanent employment and, if successful, students and employers agree to the terms of a coop employment contract.

Failure to find a Coop

Students who can not find satisfactory coop employment are in no way obligated to accept jobs they find unsatisfactory, and may continue in the regular curriculum without any penalty. Students who do accept coop employment, however, are obligated to abide by the terms of their coop contract. Coop students must sign up for one (1) credit hour during each of their three coop assignments (ENGR 295, ENGR 395, ENGR 495). These credits can be counted towards the Professional Elective requirement.

Scheduling a Coop

A successful Coop experience requires careful planning. Since the program involves three semesters away from school you must plan ahead of time so that the required classes are available when you return to school. It is very important to meet with the Coop adviser in Chemical Engineering to ensure that your plan is a workable one. To further assist with course planning, the department has worked out possible rotation scenarios, shown in Table. These are based on the offerings of the chemical engineering classes and ensure that there will be no disruption in your study. It is your responsibility to arrange the remaining classes around the CH E classes shown in the table below. These are based on the offerings of the chemical engineering classes and ensure that there will be no disruption in your study. It is your responsibility to arrange the remaining classes around the CH E classes shown in the table.

Click on the image to download the Co-Op table.pdf

Related Links

• View the P D F article from the Spring 2007 issue of Engineering magazine co-op article.pdf.
• Engineering Penn State Magazine
• College of Engineering Co-Op Office web site.
• The Chemical Engineering co-op program is featured in
  US News and World Report.

Co-Op Advisor:

• Robert Nedwick
• 132A Fenske Laboratory
• (814) 863-6269
• E-mail

Page updated on 03/19/08

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