Cooperative Education
Graduate with more than just a diploma!
ENROLL FOR CO-OP
Cooperative Education (Co-op) at the University of Arkansas has a great tradition dating back to 1985. Over the years thousands of students have participated in the program. Our students have gained experience related to their major locally, within the state, across the nation, and internationally. The experience gained by Co-op students allows them to step into their first full time positions ready to contribute in ways that other students cannot. The material shown below will give you the information you need to make the Co-op decision. If you have questions, please contact:
| Andy Matthews
Career Development Center |
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Cooperative Education
- Cooperative Education (Co-op) is an academic program that allows students to gain practical work experience prior to graduation.
- Students work in either full or part-time, paid, degree-related jobs.
Forms of Cooperative Education: Alternating and Parallel
- In an alternating plan, you will alternate between semesters of on-campus study with semesters off-campus at your co-op work site.
- In a parallel co-op, you work part-time for a local company (15 to 25 hrs./week) and attend school at least half time.
- In either plan the student is considered as a "full-time" student.
By participating in Cooperative Education, you can
- Gain hands-on experience in a real world setting
- Confirm the choice of your major
- Make valuable industry contacts
- Enhance your communication skills
- Make money ($12 - $18 per hour)
- Help insure an excellent job at graduation
Requirements and Conditions
Students interested in Cooperative Education can participate after they have completed 30 hours of coursework and have a minimum 2.25 cumulative grade point average.
Co-op students are required to sign up for a co-op course. This course grants you full-time student status. While you cannot generally receive financial aid while on an alternating co-op work tour, your financial aid is not lost—the funds are deferred to the next semester when you are enrolled in classes on the U of A campus. This deferment also applies to academic scholarships. Your only direct cost during the semester of your coop experience is the amount of tuition and related fees associated with the required co-op course.
Co-op is generally intended for undergraduate students. Some departments within the college co-op program do allow graduate students to participate. For specific information on these programs please contact the Co-op Administrator, Andy Matthews.
If you are a student with an F-1 student visa who has been in this country for nine months and have fulfilled the UA co-op requirements, you can co-op for an accrued time of one-year. A one-year co-op period does not infringe on your ability to work for a one-year period after graduation.
What do past co-op students say about their experiences:
“My cooperative education experience has given me an advantage over others by allowing me to build my work experience, enabling greater possibilities for the future. It has also unveiled the specific area in my field of study that I would like to pursue.”
–Brian Weir, Entergy
“You can't do this sitting in the classroom.”
–Gregory Sisti, The Boeing Company
“Participating in a co-op program provides a chance to gain valuable work experience in one's field of interest. It also gives students an opportunity to apply some of the skills learned in school at the workplace. I feel that participating in this co-op program has helped me to further define my career goals, while at the same time providing me a chance to gain some valuable knowledge about my field of study.”
–John Paul Smelko, Entergy
“The best way to gain real world experience in your field of study, improve communication skills, and challenge yourself to apply all that you have learned in class.”
–Nathan P. Russell, The Boeing Company
Partial List of Companies that recruit University of Arkansas Co-op students
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Acxiom Alltel Baxter Healthcare CenterPoint Entergy Dow Chemical Company |
Hewlett-Packard IBM J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. |
Helpful links
University of Arkansas Career Development Center: http://career.uark.edu/
eRecruiting: http://erecruiting.uark.edu/
