Co-operative Education (Co-op) is a type of internship program that enables college students to receive career training with pay as they work with professionals in their major fields of study. Work experience in government, business, industry, and human services enhances the students’ academic training. This valuable work and educational experience is documented on their official college transcripts.

Most employers who hire Co-op interns use the co-op concept as a recruiting tool. They tend to fill their new hire vacancies with graduates from their own Co-op programs, whenever possible, since they already know the capabilities and work habits of the Co-op interns they have trained. Co-op positions are offered on a part-time, parallel basis (20 hours or less weekly) or a full-time, alternating basis (40 hours weekly).

How can students register for Co-op?

Is there a fee paid to participate in Co-op?

There is a processing fee charged for each semester a student receives education/training as a Co-op intern. The fee is posted directly to the student PeopleSoft account. Some employers reimburse the student for the processing fee; it is up to the student to discuss with the employer regarding Co-op fee reimbursement. If the employer agrees to reimburse the student, the student should provide the employer with documentation that the fee has been paid through PeopleSoft and request the employer issue the reimbursement separate from the student paycheck to ensure the student receives the full reimbursement with no taxes removed.

What are the advantages of being a Co-op Intern?

• Provides months of meaningful experience, making the student more valuable to an employer upon graduation. Many companies cut recruiting and training costs by hiring former Co-op interns.
• Enables a student to earn money to help finance his/her college education.
• Makes academic work more meaningful through practical application of classroom principles. Many employers have lab facilities and equipment that are not available on most campuses, at least not to the degree provided by companies.
• Creates the proper environment to explore career choices and be professionally exposed to diverse opportunities within a specific field of study before graduation.
• Offers the opportunity to collaborate and network with professionals who have many years of experience in the student’s major field of study.
• Students can retain actively enrolled status while working as a part-time or full-time Co-op intern.

What is a Co-op Work Report?

A Co-op Work Report is a pre-formatted 6-8 page document which must be completed to verify the work is educational training in a particular field of study. A letter grade is assigned based upon completion of the Work Report submitted by the student each semester of Co-op. Co-op interns must complete and submit a Work Report each semester to verify the Co-op internship experience is within their field of study. Review of the Work Report (which includes an employer evaluation) assists in determining the letter grade received on the official transcript. Work Reports must be completed, submitted and signed by the appropriate employment supervisor (for undergraduate and graduate students) and faculty advisor (for graduate students only) before each semester deadline. Work Reports and evaluations should be scanned and submitted via email to ecareers [at] central [dot] uh [dot] edu to confirm the date and time of the submission. Submitting the Work Report after the deadline will result in the student receiving a lower letter grade on the official transcript up to and including a letter grade of F.

Co-op Intern Deadlines and Documents

The Co-Op Fee posting, Work Report due dates and Application deadlines are as follows. Three reminders will be sent to each Co-op student's UH email address each semester of Co-op to ensure awareness of policies and deadlines. If you are officially registered for Co-op and do not receive email reminders, please call (713) 743-4230 to ensure the Co-op Office has your correct UH email address on file.

Summer 2013 (June 3-August 8) — Last day of classes Aug 5

• The Co-Op Fee must be paid by the student by Tuesday, July 2, 2013.
• The Co-Op Work Report with evaluation(s) is due Monday, July 29, 2013.
• Deadline to apply for Co-op is Friday, June 21, 2013 (contact the Manager for exceptions).
• Late registration occurs after the 12th day of classes-if you register late for Co-op, you cannot register yourself through PeopleSoft-there is additional paperwork you are required to complete in the Co-op Office in order to register late for Co-op to appear on the official transcript.

Spring 2013 (January 14-May 10) — Last day of classes April 29

• The Co-Op Fee must be paid by the student by Tuesday, March 5, 2013.
• The Co-Op Work Report with evaluation(s) is due Monday, April 29, 2013.
• Deadline to apply for Co-op is Friday, March 15, 2013 (contact the Manager for exceptions).
• Late registration occurs after the 12th day of classes-if you register late for Co-op, you cannot register yourself through PeopleSoft-there is additional paperwork you are required to complete in the Co-op Office in order to register late for Co-op to appear on the official transcript.

Note: The Co-Op Work Report link includes the blank report and instructions.

Podcasts

Download the Cooperative Education Orientation Podcast.

To access our podcast series, just follow these simple steps:

1. Visit the University's iTunes website at http://itunes.uh.edu/.
2. Click the "Launch iTunes U" button.
3. A separate iTunes window will open. Scroll down to the Academics section and select the "Cullen College of Engineering" icon.
4. Next, select the "Engineering Career Center" icon.

You are now ready to download and listen!