Benefits for the Student
Cooperative education and internships offer many benefits to students.
- For students who have a clear idea of their future career plans, internships provide a chance to acquire valuable career-related experience before they graduate.
- For students who are unsure about their future career, co-ops can be a tool for discovery, an opportunity to test their interests, aptitudes, and abilities in various work settings.
- Undergraduate students can take an equivalent of up to four courses worth of work experience credits to fulfill unrestrictive credit requirements. Graduate students can do up to three credits worth.
- Students can receive valuable training and mentoring in order to increase their marketability and create a more robust and viable résumé.
- Students can gain a first-hand glimpse into the corporate or organizational culture beforehand to make a more informed decision on company and career choices.
- Since employers use co-ops and internships to recruit employees, students can position themselves for an employment opportunity BEFORE graduation.