|
CE Home > Undergraduate Studies > Co-op
Cooperative Education (Co-Op) Program
Co-op vs. Intern
Although the co-op and intern programs are commonly referred to in the same breath, they are two different programs. The co-op program is open to juniors and seniors majoring in civil or geological engineering who have completed at least one semester in the Institute of Technology. The co-op program is a full-time six-month work assignment where credit is earned, which requires you to register for a course (CE 4190), and at the end of your work assignment you must write a report and submit it for approval. The intern program is a program in which the department helps locate temporary and part-time job opportunities for undergraduate students in civil and geological engineering. The intern program is a noncredit program, it is designed to give students relevant practice and work experience in an engineering setting.
Eligibility
The Department of Civil Engineering Co-op Program is open to juniors and seniors majoring in civil or geological engineering at the University of Minnesota who have completed at least one semester in the Institute of Technology; have cumulative grade point averages of 2.0 or higher; are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or can furnish proof of work authorization to a prospective employer.
Structure of the Program
Prospective co-op students are interviewed by participating engineering companies, consulting firms, and government agencies. If accepted for a co-op position, you must file a co-op prospectus form, register for the four-credit course CE 4190, complete a work assignment at a location determined by your employer, and submit a formal report on your co-op experience to the Department of Civil Engineering. Following completion of your co-op assignment, you must return to structured classroom study at the University until your remaining degree requirements have been satisfied. CE 4190 satisfies a technical elective requirement.
The normal co-op period is six months. A special two-credit version of CE 4190 is available for students who work for shorter periods, but only in cases for which registration in a course is a condition of employment. A special six-credit version of the course is also available for students whose insurance or loan programs require them to take at least 6 credits to maintain their student status. The department is currently allowing students to split their co-op in half, i.e., two three-month periods. Please register for CE 4190 in the spring proceeding the second co-op period. At most four credits from CE 4190 may be used toward a student’s BCE or BGeoE degree requirements. Students enrolled in the co-op program are not eligible to receive department scholarship awards during their co-op experience because they do not have full-time student status, 12 credits.
Benefits of the Program
As a co-op student, you will be directly involved in various engineering professional activities, working as one of the team. You will become familiar with the professional environment in which you will spend your future years. This productive time will challenge and motivate you to complete your education, as well as help you discover the wide variety of job opportunities available in civil and geological engineering. You will benefit from this work experience and learn practical aspects of engineering, which cannot realistically be taught in a classroom setting.
Co-op Work Opportunities
Soils and Materials Exploration and Testing.
Your co-op assignment may include work in a testing laboratory as well as work in the field, taking soil samples from construction sites and obtaining specimens of materials being used in actual construction.
Surveying.
As a co-op student, you may be involved with on-site surveying and evaluation of data required for design of roads, highways, bridges, water and sewer systems, or buildings.
Construction.
You may serve as a construction inspector for projects in which you become involved. You will become acquainted with reading and interpreting blueprints, building code requirements and specifications. You will experience the construction process and become familiar with various construction methods. You may serve as an assistant to the construction manager or construction superintendent.
Municipal Engineering.
Activities in municipal engineering offices include surveying, planning, design and construction of water mains, storm and sanitary sewers, water towers, and roads, as well as other projects. Your co-op assignment might be in a planning office engaged in urban development or transportation planning.
Consulting.
You may serve as an assistant to a consulting engineer or designer in the important initial stages of project development.
Qualifications and Enrollment in the Program
Your opportunity to be selected for a co-op position will be largely determined by the qualifications you present in your resume and the image you project in your interview. Experience has shown that most prospective employers want to hire co-op students who have completed basic civil engineering courses in surveying (CE 3100/CE 3202), soil mechanics (CE 3300/CE 3301), and construction materials (CE 5603/CE 3402), but more advanced coursework is sometimes expected.
You are strongly advised to prepare your resume using Resume Expert Plus, a software package which is available at the customer service desk in Williamson Hall Bookstore. Your personal Resume Expert diskette will not only help you to prepare a professional resume, but will allow you to maintain an updated resume for your future employment needs at IT Career Services (50 Lind Hall).
You should note that you are not officially enrolled in the co-op program until you have registered for CE 4190. Approval to register for CE 4190, in turn, requires that you prepare a brief statement about the nature of your proposed co-op assignment on a co-op prospectus, obtainable from the staff in the department office (122 CivE).
Job Opportunities
The Civil Engineering co-op Program seeks out prospective employers with co-op employment opportunities. Job listings are kept in a loose-leaf notebook in the department office (122 CivE) as well as being listed on the department website, www.ce.umn.edu. Students are expected to review the notebook, contact prospective employers, and arrange for interviews on their own. Students are asked to notify the office staff when they have accepted a position.
The department sends out letters to prospective employers in January each year. This means that most job opportunities are listed in spring semester.
|
