Cooperative Educational Program

For many years, alumni, potential employers and students have demonstrated a need and encouraged our department to establish a Cooperative Education Program. Established in 1999, employers throughout the country and the world are eager to hire our students for co-op employment.

Our Cooperative Education Program invites students to gain valuable experience in employment that relates directly to their major and career goals. At the same time, it provides employers with opportunities to evaluate students as potential full-time employees, while having them complete meaningful projects. Participation in this program is voluntary, and obtaining a cooperative education assignment is competitive.

The co-op experience

The co-op experience begins in the fall semester of the second year and normally last through the semester (December).  However, on rare occasions, we may allow an extension of the co-op into the spring semester only if the co-op leads to a full time job offer.

Students may request a co-op in writing to the Program Coordinator. The  Program Coordinator maintains the list of acceptable employers and co-op job descriptions from these employers. While on co-op assignment, students are participating in a recognized educational program, retaining their full-time student status, akin to our students who study abroad in established exchange programs for one or two semesters. The Cooperative Education Program agreement may be discontinued if the employers do not provide the students with career-related work experience or if the students do not meet the accepted level of performance as defined by the employers.

Responsibilities of students

The students are expected to begin their co-op assignment in accordance with the university's academic calendar: August through December and/or January through May. Students participating in this co-op program must notify the Program Coordinator by August 1 of their fall semester of the second year for the August thorugh December co-op option and December 1 of their spring semester of their second year for the January - May co-op option. To be eligible for the program, students must have a minimum 3.5 cumulative QPA for their first two semesters. While co-oping, you are earning CMU credit for your work experience, which has clearly shown to be beneficial for many students.   In order to evaluate your work, and to help share your experience with other ETC students, we require that you report to us on your co-op experience.  Upon returning to Carnegie Mellon, students are required to submit for approval the following two documents to the Program Coordinator:

1. A five to seven page (single spaced) technical report of the co-op work
2. The report will cover the following sub-topics as a minimum
1. How did I prepare and acquire a coop
2. What I did/accomplished during my coop
3. What I learned (Personal growth and lessons
4. Other valuable information

In order to fulfill the sharing aspect, we will be posting your papers (although not the faculty's feedback/grade of them!) so that other ETCers may read them.  Part of this experiment is building a database of "previous co-op experiences," that future ETCers may access when considering where to apply/accept.  With this in mind, please remember that a good description of both your experience, and the general company culture/experience would be very valuable to your peers, and will be something we look for when evaluating your work.

The students will behave ethically and professionally during the recruiting process and cooperative education experience.

Responsibilities of the employers

The employers will provide a challenging work experience, which must directly relate to the students' majors and class levels. The employers recognize that Carnegie Mellon international students on F-1 visas are eligible for employment and that Carnegie Mellon has established procedures to provide appropriate authorization for students pursuing a co-op experience. The employers provide appropriate orientation to the organization and the students' work environment. Professional supervision will be provided as well as technical mentors to guide the students in accomplishing their job responsibilities. The employers monitor the students' progress and activities and provide the students and academic department with performance evaluations after the work assignments. The employers are encouraged to review and discuss the evaluations with the students before their departure from the employer sites.

Responsibilities of Carnegie Mellon

The Program Coordinator will administer and coordinate the Cooperative Education process, including keeping job descriptions, publicizing job opportunities, and scheduling interviews.. The department will maintain records of student interest, job acceptances, student evaluations, and employer evaluations.

A win-win situation

The Cooperative Education Program proves to be a significant benefit to students and employers alike. Students get a chance to apply the knowledge they have learned to hands-on projects in industry. During a co-op, students actively participate in actual company projects. Students return to school with a renewed interest in their studies along with a better idea of their course and career preferences. Additionally, after satiating their thirst for industry, some chose to continue their studies in the Entertainment Technology Center. Lastly, the co-op provides a potential career opportunity with the participating company. The companies benefit also from the co-op program. It gives them an opportunity to observe students over a sufficient amount of time to evaluate pertinent performance. With this familiarity of student work ethic, employers can make sound judgments in recruiting decisions. Both students and employers alike report that their co-op experience was both productive and beneficial.

Contacts

Contact the Entertainment Technology Center’s Director of Career Services, Juleigh R. DeCarlo for more information, or call us at 412-268-5791.

Employers actively participating in the ETC Co-op program: