Cooperative Work Program (COOP) is a 6-credit-hour industry-based learning course for college students to get practical experience in the area of their field of study at a reputable business organizations as approved by their Departments and guided by a COOP advisor. The basic objective of the COOP program is to enable the students relate what they learned in the core courses of their majors to what they find in practice and be able to identify business problems and recommend practical solutions for them. A COOP student is required to spend 28 continuous weeks of practical work in a relevant field of industry. The COOP duration spans one regular semester and one summer semester. Two scenarios are possible:
Spring Semester + Summer, or
Summer + Fall Semester
A student should not take the COOP until he completes at least 85 credit hours. It is very important that the COOP is not left until in the last semester (it should NOT be the last course toward the degree). Students are required to submit progress reports during their COOP. After finishing the COOP period, they are required to submit a final report and give a presentation about their experience and knowledge gained during their work.
