Cooperative (Co-op) Education Program

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The Engineering Cooperative Education (co-op) Program is a five-year program. To be eligible, the student must be a US citizen or have a green card.

Academic Requirements
The academic requirements for graduation are identical to those of the corresponding four-year option program.
Undergraduate students
Undergraduate students applying for admission to the co-op program in engineering are expected to have completed a minimum of 30 hours of degree credit with a 2.5 overall average at the time of application and throughout the co-op assignment.
Graduate Students
Graduate students working on their theses are eligible if they have a minimum of two academic semesters remaining before graduation. Graduate students must have a 3.0 GPA at the time of application and throughout the co-op assignment.

During their cooperative term, students will have to register at the University of New Orleans for Cooperative Education (COEN). These courses carry no university credit. The course numbers are COEN 0001, 0002, 0003, 0004, 0005. The registration fee for each cooperative education course is $75 and is non-refundable.

Two Plans
Students may chose to work full-time or part-time, according to the plan selected.
Alternating Plan I
Students can alternate periods of school attendance with study-related work experience. The Alternating Plan allows students to work up to 40 hours per week and take 1-6 credits during their work period. Cooperative education students on work assignments do not receive credit for their work experiences, but they do receive a Pass/Fail grade for each work assignment completed and these assignments are listed as co-op courses on the students' permanent transcript record.
Alternating Plan II (Parallel Plan)
Students can work part-time each semester while being enrolled in a degree-granting program as a full-time student. The Parallel Plan allows students to work 12-20 hours per week and he/she must be enrolled as a full-time student at UNO.

Placement
The College of Engineering 's Cooperative Education Program makes every attempt to place students in local or regional industries related to the student's designated area of specialization. These industrial assignments supplement educational studies with "hands-on" pre-professional experience. Starting salaries for engineering graduates who have participated in the Engineering co-op program are usually about 15% higher than for those students completing the regular, four-year curriculum.

The Office of Career Placement and Cooperative Education and the College of Engineering send materials pertaining to qualified students for participating employers to interview and select. Compensation paid to the student by the participating companies helps defray expenses incidental to a college education. The University cannot guarantee work to every student who applies, nor does it exercise control over working conditions and compensation. After graduation, the cooperating employer is not obligated to offer the student permanent employment, nor is the student obligated to accept such an offer. The student is required to register at UNO during each work semester.

Contact
For further information, contact the College of Engineering Cooperative Education Office (EN 905, 280-6576) anytime.

Many valuable services are also offered by the UNO Office of Career Development.