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The Steinbright Career Development Center

Drexel Co-op: “The Ultimate Internship”®
Co-operative education at Drexel enables full-time undergraduate students to alternate periods of classroom theory with professional experience prior to graduation. Participation in co-operative education is available in all academic programs and over 95% of the undergraduates participate in the program.

General Information
One of the major reasons undergraduate students choose Drexel is the opportunity to gain six to 18 months of career-related work experience integrated with their coursework. Co-operative education helps students explore and confirm their career choices.

Co-op assists students in several areas of career development, including self-assessment, career exploration, and career experiences leading to full-time employment. Students develop confidence, professionalism, and a sense of purpose.

In the first year at Drexel, students meet with a designated co-op coordinator. Freshmen and entering transfer students attend the mandatory co-op pre-registration sessions as well as the Co-op 101 course. This orientation is designed to assist students personally and professionally and to introduce them to career management. The orientation includes résumé writing, interview techniques, and an overview of how co-op works at Drexel. The goal of the Co-op 101 course is to prepare students for their cooperative education experiences and to develop lifelong career planning/job search skills and techniques.

Successful completion of the co-operative education experience is a graduation requirement for most of Drexel’s undergraduate degree programs.

Students participate in the co-op interviewing process according to a designated co-op experience cycle (normally fall/winter or spring/summer). The fall/winter five-year co-op students begin searching for positions during the spring term of their freshman year. Students in a five year co-op program with a fall/winter co-op cycle will need to be available during the summer of the freshman year to continue searching for a co-op position. Other students participate in the co-op interviewing process starting in their second year. Available openings are advertised in SCDC.online, Drexel's web-based co-op and career servicing search tool. Throughout this process, students receive guidance from a co-op coordinator.

Coordinators work closely with employers, assisting them in determining their co-op needs and developing opportunities for co-op students, and they act as University contacts for co-op students working off campus. Upon completing a co-op experience and returning to classes, students meet with their co-op coordinators to discuss the work experience, submit the Co-op Employment Summary and Planner, and determine a strategy for future experiences.

Co-op will make every effort to find sufficient numbers of co-op employment positions for students, but the University cannot make any guarantee of a co-op assignment. This applies especially to international students, since U.S. government security regulations often make employment of noncitizens quite difficult. The co-op process is competitive, and academic performance, skills, motivation, maturity, attitude, and potential will determine whether a student is offered an assignment. If a student experiences difficulty in securing a co-op position, the Steinbright Career Development Center will assist the student in a continuing job search. Failure to obtain work authorization status or co-op assignment does not entitle any student to a change of academic status, co-op cycle, refund, or adjustment of tuition and fee charges.

Schedule Options

Co-Op Schedule
nOn-campus study
lCo-op/internship experience
mVacation
Four-year Program
	Fall	Winter	Spring	Summer
Freshman year	n	n	n	m
Sophomore year	n	n	n	m
Junior year	n	n	n	m
Senior year	n	n	n
Four-year Program with co-op: fall/winter cycle*
	Fall	Winter	Spring	Summer
Freshman year	n	n	n	m
Sophomore year	n	n	n	n
Junior year	l	l	n	n
Senior year	n	n	n
Five-year Program with co-op: fall/winter cycle*
	Fall	Winter	Spring	Summer
Freshman year	n	n	n	m
Sophomore year	l	l	n	n
Pre-junior year	l	l	n	n
Junior year	l	l	n	n
Senior year	n	n	n
*Most students are randomly assigned to either the fall/winter (shown above) or spring/summer (not shown) co-op cycle.

Graduation Requirements
To graduate, students must complete the total number of Drexel Co-op Units (DCUs) required for the program or major in which they are enrolled. The number of DCUs in the various programs ranges from 32 to 96.

Twelve DCUs are awarded for each term of co-op experience upon successful completion of the following:

• Employment Summary and Planner describing the co-op experience, required at the end of each co-op experience
• Personal advising meeting with the co-operative education coordinator, required at the end of each co-op experience
• Completion of Student Co-op Agreement form
• Approval of independent job search by the Director
• Completion of Student Co-op Agreement and Registration "blue" form, prior to beginning work

Graduation Requirements
College			Co-op terms	DCUs
Arts and Sciences
	Five-year program		6	96
	Four-year program		2	32
Business
	Five-year program		6	96
	Four-year program		2	32
Engineering
	Five-year program		6	96
	Four-year program		2	32
Goodwin College of Professional Studies
	Four-year program		2	32
	Five-year program		6	96
Information Science and Technology
	Five-year program		6	96
	Four-year program		2	32
Media Arts and Design
	Four-year program		2	32
Nursing
	Five-year program		6	96
	Four-year program		2	32

Student Transfer Policy
Students transferring 39.5 or more academic credits to Drexel from another institution must elect a four-year or a five-year program at the time they are admitted to the University. Students must agree to complete the minimum co-op education requirements of the major to which they are transferring. Before the initial co-op experience, transfer students must successfully complete the mandatory co-op orientation program including Co-op 101 taught by the Steinbright Career Development Center (SCDC) and at least two college terms in the new co-op major. This policy ensures that students understand and receive the full services of the SCDC before beginning a co-op experience. For the typical transfer student entering Drexel after completing two years at another institution, the following requirements apply:

Requirements for Transfers
College			Co-op terms	DCUs
Arts and Sciences
	Five-year program		4	64
	Four-year program		2	32
Business
	Five-year program		4	64
	Four-year program		2	32
Engineering
	Five-year program		4	64
	Four-year program		2	34
Goodwin College of Professional Studies
	Four-year program		2	34
Information Science and Technology
	Five-year program		4	68
	Four-year program		2	34
Media Arts and Design
	Five-year program		4	68
	Four-year program		2	34

Regardless of the number of credits they transfer to Drexel, transfer students in engineering must complete a minimum of two terms of co-op experience to graduate. This is a requirement of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology for those four-year colleges that present co-operative programs in engineering. A non–co-operative engineering degree can be awarded, with the approval of the Dean of Engineering and the Vice President of Enrollment Management, to those transfer students who cannot complete the minimum experience requirement.

International Students
Security regulations governing certain kinds of employment make United States citizenship a requirement for many co-op positions; accordingly, the number of positions available to international students, whether on student or permanent visas, may be limited.

Responsibilities of the Student
Students are responsible for knowing the regulations that apply to them as co-op students. These regulations are documented by a signed Student Co-op Agreement completed before each student’s co-op period. Co-op experience is considered to be in the nature of laboratory work, and students are expected to take advantage of every possible opportunity to observe different aspects of the workplace and to gain experience.

Even though students work full time while employed, they are officially registered with the Office of Academic Records and Operations and maintain their connections with the University, with all the privileges and responsibilities of students. They are required, however, to adjust themselves completely to the daily routine of the organizations where they are employed and to observe all their rules and regulations. University holidays, for example, are not necessarily holidays for students during their work experience. Students are requested to use their designated drexel.edu e-mail accounts to receive all university communications.

Salaries paid to co-op students are considered taxable income and should be reported as such.

Drexel co-op students are subject to the same principles of personal conduct whether they are on the Drexel campus or working many miles away. Drexel students are expected at all times to maintain behavioral standards that reflect favorably on themselves and on the University.

All Co-op experiences must be related to the student’s major and pre-approved by the student’s Co-op Coordinator.

Students are required to attend all interviews that have been granted by employers through Drexel's SCDConline. Students may not miss classes or examinations for Co-op interviews.

Students who participate in the ranking/optimal pairing process, must rank only those positions they would be willing to accept. Once paired, students must honor that commitment. Co-op salaries may not be negotiated.

The SCDC communicates frequently with students via both US Mail and e-mail. Students must keep their mailing address up to date in DrexelOne and consistently check their Drexel e-mail at all times, even when on Co-op. E-mail is a valid mode of official communication with students at Drexel. Students who choose to have their e-mail forwarded do so at their own risk; the University is not responsible for e-mail forwarded to any address other than the student’s Drexel address. Failure to receive or read in a timely manner official University communications sent to a student’s Drexel e-mail or postal address does not absolve them from acknowledging and complying with the content of the communication.

Co-op Cycles
A Co-op cycle, assigned during the Freshman year will not change for the student’s entire academic career at the University. Students whose academic program offers Co-op on opposing cycles will have an opportunity to exchange SCDC-designated Co-op cycles with another active student assigned the opposite cycle, in the same college, same major and same Co-op concentration by the deadline indicated in the cycle assignment letter. Cycle swaps are not permitted past the deadline.

Students must successfully complete the total number of Drexel Co-op Units (DCUs) designated for the program/major selected by the student. The total required DCUs may be reduced for some transfer students and/or students in combined-degree programs. The review of successful completion of Co-op experiences and clearance for graduation are conducted by the academic department.

Co-op Eligibility
Students must maintain full-time status for the 2 terms immediately preceding Co-op (5COP fall/winter freshmen are the exception) in order to be eligible for Co-op participation and registration. Students who are not registered the 2 immediately preceding terms to Co-op on a full-time basis will not be eligible for Co-op that academic year. Students will attend class during those scheduled Co-op terms. More than one instance of ineligibility due to insufficient enrollment will result in permanent disqualification from the Co-op program.

Co-op 101 is a 10-week, noncredit pass/fail course that meets once a week. It is designed to help students with all aspects of career planning and the co-op job search. Passing the class is required for any student in a co-op program prior to beginning their first co-op experience.

Students who fail Co-op 101 once will need to retake the class the next available term that the course is offered prior to participating in their first co-op. An NCR or "failure" will be reflected on the student's transcript. In addition, a Career Block or "hold" will be placed on their Drexel account unti the students successfully complete the class. This hold will prevent students from using the SCDC Online system which allows them to search for jobs.

When students fail Co-op 101 and they had been assigned to co-op for the term immediately following the term they took the class, their co-op will be removed. This may result in students having to return to classes during a term when they were supposed to be out on co-op. This can cause significant financial aid problems, generate a higher bill, and may delay graduation. As already indicated, students will need to re-register for Co-op 101 during the next available term they are taking classes.

If a student fails Co-op 101 twice, he or she will be permanently ineligible to participate in co-op at all. All future co-op cycles will be removed. This will cause significant financial aid and billing implications. In addition, failing Co-op 101 twice may prevent graduation from a student's program if there is not a non-co-op option available.

Before and after each scheduled Co-op experience, students must meet with their Co-op Coordinator to obtain authorization for their next job search. First time Co-op students must attend a group Pre-registration meeting before their job search can begin; students returning from Co-op must schedule an individual appointment with their Co-op Coordinator to review the results of their Employment Summary & Planner (ES&P). Students completing a final Co-op must schedule a meeting to review their completed ES&P before they will be granted access to on-campus recruiting opportunities.

Students in their final year (senior year) are not eligible to participate in the Co-op program.

Students may change their Co-op concentration no more than one time in their undergraduate career at Drexel. The request for the change may not be submitted after the summer term of the student’s sophomore year.

Students who receive a registration hold from any University office due to outstanding obligations to the University are not entitled to use Drexel.SCDConline services until the hold is resolved with the issuing office.

All paperwork associated with an independently-obtained Co-op experience must be submitted to the student’s Coordinator and approved prior to beginning Co-op employment.

International students must meet with International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS), 210 Creese Student Center, after obtaining a Co-op position, but prior to beginning work in order to obtain work authorization. Students who work without prior work authorization from the ISSS will be considered out-of-status by U.S. federal regulation and are subject to consequences up to and including deportation. Questions about student status and responsibilities should be directed to: International Students and Scholars Services, 210 Creese Student Center.

Co-op Waivers
The SCDC will register all students for the prescribed number of Co-op terms, as required by the student's academic major, program, and concentration. Co-op waivers will be issued by the SCDC only under the following circumstances: documented need for medical leave, documentation of deployment for active military service, and unsuccessful job searches granted credit for a well-documented job search effort (“Director Approved Job Search”).

Departmental waivers will be granted for the following academic-progress reasons only: incomplete clinical rotations (Nursing), incomplete Seminar work (Anthropology). Departmental waivers will not be accepted before the midterm of the term prior to the scheduled Co-op and not after the end of the first week of the Co-op term.

The SCDC will consider requests for medical, military, departmental waivers (as noted above) submitted with appropriate documentation. Students may only receive one waiver of any kind during their academic career.

SCDC issued job search waivers will result in Co-op credit, with a "Director Approved Job Search" notation on the transcript.

Co-op Probation
While on Co-op students continue to be under the jurisdiction of the University. Any breach of conduct committed by a student on Co-op that would be cause for disciplinary action were the student on campus shall also be cause for disciplinary action while the student is on Co-op. While working at a participating Co-op employer’s worksite, students are required to adhere to the employer’s policies and procedures in addition to the University’s policies and procedures. If students encounter difficulties with their employer or the University while participating in the Co-op program, they are to contact their Coordinator immediately.

Students who refuse to honor a Co-op pairing, are dismissed from a Co-op job, engage in inappropriate behavior anytime during the Co-op process, violate employer/University policy or resign from a Co-op position may be placed on Co-op probation and may lose the priviledge of using SCDC Online for future job searches.

Failures for the first term of a Co-op cycle will result in a failed work term. Students will be required to find another work experience for the second term of the cycle. Failures for the second term will result in a failed work term for the second term only. Two failed placements will result in ineligibility to participate in Co-op for any future term.

The SCDC reserves the right to remove students from Co-op programs. Students with more than one failure will no longer be eligible for Co-op participation. Students with failures will be given the option to change to an NCOP concentration.

Dropped for Poor Scholarship
The University Registrar informs the SCDC of those students who have been dropped from the University by the colleges due to poor scholarship. Students who are dropped for poor scholarship during Co-op terms will not receive credit for Co-op. Instead, the Co-op course will be removed from the student's academic record. Employers of Co-op students who have been dropped for poor scholarship will be notified of the University’s action against the student and all Co-op agreements will be considered terminated.

Individual career counseling, including testing to help students choose a long-range career goal consistent with their abilities, interests, and personality traits, and information about appropriate career search techniques.

Group programs covering such topics as résumé writing, interview preparation, and job search strategies.

A career resources collection and devoted SCDC Library Assistant at Drexel's Hagerty Library.

The On-Campus Interview Program, which arranges on-campus interviews with employee recruiters from business and industry; education; and local, state, and federal government services. The program is open only to students in their final year at Drexel.

Two of the largest career fairs in the Delaware Valley—one in October, and one in April—for all students and alumni.

The Employer-Directed Résumé Search, which refers qualified applicants to employers using Drexel’s first-of-its-kind World Wide Web search process.