Co-Op Program

What is co-op?

The Co-op Program combines classroom theory with practical, career-related work experience. Co-op allows students to improve their professional preparation, explore career possibilities, relate their major to real-world situations, and earn an income that can supplement educational expenses. A student's co-op experience is also officially documented on their academic transcript, which increases their marketability upon graduation.

Students that co-op tend to find a jobs 3-6 months faster after graduation than students that do not co-op and they also tend to make $3,000-$5,000 more in their starting salary. When employers hire college graduates, more than 98% of them hire through their co-op or internship programs first.

Flexible Scheduling

Students are generally eligible for co-op after their freshman year. The co-op program at Wright State is designed to be extremely flexible for students. Students may choose any of the following options:

• Full-time Alternating
• Students alternate between work and school by attending classes for one quarter and then working full-time the following quarter. Students can choose to do this throughout their curriculum but this option will likely extend their degree to 5 years.
• Full-time Summers
• Students attend classes during fall, winter and spring quarters and then work full-time during the summer
• Part-time
• Students work 20-25 hours each week while attending classes. Students are required to be registered for a least 12 credit hours of coursework. Most students choose this co-op option and employers also seem to prefer this option.

Eligibility

The Co-op Program is optional for engineering and computer science students. To be eligible to co-op, students must have:

• declared a major and been accepted into the College of Engineering and Computer Science and their declared major
• attained a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher for undergraduates or a 3.0 or greater for graduates (NOTE: Although these are the minimums, many companies require higher GPAs for employment consideration)
• successfully completed or nearly completed the major-specific entry-level courses listed below

Required Courses

• Biomedical Engineering
• ENG 101, ENG 102, EGR 101 (or MTH 229 or MTH 230), CHM 121 or PHY 240/200, CEG 220
• Computer Engineering
• ENG 101, ENG 102, EGR 101 (or MTH 229 or MTH 230), CHM 121 or PHY 240/200, CS 240, CS 241
• Computer Science
• ENG 101, ENG 102, EGR 101 (or MTH 229 or MTH 230), CHM 121 or PHY 240/200, CS 240, CS 241, CS 242, and a 2.25 GPA in all CS and CEG courses
• Electrical Engineering
• ENG 101, ENG 102, EGR 101 (or MTH 229 or MTH 230), CHM 121 or PHY 240/200, CEG 220 or CS 240
• Engineering Physics
• ENG 101, ENG 102, EGR 101 (or MTH 229 or MTH 230), CHM 121 or PHY 240/200, CEG 220 or CS 240 or EGR 153
• Industrial and Systems Engineering
• ENG 101, ENG 102, EGR 101 (or MTH 229 or MTH 230), CHM 121 or PHY 240/200, CEG 220
• Materials Science and Engineering
• ENG 101, ENG 102, EGR 101 (or MTH 229 or MTH 230), CHM 121 or PHY 240/200, EGR 153 or CEG 220
• Mechanical Engineering
• ENG 101, ENG 102, EGR 101 (or MTH 229 or MTH 230), CHM 121 or PHY 240/200, EGR 153 or CEG 220

Employers

Some of the participating employers include: A.O. Smith, Ball Aerospace and Technologies, CACI, Copeland Corporation, Dayton Artificial Limb, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ford Motor Company, GE Aviation, Heapy Engineering, Honda of America Manufacturing, Honeywell, Internal Revenue Services, LexisNexis, MacAulay Brown, NASA Glenn Research Center, NCR, National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Northrop Grumman, Ohio Department of Transportation, Prosthetic Design, Reynolds & Reynolds, SOCHE, Standard Register, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base