Internships and Co-ops

The internship and co-op program allows you to take an apprenticeship-engineering job in industry during the pursuit of the bachelor of science degree in the discipline.

Why Participate in an Internship or Co-op

If you prefer experimental and practical work to theoretical work, and if you like to work with people (or seeking the experience of working with people), this is the experience for you. If you need money to pay for your education, participation in the internship program is a way to help alleviate your financial problems. Employers and graduate schools value this experience.

Internship Requirements

Students register for 540:496 and upon successful completion of the Internship, the course will be counted as a List B technical elective. To be eligible to receive course credit, the student must accumulate at least 135 hours of work experience, submit weekly reports and a final report at completion of the Internship. Students can earn credit for a second internship by registering for 540:497, following the same requirements as the first Internship, and upon successful completion the course will be counted as a second List B technical elective.  Students can register and earn credit for a maximum of two technical electives, or a maximum of 6 credits applied towards their degree for Internships. 

Co-op Requirements

Students typically register part-time during the overlapping term for both 540:496 and 540:497. Upon successful completion, the co-op work experience will be counted as two List B technical electives. To be eligible to receive course credit, the student must accumulate at least 270 hours of work experience, submit weekly reports and a final report at completion of the Co-Op Program. Students earn credit for a maximum of two technical electives, or a maximum of 6 credits applied towards their degree for co-op experience.

Important Internship and Co-op Considerations

Note that a co-op program with full-time employment overlapping a fall or spring term usually will require 9 (or more) semesters to complete the ISE degree requirements.

Students interested in receiving credit for an Internship or a co-op work experience should make an appointment with the Undergraduate Director to have the program approved in advance before starting the job. The work experience cannot be approved for credit retroactively after the job starts or for previous work experience.