USA Career Services, located at 6420 Old Shell Road, assists students and alumni in all phases of career exploration, development, and job search strategies. USA Career Services is a comprehensive career education and career service center. The division of Career and Education Information Services provides self-directed activities to assist in career exploration, the selection of appropriate academic programs, and identification of career related strengths and preferences in determining careers. The specialized Career Library is the core resource for these and other self-directed career and education research activities. The Career Experience Opportunities program helps students confirm career choices through pre-professional internships and work experiences through Alternating and Parallel Cooperative Education. Students approaching graduation and alumni are eligible for Career Employment Assistance. This service links qualified candidates with prospective employers. Interviewing techniques, resume writing, managing an effective job campaign, and strategies for changing careers are part of this program. Career Employment Assistance includes the on-campus recruitment program and resume referral service.

Satellite offices are located in the Mitchell College of Business, College of Engineering, and the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Center’s Career and Education Information Service guides students in self-directed activities to determine career interests and selection of appropriate academic programs to reach their career goals. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are urged to take advantage of this service. The appropriate selection of a major can impact a student’s desire to complete a college education and a student’s success in college and the workplace. The Career Library is the central location for these activities and is staffed by graduate level Career Advisors. Career Advisors are trained to assist students in the various aspects of career and related academic development. Among the many resources available to students are:
• Career Library containing the recruiting literature of more than 1,500 local and national employers.
• Computer assisted career guidance programs and assessment.
• On-line access to national, local, state, and federal job openings.
• Books and videos on career development, job search skills, resume preparation, interviewing techniques, letter writing, and employer information.
• Occupational literature on numerous career fields including entrance requirements and projected employment outlook.
• Graduate and professional school information including: directories, catalogs, admissions, and financial aid information.

These and many other Career and Education Information services housed in the Career Library are available to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community.

The Career Experience Opportunities Program enables students to combine classroom studies with paid work experience related to their major field of study. Practical experience is available in industrial, business, governmental, or service organizations. Undergraduate students may apply at the Career Services Center to enter the Cooperative Education Program when they have completed 12 credit hours, attained a cumulative grade-point average of 2.3 or above, and are classified as a full-time student upon commencement of participation in the program. The internship option requires a 2.0 GPA or above and sufficient time remaining before graduation to complete the internship. Graduate students may apply to enter the Career Experience Opportunities Program after they are accepted into a graduate program.

Option 1. Parallel Cooperative Education: Students work part-time, usually 15 to 20 hours per week, while attending classes for a minimum of 12 academic credit hours per semester for the Fall and Spring semesters. The Summer semester may be taken as a “vacation” semester. Students must have at least three semesters remaining before graduation to enter this option.

Option 2. Alternating Cooperative Education: Students work full-time one semester and attend classes full-time the following semester on a rotating schedule until graduation. The work assignment is usually shared by a pair of students on an alternating basis. Students must have at least six semesters remaining before graduation to enter this option.

Option 3. Internship: Students work between two and fifteen hours per week for various lengths of time depending upon the unique needs of the organization providing the experience. Some internships are not paid; experience is the reward. The option of receiving academic credit for this experience is approved through the academic advisor or department chair.

Option 4. Engineering Cooperative Education - The Five Year Plan: This program allows students to gain one year of valuable engineering experience as they pursue their degree. The freshman year is spent as a full-time student at the university. During the sophomore and junior years, the student alternates working full-time for one semester and taking full-time course work the next semester. Students are paid an excellent pre-professional salary during the work semester. The student returns to campus full-time for the senior year. This program offers many advantages for the student. Interested students should consult with either Career Services or the College of Engineering. Application should be made for admission to the program when entering the university or no later than the end of the second semester of the freshman year.

Prerequisites for participation in the Career Experience Opportunities Program include attending the Employability Skills Seminar, offered continuously by Career Services, and payment of the materials fee in effect at the time of application for the program. To remain in the program, students must maintain good academic standing; a cumulative grade-point average of 2.3 or above for the parallel and alternating programs, a grade-point average of 2.0 for the internship program, and comply with the policies and procedures of the employer and the Career Experience Opportunities Program.

CAREER EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE

All students are urged to register for Career Employment Assistance at Career Services three semesters before graduation to begin preparation for the employment search process. Seniors and Juniors are advised to take advantage of the career and employability skills training and the career advising functions of Career Services. Alumni may initiate service when needed.