Cooperative Education Program

Registering your co-op with our office is an official way to note your experience on your transcript upon satisfactory completion. Students can register if their employer requires recognition by the University or credit is not available through your academic department.

 

Students that register their co-op or internship experience may be eligible to apply for one of the following scholarships.

• Edward Cimino Scholarship
• Internships in STEM presented by the Mobile Coca-Cola Bottling Company

Upon graduation, those that have completed three or more co-op terms are eligible for nomination for Co-op of the Year.  Application deadlines are shared via email to eligible students.  Students may self-nominate or be nominated by their employer.

• Students must be in good academic standing with the University
• Classified as a full-time student upon participation in the program
• Completed at least 24 credit hours
• Institutional GPA of 2.3 or higher and this GPA must be maintained for the duration of participation in the program

Program requirements may vary based upon the student’s academic college. While the program is open to all academic majors, there are some majors/academic departments in which the curriculum may not support a particular work-schedule option. 

• Students on the alternating plan rotate semesters of full-time work with semesters of full-time school.
• Students must be in good academic standing with the University, classified as a full-time student upon participation in the program, completed 24 credit hours, and an overall institutional GPA of 2.3 or higher. This GPA must be maintained for the duration of participation in the program.
• Successfully completed Calculus I (MA 125) and Calculus II (MA 126).
• No student may initiate participation after the start of the senior year.
• A completed resume must be uploaded to Handshake and approved before employment interviews may begin.
• Undergraduate students must maintain the minimum of 12 credit hours each semester when in class.
• All students must register for the appropriate Cooperative Education (COE) course each work term. Course listings are found in the USA Bulletin under Co-op.

The Nursing Parallel Co-op plan allows nursing students to gain practical, relevant work experience as Personal Care Assistants at one of the participating area hospitals: 

• USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital
• University Hospital
• Mobile Infirmary
• Providence Hospital
• Springhill Medical Center

Students must complete the following to be eligible:

• Be an accepted and enrolled student majoring in Nursing with the College of Nursing
• Completed the first semester foundation courses with at least a 2.5 GPA at the end of the semester.
• Submit the Nursing Co-op Application to the College of Nursing by the application deadline.

• All students must register for the appropriate Cooperative Education (COE) course each work term. Course listings are found in the USA Bulletin under Co-op.
• A $25 course fee will be added to your student student account when you register for the course.

Co-op and Internships are educational in scope; we communicate and monitor students’ progress throughout the term. Students submit evaluative assignments throughout the semester that reflect upon and summarize their work experiences and progress. Students also receive informal and formal feedback through the supervisory evaluation process.

Students receive academic recognition through a transcript notation for participating in the Cooperative Education or Internship Program, though they do not earn academic credit hours. Employers and students appreciate this official recognition because it reflects a student’s desire to obtain practical work experience while pursuing the degree.

• Although no credit hours are assigned to Cooperative Education courses, a grade of Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) is assigned at the end of each work term and will appear on the official University transcript.