Differences between an Internship and Co-op

An internship is a university program where students gain practical experience with a participating organization while earning academic credit.

• Students who are eligible for an internship will be enrolled in a three credit hour course. Enrollment is done after a student receives a formal offer from an employer.
• The internship course will count in the students major as an elective. All majors in the CBA require electives as part of the degree.
• The internship work experience needs to be specific to the students major. Students who have declared two majors or dual degree’s can be approved for an additional internship as long as it is related to the additional major/degree.
• Internships will last for an entire semester (15 weeks). Credits can only be earned during the semester the student is working.
• Credit is awarded by faculty based on satisfactory completion of the academic requirements outlined in the course syllabus.
• Students need to average 20 hours a week, for 15 weeks, for the position to be considered as an internship. Accounting majors must work 40 hours a week to be eligible.
• Students need to contact the CBA Advising Office and the Career Center in order to get registered for the internship course.

Cooperative Education (Co-op) is a program through which a student is able to obtain a college degree plus practical on-the-job experience in their chosen field.

• Co-op at the University is a non-credit bearing course that is added to a student’s academic transcript.
• Students, who are registered for the co-op course, are considered full-time students at the University for the purposes of financial aid, student status and other campus benefits.
• Co-op is available during the fall, spring and summer semesters.
• Co-op work experiences can be full-time or part-time depending on the employers' needs.