Cooperative Education is an academic program designed to complement a student's formal education with practical work experience directly related to the student's major. Co-ops alternate semesters of on-campus study with semesters of full-time employment.

No, participating in the co-op program is not mandatory, although it is beneficial for the student and the employer. About 86-97% of an engineering class at the University of Akron participates in the co-op program.

The registration fee through ZipLine is $55 for the semester.

Yes, you are considered a full-time student even though the co-op "class" is credit/no credit. If you need a letter for insurance, university housing, or scholarship to show your full-time status, please let us know and we will provide one.

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Once you are signed up in our office, your resume is sent to various companies seeking your engineering discipline. The employers prescreen students and let the Engineering Co-op Office know who they are interested in interviewing. Then, the students are notified about the interview opportunity.

The first round of interviews for a company usually takes place on campus. For these on-campus interviews, students are to report to the Engineering Co-op Office a few minutes before their scheduled interview time. After the first set of interviews, the employers have the students come to the company for an off-campus interview. Shortly after interviewing, employers extend offers to the students. Some companies may also conduct phone interviews as a prescreen of possible candidates.

Yes, you can co-op locally, in Ohio, or even out of the state. We have companies in over twenty states.