GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT CO-OP EDUCATION
For Cal Poly Pomona Students
The Cooperative Education Program is designed for Cal Poly Pomona students who want to obtain paid practical work experience while pursuing a degree. Co-op prepares undergraduate as well as graduate students for entry into the work force by offering opportunities for practical hands-on training prior to graduation. This on-the-job training gives the co-op student a competitive edge over others who have not had previous experience in their field of study. Many Cal Poly Pomona graduates have benefited greatly from their participation in the Co-op Program, and because of their experience, found themselves several steps ahead of their peers when entering the work force
The following is a list of guidelines for students interested in Cooperative Education:
- Log in and complete a co-op application form.
- Check the Co-op website for available positions. Postings can also be found on the bulletin boards in building 8 on the first and third floors. Students should also consider subscribing to the website's mailing list so all new postings (or those for major(s) of interest to the student) are emailed to the student when they are posted.
- If a Cal Poly Pomona student already has a job (related to their major) and would like to use it for co-op credit, the student must first fill out an online Co-op Application form (unless they have already done so). Next, the student needs to complete the “Request for Cooperative Education Units for Position Not Offered Through the Co-op Office” form (available on the website), carefully following the instructions listed on the bottom of the form regarding the required letter from their supervisor. Once all of the documentation has been completed, the student should turn it into the Co-op Office for information on enrolling for the appropriate Co-op class.
- If the student would like to apply for a specific job, he/she should follow the application procedure outlined on the bottom of the job announcement or on the website.
- Once all of the application materials have been submitted to the Co-op Office, they will be forwarded to the appropriate contact person.
- The employer will review the applications, call the desired students for interviews, and will usually conduct the interviews at the work site (occasionally the employer will ask the Co-op Office to make arrangements on campus). Students should not contact the company for interview information.
- Once the interviews are completed, the employer will notify the selected student(s). The selected student should contact the Co-op Office informing them that they have been hired. The student will then receive information about adding the appropriate Co-op course.
- All Co-op students MUST add the required Co-op course(s) (through the Co-op Office) each quarter that he/she holds their Co-op position or until they graduate.
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After a student begins to work, he/she is required to:
- submit the required coursework by the due date (a written report due no later than Thursday of the 9th week of the quarter, Tuesday during the Fall quarter. Failure to do so will result in the assignment of an “F” grade);
- complete a “Student Evaluation” form (an evaluation of the co-op experience).
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If a student wishes to continue in the co-op job, the following quarterly requirements must be met:
- add the units at the beginning of each quarter; (students will be notified of the appropriate course);
- students will be instructed to obtain their “quarterly assignment” packet from the Co-op website;
- complete the course work as described in their “quarterly assignment” packet along with the “Student Evaluation” to be submitted by the date listed in their “quarterly assignment” packet;
- assignments for student’s continuing after the 1st and 2nd quarters will vary from the standard 1st and 2nd quarter reports.
Co-op jobs usually last a minimum of two quarters, can be part or full time, are generally located in Southern California and offer a broad salary range depending on the company as well as the student’s academic standing, grades, and experience. Companies usually prefer junior or senior applicants, but occasionally sophomores are requested. Generally, any student desiring valuable work experience prior to graduation, who has a GPA of 2.0 or above and is at least a sophomore, is encouraged to become involved in the Co-op Program.
Click on Jobs link above for more details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any Cal Poly Pomona student who is not on academic probation or disqualification is eligible to participate in Co-op Education. Since most Co-op students who we place in Co-op assignments or who participate in the program have a standing between third-quarter sophomore and second quarter senior, transfer students are generally eligible for Co-op at the time of transfer or very shortly thereafter. Some common questions that students have about Co-op are listed below:
1. What majors or departments participate in Co-op?
All are eligible. Over the last few years, the most active participation has been from the Colleges of Business, Engineering, and Science.
2. Does a Co-op student earn academic credit for a Co-op experience, and if so, how much, and how can the units be counted?
The brief answers are "yes", "up to a maximum of 16 units", and "it depends". A student on a Co-op assignment for a quarter generally earn two units of Co-op Education credit for approximately half-time work (20 hours/week) and four units for full-time work (40 hours/week).
Occasionally a student may take two quarters to reach 200 hours of work experience, and thus two units of credit. Students who continue in a Co-op assignment beyond the first quarter are eligible to earn additional Co-op units up to a maximum of 16 units. The Co-op units carry a College prefix and are numbered 470-473 (e.g. SCI 470-3 or EGR 470- 3, etc.). Co-op units can count toward graduation under the category of "unrestricted free electives". They may not replace any G.E. units. With your department's approval, whether before a Co-op assignment begins, or after one is completed, it is possible for Co-op units to replace units in your core. For example, several department allow substitution of 2-6 Co-op units for upper division elective units in their department. Other departments allow substitution of 4-8 Co-op units for senior project and senior seminar. Students in a Masters program are eligible for Co-op, but the units are not usually countable in M.S. degree programs. For the Co-op units, a letter grade is assigned based primarily on the student's written report or oral presentation. There are no test or regular class meetings.
3. What do Co-op jobs pay, where are they located, and are evening/weekend hours allowed?
The brief answers are: Average $9.25/hour, typical range is $8-$16/hour, mostly within a 45 mile radius of Cal Poly Pomona, and usually the hours are flexible around a student's class schedule, but generally the allowed working hours are weekdays 7am-6pm.
4. What are a student's chances of getting a Co-op jobs?
Zero if the student doesn't apply. For a lot of our posted Co-op positions, a student is competing only with other Cal Poly Pomona students or the company strongly prefers to hire a Cal Poly Pomona student based on their previous satisfaction with our students. Typically, we will have 3-12 students applying for a given position. Unsuccessful applicants sharpen their job-seeking skills and generally most eventually get a Co-op position if they start in their junior year and keep applying.
5. Will participating in Co-op delay a student's graduation date?
Probably, but not any more so than a myriad of other factors including the number of transfer units a student is granted at Cal Poly Pomona, the availability of classes, the rising quarter costs to attend Cal Poly Pomona or any CSU, and the number of hours/week that a student has to work to support a family and attend Cal Poly Pomona (often these jobs, unlike our Co-op positions, have little or nothing to do with the student's major).
6. Can I just do Co-op during the summer?
Most companies that hire Co-op students want to see the commitment of at least two consecutive quarters if a student is working half-time and usually two consecutive quarters if the student is working full time since such Co-ops often require relocation (e.g. Co-ops at IBM in San Jose). Many Co-op positions begin in the summer, usually full time, but the employer generally expects the student to continue fall quarter on either a half-time or full-time basis.
7. How does doing Co-op affect a student's financial aid status?
The Co-op units a student earns while on a Co-op assignment count toward the minimum number of units that a student is required to maintain financial aid eligibility. Co-op wages earned may affect the amount of financial aid a student is eligible for but generally any reduction is delayed until the academic year after the calendar year the Co-op wages were earned (e.g. summer 2001 wages would affect the student's financial aid status for the 2002-03 academic year).
8. Are students who are not U.S. Citizens or do not have permanent resident status eligible for Co-op?
If U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is required by a Co-op employer, it will be so stated in the posted Co-op job announcement provided the employer has informed the Co-op Office. If such a requirement is not stated then students on visas are eligible to apply for a Co-op position. At the time such a student is extended a Co-op job offer, then the Director of Co-op Ed., and the International Student Advisor will assist the student and employer with the necessary paper work, as a part of his/her Curricular Practical Training.
9. How long can a student stay in a Co-op position?
As long as the employer allows up to a maximum of two years. The average Co-op spends between two and three quarters in a Co-op position. Of course one of the main advantages of doing Co-op for both student and employer is the opportunity to stay with the company as a permanent employee upon graduation.
10. Can students find their own Co-op position instead of applying for the Co-op Office's posted positions, or can a student get Co-op credit for a presently held job that a student got on their own?
Yes, To get Co-op credit for a job that a student gets on their own a student should contact the Director of Co-op Ed. before a quarter begins. As general guidelines, credit can not be given for any work done in the past, the student's job must include a significant amount of principles learned/taught at the junior/senior level in their major, and the employer has to agree that the student will be allowed to write a meaningful report about their Co-op work, to complete a quarter evaluation form of the student's work performance, and to allow arranged visitation(s) and/or phone calls by a Cal Poly Pomona professor with the student and his/her supervisor at the work site.
11. Have additional questions?
Phone, write or stop by:
Co-op Education, 8-333
Cal Poly Pomona, 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA 91768
Phone (909)869-3434
Fax: (909)869-4396
