Some employers require successful results from substance abuse screening, psychological testing, GPA/transcript review, driving record review and strength tests. Some may also adhere to a smoke-free environment policy; others require adherence to strict dress codes.  All companies are different so be sure to ask questions.

These are very critical issues that need to be addressed immediately. You should contact the Office of Cooperative Education as soon as possible in order to seek resolution.

No. You must inform the Office of Cooperative Education of any concerns or problems. It may be a simple matter of the employer upgrading the job responsibilities, increasing projects, or assigning the student to a different work area. If you quit without notifying the CO-OP Office, you risk losing CO-OP credit and all tuition.

No. You must realize that you are presenting yourself to employers as an individual with professional aspirations, as a good learner and a hard worker who wants to find entry employment in a particular technology. The first CO-OP experience is designed for you to test-out and gain exposure in a specific industry which will either reconfirm your major degree program decision or will indicate that this may not be your career aspiration.

Yes, the Office of Cooperative Education will contact a company for you, but you need to make the initial contact. The CO-OP Office would contact a potential employer to answer any questions they may have about the program requirements.

Yes, and you are encouraged to find a CO-OP on your own as part of the integrated learning process. The CO-OP experience is meant to simulate a real-life job search. For assistance on how to search, please see our How to Find a CO-OP page.

There are many ways in which you can find a CO-OP in other states or countries. You can use the resources available in the Office of Cooperative Education, the Internet, friends, family, instructors and the area Chamber of Commerce to name a few. The information  you need is there, you just have to do the research. For assistance on how to search, please see our How to Find a CO-OP page or contact anyone in our office.

Only under extenuating circumstances and with the approval of the CO-OP Office. This is not an alternation pattern that is suggested or preferred by the Office of Cooperative Education. Some employers request that you work two semesters in a row, because they feel that one semester is not long enough. This situation requires extra approval.

After you have secured a CO-OP, you must immediately apply/register with the College of Technology, Office of Cooperative Education.

Yes. You may receive elective or other credit for additional CO-OPs depending on your degree requirements. You should discuss this option with your academic advisor.

Yes. If the employer has an obvious interest in you and is grooming you for permanent employment, the situation is encouraged. This is one of the ways the college sells the Cooperative Education Program to potential employers. It gives them the opportunity to train the student, over successive CO-OPs, to meet the company's needs. In all cases, the level of responsibility must increase significantly as the level of CO-OP increases.

Yes, under certain circumstances. There are conditions under which part time (working 20 hours/week for 2 consecutive semesters) CO-OPs are approved. Although they are still the exception! For more information, see the CO-OP Manual.

There are several job finding resources available to you. Please go to the CO-OP Search: Tips & Tools page on our website or set up an appointment with our office today.

If with assistance from the Office of Cooperative Education, you fail to find a CO-OP, you are a rare exception. That is not to say that finding a CO-OP employer is always easy; sometimes the job search is difficult. If you are having considerable difficulty, you may need to work harder, smarter or be more resourceful. You need to become more knowledgeable about the job finding resources available to you. Beginning the CO-OP search well in advance will help avoid this situation. For more information, refer to the CO-OP manual or contact the CO-OP OFFICE.

Yes, you are advised to keep a log of ALL CO-OP finding activity to assist you in your search.  For help with this, please use our pre-formatted Excel spreadsheet found HERE.

No. This is considered after the fact and retroactive registration will not be permitted. For more information, see the CO-OP Manual. You are required to pre-register, be supervised and be evaluated during the CO-OP course. When you secure a CO-OP position, you are required to submit an application/registration for approval.

You are required to complete a full-time semester-long CO-OP experience. For more detailed information concerning specific dates, please refer to the CO-OP calendar.

You should apply for as many CO-OPs as possible. You can do this on PlacePro as well as finding CO-OPs on your own. Applying for as many CO-OP positions as possible will give you the most options to work with.

The CO-OP Office does not encourage regular course work to be taken during a CO-OP semester. You are expected to adjust, learn, and produce during a CO-OP. The exception to this policy would be a non-traditional student who is permanently employed in an industry directly related to their major.  Other situations can apply as well, please contact our office for assistance.

Yes. Please contact our office for information and procedures regarding this situation.

The Office of On-Campus Housing guarantees that you will receive an on-campus housing assignment for the semester following your CO-OP. However, there is no guarantee that your request will be honored if there are space constraints, otherwise you will be assigned to an available space.

Yes, under certain stipulations. You need to be registered for at least 10 credit hours to receive a full Student Recreation Center membership (summer, 8 credit hours). While on CO-OP you are only registered for 4 credit hours, so you must make arrangements with the Student Recreation Center to obtain a pass. The center charges a small fee per extra credit hour to obtain the correct amount of hours.

Yes. You must initiate a request to the Office of Cooperative Education to either adjust or cancel an on-campus meal plan before the start of semester classes (forms available in the CO-OP OFFICE).

You should contact the Office of Cooperative Education and the Center for International Programs to plan appropriately for an international CO-OP experience.

Yes. The University Undergraduate Catalog states that based on institutional policy, students registered for TECH 2890, TECH 3890 and TECH 4890 are involved in a full-time academic experience at BGSU. However, students receiving financial aid are required to check with the Office of Financial Aid to confirm the impact of CO-OP on their financial aid (including scholarships). Since there are multiple types of financial aid, you should not assume that each recognizes CO-OP as a full-time academic load. Also, if you are eligible for Veteran's Affairs Educational Benefits, you must check with the Veteran's Affairs Office, to determine the effects of CO-OP on Veteran's Benefits.

The tuition rate is the same as any other 4 semester hour courses tuition and general fees.