Cooperative Education and Internship
FAQ for Faculty
What is the Cooperative Education and Internship program?
The NDSU Career Center defines Cooperative Education and Internship as career-related work experience for academic credit. As a Cooperative Education and Internship student, students use what they've learned in the classroom and apply it to a related work environment. This is a program for all majors and helps a student to:
- test a career decision before graduation
- gain a competitive edge in the professional job market
- gain real life experience
- earn money to help with college expenses
- network with professionals and potential employers
- improve resume writing, job search, and interviewing skills
How does Cooperative Education and Internship affect student status?
By registering for 3 academic credits through the Career Center (working 300 hours or more per semester), students retain full-time student status even if they are not taking any additional classes. During this time:
- student loans do not come due
- those covered by family health insurance will not be dropped
This arrangement allows students to accept opportunities away from the Fargo Moorhead area, and to focus full time on their learning experience.
How does Cooperative Education and Internship fit in a student’s NDSU schedule?
Cooperative Education and Internship assignments may be completed during any semester. Summer semester is the most popular time to participate in Cooperative Education and Internship.
Depending on the academic program and requirements, if a student is required to complete a practical experience for their curriculum, the student should be admitted into the professional academic program prior to completing the cooperative education/internship experience.
Options for Cooperative Education and Internship:
- Parallel: Students work part time with a local employer and still take classes at NDSU
- Alternating: Students alternate between attending classes on campus full time for a semester and working full time on a Cooperative Education and Internship assignment for a semester
- One Semester: Students work at a Cooperative Education and Internship assignment for one semester only
- Consecutive: Students work 2 or 3 semesters in a row
“The accounting major and managementinformation systems major require that each student complete an internshipbecause it is an exceptional educational experience. It gives the student an opportunity to apply his/her classroom learning in a real-world environment which cannot be duplicated in the classroom. Also, in these disciplines, internships oftentimes lead to full-time employment with the firm upon graduation.”
Dr. William Bowlin
Department Head and Professor of AccountingDepartment of Accounting, Finance & Information Systems
Enrollment Requirements
- All majors are eligible to participate
- Minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA prior to Cooperative Education and Internship placement
- Experience is directly related to the student's major field of study and/or career goals
- Student must be engaged in learning by actively participating in the work experience
- Student must register with NDSU CAREERlink
How many credits will students earn?
The NDSU Cooperative Education and Internship program calculates the number of hours worked per semester to determine the number of Cooperative Education and Internship credits earned.
- 100-199 hours per semester = 1 credit
- 200-299 hours per semester = 2 credits
- 300 + hours per semester = 3 credits
Unless the faculty advisor approves additional credits, 3 credits is the maximum credits a student will be registered for each semester.
How do students register for Cooperative Education and Internship credits?
- No appointment is necessary to register. Students can come to the Career Center at Ceres 306. Registration usually takes 15-20 minutes.
- If a student is not able to come to our location, they should contact the Internship Coordinator to receive registration instructions, paperwork, and other pertinent information.
- Students will be registered for course number 397 (undergraduate) or 795 (graduate). The prefix is department specific (ex: Accounting students will be registered for ACCT 397)
What is the cost?
- Cost per credit is always the same as ND resident tuition plus university fees. There are no additional continuing education fees.
- After a student completes 3 credits of Cooperative Education and Internship, additional Cooperative Education and Internship credits are half-price tuition.
- Payment for credits is the responsibility of the student, unless covered by the employer or a third party.
- A growing number of employers are making the investment in NDSU students by paying the cost of the Cooperative Education and Internship credits.
How is Cooperative Education and Internship graded?
- Undergraduate students receive a Pass/Fail and Graduate students receive Satisfactory /Unsatisfactory grades.
- If the student has an assignment from a faculty advisor, the faculty advisor determines the grade (P/F or S/U) and the Career Center will input the grade.
- An Incomplete grade is issued until all required documents are submitted by the student. Required documents include:
- Signed work agreement
- Completed student and employer evaluations
- Advisor approval of assignment (when applicable)