Cooperative Education: Engineering
Explore. Experience. Evolve.
There’s no better way to find your engineering passion than to spend time exploring your interests in the workplace. The cooperative engineering education experience at the University of Dayton helps our students solidify their career choices or evolve in directions they never anticipated. That’s because — at UD — cooperative education is not a formula; it’s a tool for the formation of young engineers.
While co-ops are not mandatory at the School of Engineering, about 70 percent of our students participate in co-op classes or a single-term internship, with 30 percent completing multiple work terms. If you are interested in co-op work, our staff of engineering professionals makes it easy to find the right fit with interviews conducted on campus. Co-op students can work locally, nationally or internationally — all while maintaining their full-time student status along with the benefits of our eight-semester tuition guarantee. The average co-op student earns just under $12,500 per semester, which can help pay for educational expenses.
Fast Facts
1974
cooperative education program began at University of Dayton
$6M
earned by engineering co-op students last year
$12,500
average cooperative education salary per semester
Our Program Offers Flexibility
While some Universities require co-op participation, others take a more hands-off approach that requires students to secure their own positions. At UD, we provide flexibility to pursue co-op and other experiential opportunities in a way that fits your individual goals. Students design an experience portfolio that can include multiple semesters of co-op, internships, summer research, ETHOS immersions, study abroad and more.
Students take a co-op preparation class that prepares them for their first professional work experience with topics such as interviewing, résumé preparation, company research and how to land the job. Our co-op office hosts two-day recruitment events each spring and fall where students can interview with up to 24 employers. In addition, our campus hosts career fairs in the spring and fall, bringing more than 175 companies to campus to meet potential co-ops.
Almost 70 percent of our co-op students take positions in the southwestern Ohio region, allowing them to live on campus. Others choose to work across the country or even internationally. Housing is always the responsibility of the student, but many companies offer housing allowances to students working away from home or campus. This information is disclosed during the interview process.
No matter your choice, our engineering co-op office makes it easy to come and go from campus while completing the requirements for graduation. There is no fee to co-op and no tuition is paid, since no academic credits are earned. However, you will maintain your full-time student status, and all financial aid and scholarship assistance is paused until the next semester of coursework.