Meet with Career Advisor to Discuss Overall Employment Goals/Plan

Schedule a meeting with a career advisor in the Career Center to discuss overall engineering goals and plans for seeking a potential engineering internship that may lead to co-op employment.  Career advisors will be able to assist with resources necessary for securing employment:  interest surveys, application materials, interview skills/process, job search process navigation, Handshake and other job portals to secure employment, and employment contract negotiation, particularly when multiple offers are received.  Virtual career appointments can be scheduled via the following link:  Virtual Career Lab Appointments. Specific questions related to the engineering co-op program recruitment process and employer engagement events should be addressed to the School of Engineering Liaison in the Career Center, Chris Babbitt, [email protected].

Secondary Admission Application

Prior to participating in the co-op program, students must successfully pass the course (‘C’ or better) and earn credit for EGR 289.  Prior to the end of the course, students will be advised to apply for secondary admission into one of the six engineering majors offered within the GVSU School of Engineering. The secondary admission process requires an online application form. In addition to the online application review, the final component of the application decision involves a review of the practice interview feedback from corporate/industrial employers to assess the student’s preparedness for the co-op job search and interview process.

Note: A student must have an overall grade point average of 2.70 or above and a 'C' or better in all foundation courses (with only one repeat) in order to gain secondary admission to the School of Engineering.  Learn more about secondary admission

Schedule and Attend a Mandatory Practice Interview

Practice interviews are conducted by industry volunteers and are an academic requirement in EGR 289. Each student completes a final resume and an engineering career development research project to determine desired industries, culture, career paths, etc. to prepare for industry/corporate interviews and co-op employment. The student participates in a mandatory practice interview with corporate/industry employers. The instructor and corporate representatives provide feedback and constructive criticism regarding the interview responses, etiquette, attire, and overall process. The professional input received from the course instructor and corporate representative provides the student with the opportunity to gain valuable improvement feedback, before scheduling co-op interviews and moving forward with the job search process. During the practice interviews, the engineering liaison and Career Center staff provide the corporate interviewers with a feedback form for each student participant. The forms are maintained in the student's co-op file and made available to the faculty for reference during the secondary admission process. The aim of the practice interview process is to assist the student in developing the necessary confidence and assertiveness to be successful in the co-op job search and interview process.

Navigating the Job Search Process and Securing Employment

A commitment to owning the co-op job search is a critical component of securing co-employment.  Once a student is admitted into the School of Engineering, the corporate search begins for co-op employment. The Career Center engineering liaison, Chris Babbitt, will assist the students with the necessary resources to find co-op employment, but the student is ultimately responsible for securing the co-op position. The student must take the initiative to lead the job search and locate a co-op position. A student is required to secure a co-op position prior to being granted full secondary admission status, which allows the student to take Upper Division (junior and senior-level) undergraduate courses.

If the student desires to co-op for a company that is currently not on the co-op employer pre-approved list, it is the student’s responsibility to contact Chris Babbitt ([email protected]) at the Career Center to discuss. He will initiate correspondence with the employer regarding the co-op program guidelines and requirements and submit to Diane LaFreniere ([email protected]) for final approval.

Confirming the Secured Employment and Registering for Co-op

Co-op Management Transition to Qualtrics’ Platform

Since the engineering intranet is no longer being used for the co-op management process, the co-op program management has transitioned to the Qualtrics’ platform for data gathering and response feedback for all co-op management functions (employer and supervisor contact entry, employment confirmation, student assessment, and employer assessment). 

Please monitor your university-assigned email address for all co-op management emails with a direct survey link to enter the employer/supervisor contact and end-of-semester student assessment information. The employer/supervisor contact email link will be sent within the first two weeks of the academic semester.  The student and employer assessment emails with direct links to the respective surveys will be sent shortly after midterms.

Please work with your assigned supervisor and (or) HR contact to ensure that they understand the recent transition from the intranet to the Qualtrics ‘survey management platform (student entered supervisor and (or) HR contact information used to direct employer emails with surveys to fill out employer confirmation and employer assessment information).  The employer confirmation email should be expected shortly after receipt of supervisor and (or) HR contact information from the student.  

The employer assessment email with the direct survey link will be sent at the same time as the student assessment survey links are sent via the Qualtrics’ platform.  All completed student and employer assessments will be tracked and entered via the Blackboard grade center (allow 1-2 for processing, as the process is not completed in real-time).

All students must register their co-op via email links received via their university-assigned email address.  The email received will include a Qualtrics’ survey link to provide the required co-op information.  This said, the employer and supervisor contact information, employer confirmation, student assessment, and employer assessment will all be completed via Qualtrics surveys for data gathering and response feedback.  If this supervisor and (or) HR contact information needs to be revised at any time during your co-op rotation, please email Diane LaFreniere, Sebastian Chair, to inform accordingly. Also, please be sure to follow-through on all employer feedback (co-op confirmation and employer assessment) to ensure that the supervisor and (or) HR understands the platform transition to Qualtrics, the academic requirement for employer confirmation of employment and employer assessment feedback, as well as the timeliness required for all provided employer information.

Co-op Confirmation Process

The co-op confirmation process must be completed by the second Friday of the academic work semester.

The co-op confirmation form must be completed for all students for each semester of enrollment in a co-op work semester.  

This form will require information about your workplace, including your  supervisor’s contact information. Updated supervisor information should be reported to the Sebastian Chair, Diane LaFreniere ([email protected]) to ensure timely communications and assessment reporting.

Employment Confirmation Process:

·Student - Monitor university-assigned email for Qualtrics' employment confirmation survey

·Student - Submit employment and supervisor contact information via Qualtrics' employment confirmation survey

·Student - Follow through with employer to ensure receipt/completion of emailed employment confirmation survey

Please note that academic and professional deadlines are critical to your success, and it is imperative that you are aware of your due dates and follow through in a timely manner

Please note that the co-op process, including the co-op forms necessary for program enrollment, is currently being updated.  Please touch base with the Sebastian Chair, Diane LaFreniere, in late October or early November if submission assistance is required. Thank you.

Determine the Need for an Alternative Work Agreement and Report an Extenuating Circumstance

All students are expected to complete 500 hours of work during the academic semester and should expect to begin/end the work assignment in alignment with the GVSU academic calendar for the designated work semester. Note, work that does not coincide with the timeline for the academic semester may not be applied toward the 500-hour requirement, unless approved. Course time conflicts or other extenuating circumstances (i.e. medical leave of absence) that interfere with the Banner course hours (8:00 to 3:50 p.m.) or the approved plan of study will not be approved, unless an extenuating circumstance warrants such enrollment.  In such cases, the following protocol (order for approval) applies for obtaining the signatures necessary for consideration for an academic time conflict:

1. Academic Advisor
2. Sebastian Chair/Co-op Administrator
3. Faculty Member of Conflicting Course
4. Employer (*)

(*) Note:  Academic time conflicts are rarely approved by the Academic Advisor and Sebastian Chair. Further note, time conflicts and other extenuating circumstances will not be approved in cases where the goal is to shorten the time to graduation (i.e. enroll in dual major, minor or repeat courses) or when the employer is contacted regarding the conflict, prior to receiving the necessary academic signatures.
 
Before signing a time conflict form, the academic advisor will confirm that there are no available alternatives that will eliminate an interference with the scheduled co-op work hours, and the Sebastian Chair will confirm that the supervisor approves of the proposed time conflict.

Because an extenuating circumstance presents a unique situation for each student, there is no template.  Please outline a brief statement of the extenuating circumstance, as well as a detailed plan of the weekly work hours to meet the 500 hours required to earn course credit.  The following signatures must be included:  student, supervisor, Sebastian Chair, Diane LaFreniere ([email protected]). This form should be submitted along with the student and employer agreements.

Confirm Attendance at Mandatory Co-op Meeting to Discuss Academic and Professional Requirements

All students are expected to attend the mandatory co-op start-up meeting, prior to enrollment in EGR 290.  This meeting is generally held in late March or early April to discuss the academic and professional components of the online co-op course.  A meeting invitation will be received from the Sebastian Chair, Diane LaFreniere, [email protected], to notify regarding the date/time of the meeting.

Note, the academic requirements include downloadable modules and online quizzes, as well as the submission of the student/employer agreement, student/employer assessment, and Experience Matters summary.  The professional component requires students to complete 500 hours of work during the academic semester.  Any work outside the semester of academic enrollment is not considered toward the 500-hour requirement, unless an approved extenuating agreement is on file in the student records.

Register for Required Co-op Course and Review Academic and Professional Components

All students must be granted a pending admittance into one of the six engineering majors to register for EGR 290.  Students are not academically eligible to register for upper-division courses until all foundation coursework is complete, and the program has granted full admittance into the upper-division.  The secondary admittance review/approval process takes place at the end of the semester, following the submission of student grades to the Banner system. Once reviewed/approved a letter of full-admittance or denial is received.  If the letter indicates full admittance, the student has the ability to immediately register for upper-division courses.  Registration should take place as soon as possible to ensure section/course availability.  If a denial letter is received, the student is advised to seek program advising to meet the secondary admittance requirements and reapply for secondary admission when eligible to do so (any semester, prior to final grade submission). 

During a co-op work semester, students are only able to register for a maximum of four EGR or CIS credits during the evening hours (4:00 pm or later).  Note, the engineering-prefixed general education courses, EGR 302, 306, and 406, do not apply to this policy.

The School of Engineering and Career Center work together to provide the necessary resources to support the mandatory co-op program.  The School of Engineering assists with student inquiries related to the academic and professional component of the mandatory work rotations.  The Career Center assists the co-op students with the employer engagement and recruitment process necessary to secure co-op employment, as well as a potential conversion to full-time employment.

An individual educational assignment plan is developed with each co-op student to match the corporate and departmental needs with the developing needs and capabilities of the student. This information is formulated in the development of the co-op student agreement and is included in the co-op employer agreement, which is approved by the student, employer, and Sebastian Chair, Diane LaFreniere ([email protected]). Typically, a new co-op will start with a Level I (EGR 290) assignment to learn engineering basics regarding the company’s processes, materials, products and services. Note, given the uniqueness of each employment setting, each student’s individual educational plan will be unique and dependent upon technical/professional aptitude and experience. Some students will progress quicker than others and build confidence at a quicker pace. Further note, all students are expected to navigate a mutually beneficial path forward. Assigned faculty advisors are helpful for professional guidance and advice.  Level II (EGR 390) assignments will further expose the co-op student to a variety of relevant areas where the developing technical and professional skills can be applied and integrated with an intense professional and academic workload, allowing the student to gain an overall accountability and balance in both areas. The Level III (EGR 490) assignments will typically build upon previous experiences, as the co-op is student works to completing the academic degree. Workplace assignments will expose the co-op to a variety of products, functions and locations, each with a steep learning curve. Typical assignments are commensurate with those of a post-graduate, entry-level engineer and typically include engineering design.

For information related to work and study abroad experiences offered at GVSU, please refer to the following link:

Study & Work Abroad Programs

Any student who is interested in a work and study abroad experience should plan early and contact the Padnos College of Engineering at [email protected]. 

For examples of typical co-op experiences, refer to the GVSU Experience Matters website. This site documents student intern and co-op experiences the university. Simply identify the desired major, and the site will populate examples for a variety of engineering examples (Biomedical, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, or Product Design & Manufacturing Engineering). 

Also, the PCE Employer Media Repository is available under the ‘Organization’ section of Blackboard, and it includes video/image content, as well as brief overviews/literature for approved co-op employers.

For a complete list of approved co-op employers, please contact:           

Chris Babbitt
School of Engineering Liaison, Career Center
Phone: (616) 331-6708 
Email: [email protected]