siliconindia | | July 20199Cooperative learning falls under the umbrella of work-integrated learning (alongside internships, service learning and clinical placements) but is distinct, as it alternates a school term with a work term in a structured manner, involves a partnership between the academic institution and the employer, and generally is both paid and intended to advance the education of the student. Today, quite a few renowned colleges and universities in U.S. and some other countries are offering this program. The Cooperative approach provides several distinct advantages. This cooperative engineering program emphasizes a broader range of courses and ideas than traditional engineering. If a student is not totally dedicated to engineering, then he/she will have the opportunity to explore a number of liberal arts and science programs while maintaining the option to continue your studies in the engineering field. By opting to go for cooperative program, a student has the option of delaying the decision to pursue engineering for as period of three years. Graduates with both a liberal arts & sciences degree and an engineering degree may have a decisive advantage as candidates for employment in engineering as well as in other fields. A few examples of the fields of engineering from where a student can opt for cooperative engineering are Applied Chemistry, Applied Geophysics, Applied Physics, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Environmental, Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, Industrial, and Aerospace, to name a few. Who are eligible to opt for Cooperative program?Most students participate in the Cooperative program at the start of their Junior year, but all students levels are eligible to apply for this program after completing a mini-mum of two semesters of college. CO-OP positions are available in most UG college disciplines, especially engi-neering, business, natural science and mathematics.Students must be in good academic standing within their college, enrolled full-time to the semester prior to participating in CO-OP, and enrolled full-time the semester after participating in the CO-OP program if the student is not graduating.Cooperative Engineering program has really made life a little easy for students who for some reason are not able to fully concentrate on their regular engineering program. It opens alternate career option for them and does not become hindrance in completing the engineering program which a student is already pursuing. Now, students do not need to ponder as hard for career options. Through Cooperative Engineering, students can look forward to hands-on experience inside & outside of the classroom, opportunities to get involved in professional networking organizations, team-based competitions, and internships in the field
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