Undergraduate Cooperative Education Program

Undergraduates seeking work experience related to their academic program and career goals prior to graduation may apply for the Cooperative Education Program in their major department, if this option is available. Cooperative education (Co-op) enables students to alternate semesters of full-time course work with a semester and/or summer of full-time paid professional experience in the field. Co-op helps students explore and confirm their career choice.

Co-op Requirements

To qualify, students must have full-time status and a minimum cumulative 2.500 GPA. Students with senior status may participate in Co-op as long as one full-time semester of course work remains to complete their degree requirements after they return from a co-op experience. Once approved for the program by the faculty member overseeing the Co-op Program or their major advisor, students may register for COOP 100, Career-Related Experience, a 1-unit course taken for audit (i.e., no credit). COOP 100 maintains a student's active status at the University, similar to a Leave of Absence. While COOP 100 may be repeated, enrollment is limited to non-consecutive regular semesters, consecutive summer sessions, or one regular semester combined with summer sessions. Students registered for COOP 100 will be considered full-time for enrollment verification purposes, including notification to the National Student Clearinghouse for loan deferment. However, COOP 100 does not count towards enrolled hours needed for financial aid disbursement.

To ensure that a career-related work experience will support their academic and career goals, interested students should consult with their major academic advisor.

Questions about this program may be addressed to the Office of the Registrar at reghelp@arizona.edu.