For more information contact:
Devy Schonfeld: 818.364.7700
Cooperative Education
Cooperative Education is a program that offers the student an opportunity to combine classroom learning with on-job-experience. Cooperative Education is a three-way relationship between the student, the college, and the employer. Students enroll in a CWEE course and use their internship or job for lab hours, attend several class meetings, and complete a number of independent study assignments. The goal of the Cooperative Work Experience program is to prepare students for the real world of work. College graduates are realizing that it takes more than a degree or certificate to get a good paying job. It takes work experience too!
There are two types of Cooperative Education Courses:
General Work Experience:
Supervised employment intended to assist students in acquiring desirable work habits, attitudes, and career awareness (Title 5, 55252). A student may earn a maximum of three work experience credit hours per semester (Title 5, 55253) and a total of six work experience credit hours overall (Title 5, 55253).
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Occupational Work Experience:
Supervised employment extending classroom†based occupational learning (Title 5, 55252). The proposed project must be related to the student’s major or a currently enrolled class. A student may earn maximum of four work experience credit hours per semester (Title 5, 55253) and a total of sixteen work experience credit hours overall (Title 5, 55253).
Key Program Facts:
- Students are required to complete all Coop Ed forms and obtain all required signatures prior to enrolling in the course.
- The employer provides a job assignment with adequate supervision to insure a planned program of varied job activities in order that the student may receive the maximum educational benefit. At times the student's present job may meet this requirement; however, students must establish a learning objective beyond the scale of his/her regular experiences on the job and over and above their routine performance to qualify.
- In addition to working with the Coop Education Coordinator, for Occupational Work Experience students will work closely with his/her course instructor and/or Department Chair.
- Students a required to complete monthly time sheets and attend all the specified Coop Ed sessions. Students should think of Coop Ed as being an additional class requiring mandatory class time and assignments. Students will also be required to take a mid-term and final exam. Students receive regular letter grades for each semester completed.
- Eight (8) semester credits will transfer to the California State University system (CSUN, CSUF, CSULB, etc.). Credits will not transfer to UCLA, UC Berkeley, etc. All credits are elective credits.
- The Cooperative Education Coordinator partners closely with the job site supervisor to ensure that the student is meeting pre-established learning objectives. At least one visit to the work site per semester is mandated.
- At the end of each semester, the student's immediate supervisor will be asked to rate the student's progress and effort made towards the completion of the job oriented learning objectives. Students will also complete a self-evaluation.