Program Overview

This Cooperative Education Program is offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for their students to gain valuable employment experience which relates directly to the student's major and career goals. At the same time, it provides the employer an opportunity to evaluate potential full-time employees while having them complete important projects. Participation in the Cooperative Education Program is voluntary and obtaining a Cooperative Education Assignment is competitive. Students are not guaranteed a cooperative education assignment. Employers are not guaranteed that the students will accept the co-op offers.

Duration of Agreement

The student will work for the employer for an eight month assignment from either January to August (preferred option) OR May to December (alternate option). The employer retains the option to ask the student to return for an additional three month summer assignment the following year.

The Cooperative Education Program agreement may be discontinued under the following circumstances:

The employer does not provide the student with career-related work experience.

The student does not meet the accepted level of performance as defined by the employer.

The student's academic performance falls below the university's accepted level.

The student makes a significant change in his/her educational program or status as a student.

Responsibilities of the Student

The student is expected to begin his/her co-op assignment in accordance with the university's academic calendar: January through August (preferred option ) OR May through December (alternate option).
Students participating in this co-op program must submit a resume and Student Statement of Interest to their Department Co-op Contact by May 1 of their sophomore year for the January - August Co-op option and December 1 of their junior year for the May - December Co-op option.

The students will interview for co-op positions through the Career Center's on-campus recruitment program. The student will abide by all policies and procedures established by this program.

The student has the option to interview with several prospective employers.

The student must notify the Career Center at least 24 hours before the time of the interview if he/she finds it necessary to cancel an interview. If a student misses an interview without prior 24 hour notification to the Career Center, a review will be conducted to determine the action to be taken; this may include loss of privilege to participate in the program.

The student needs to accept/decline co-op job offers by November 15 for the January start date and March 15 for the May start date.

The student agrees to participate for one cooperative education work assignment. The student may also work any additional summers if not attending school. If the work defers the student's graduation beyond one semester, approval must be received from the student's department advisor.

The student must maintain the academic standard as determined by their academic department.

Any participating student contemplating a change in major or a transfer to another university should immediately consult with their department advisor and co-op employer.

The student is responsible for housing and transportation arrangements during the co-op work period.

To ensure receipt of important university and department mailings, the student is responsible for notifying the department advisor and Enrollment Services of his/her address while on assignment.

Within one month after completing the work assignment, the student will complete and submit to his/her Co-op Department Contact both a three to five page technical report of the work experience and a one page assessment and evaluation of the work experience.

The student will behave ethically and professional during the recruiting process and cooperative education experience.

Responsibilities of the Employer

The employer provides a challenging work experience which directly relates to the student's major and class level. A project title and description should be provided to the Career Center when the employer registers for an on-campus interview date. The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department needs to approve the job description before the student interviews for the position.

The employer will coordinate co-op interviews through the Career Center's On-Campus Recruitment Program; adhering to all policies and procedures established for this program.

All direct communications to Carnegie Mellon students should be copied to the appropriate Co-op Department Contact.

The employers should make job offers within the designated time periods (November 1 for January Co-op start dates OR March 1 for May Co-op start dates). The students will accept/decline offers by November 15 for January start dates and March 15 for May start dates.

The employer recognizes that Carnegie Mellon international students on F-1 visas are eligible for employment and that Carnegie Mellon has established procedures to provide appropriate authorization for each student pursing a co-op experience.

The employer provides an appropriate orientation to the organization and the student's work environment. The employer also provides professional supervision and a technical mentor to guide the student in accomplishing his/her job responsibilities.

The employer monitors the student's progress and activities and provides the student and academic department with a performance evaluation after the work assignment(s). The employer is encouraged to review and discuss the evaluation with the student before his/her departure from the employer site.

Responsibilities of Carnegie Mellon

The Career Center will administer and coordinate the Cooperative Education recruitment process; including housing job descriptions, publicizing job opportunities, and scheduling interviews.

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department will meet with students before their work assignments to ensure students a successful transition to the co-op experience. This process will include assisting students with registering for their co-op experience and handling residence life housing issues.

The Department Co-op Contacts will maintain records of student interest, job acceptances, student evaluations, and employer evaluations.

Co-op Contacts

James Garrett Patty Langer

Department Head and Professor Undergraduate Program and Alumni Relations Coordinator

garrett@cmu.edu patty@andrew.cmu.edu