Co-ops and Internships

Engineering Internships

Engineering internships are one of the first things that an employee looks for on a resume of a recent graduate. This is because internships are considered on-the-job experience, and are competitive. It is up to the student to attain an internship on their own, however, the College aids in the finding of internships. There are many ways to find available internships. Below are the most common:

• Internet search for Engineering Internships in your field of study
• Find companies that you want to work for; their website should disclose whether or not they offer internships
• Linked in Job postings for internships
• Email announcements from the Outreach Coordinator for the College of Engineering
• UL Career Services Website

Most internships are during the summer and do not disrupt a student's course of study so the University does not need to be notified of a student's participation.

Engineering Cooperative Education

Also know as co-ops, Engineering Cooperative Education experiences are similar to internships, but differ by the amount of commitment from both the student and the company providing the experience. A co-op usually takes place during three separate semesters; some are shorter or longer. The semesters are usually not consecutive and take two years to complete during a student's junior and senior years. With a co-op you usually return to the same project or team every time.

Co-ops also differ from internships in that the student must register with Career Services. This process includes:

• Once selected for a position, student's complete co-op paperwork at the office of Career Services. At this time they will receive co-op preparation counseling.
• The co-op paperwork must be signed by the Outreach Coordinator in the College of Engineering.
• The paperwork then is brought by the student back to Career Services for completion.