Auburn University Co-op Program
What is the Auburn University Co-op Program?
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION (CO-OP) is a planned and supervised program that alternates semesters of full-time college classroom instruction with 3 semesters of full-time paid employment. The work assignments are closely related to your academic program and are designed to prepare you for your professional career by combining your academic training with practical work experience.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
- Students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 to join the program.
- Academic advisor approval for work/school rotations.
INTEREST
1. Attend an Interest Meeting: These usually take place during the first few weeks of each semester. See Upcoming Co-op + Internship Events
2. Complete the Professional Experience Interest Form.
SEARCH + SECURE
Connect with your College's Career Services unit for career development support, including application material development, career fair and interview preparation and scheduling, and searching for current co-op opportunities through multiple resources, including Handshake, LinkedIn, and CareerShift.
AUBURN UNIVERSITY CAREER SERVICES NETWORK
- AGRICULTURE
- ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
- BUSINESS
- EDUCATION
- FORESTRY, WILDLIFE + ENVIRONMENT
- HUMAN SCIENCES
- LIBERAL ARTS
- NURSING
- SCIENCES + MATHEMATICS
JOB SEARCH + INTERVIEWING
Handshake: All co-op positions are posted on the University's online job search platform, Handshake. Be sure to upload your updated resume to Handshake and mark it public prior to applying for jobs
Career Fairs and on-campus interviews are your opportunity to interview with 100+ companies to find an exciting and enriching opportunity. Pre-schedule on-campus interviews on Handshake!
Send-Off Meeting: All students who have accepted co-op positions are required to attend a Co-op + Internship Send-Off Meeting at the end of the semester in which the student accepts a position. At this meeting, students will receive helpful guidance for having a successful work experience. Dates and invitations will be sent out mid-semester.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Scholarships: The Office of University Scholarships works with students to defer appropriate scholarships when students are completing co-op work terms. Please review this FAQ page for more information on this process.
Meal Plans: Students can request an exemption from meal plans for each work semester in AU Access > My Campus > Accommodations > Away From Campus Dining Accommodation Request.
Contact Dining Services for specific questions: dining@auburn.edu or 334.844.8504.
On-Campus Housing: Co-op students who need to request termination of their Auburn on-campus housing contract due to a co-op work semester may use this link.
Auburn Athletics: If you are working in the fall semester and purchase AU Football tickets, a $110 fee will be applied to your student account to cover a student fee associated with Auburn Athletics.
REPORT + ENROLL
Once you have interviewed and received a co-op job offer, report your co-op experience below. You will then be enrolled in the Co-op course sequence for your three semester work term.
Have you secured a co-op for a future semester?
Required Class: During work rotations, students must register for COOP 4910, 4920, or 4930. Students in work rotations do not pay tuition or student service fees. There is a one-time, $100 co-op fee charged during the second work term. The COOP classes are S/U, and a satisfactory grade is earned by completing 2 surveys and 1 evaluation.
SURVEYS + EVALUATIONS
At various points throughout your work rotation, you will receive surveys and a link to an evaluation.
Beginning
At the beginning of your work term, you will receive a Work Information Survey to help the Co-op Program capture the most up-to-date information about your co-op job. This brief survey asks for information such as city, state, and salary.
Middle
Around mid-term, you will receive a Check-In Survey. This survey is to check in on your work experience and for you to privately report any potential work issues to a Career Coach. Remember, you do not have to wait until this survey is sent to report an issue.
End
Towards the end of each work term, you and at least one supervisor are required to complete performance evaluations on SkillSurvey. Each semester, you will receive an email with a unique link to the survey.
SkillSurvey assessment is a valuable tool that allows students to obtain feedback from multiple managers and co-workers regarding soft skill development. It was developed based on the 8 NACE Career Ready Competencies, which recruiters of college students have determined as the 8 most desired soft skills in new college graduates. Refer to this page to learn more about the Career Ready Competencies.