guidelines for participation in the iit co-op education program

GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE
IIT CO-OP EDUCATION PROGRAM
1. Students must be in good academic standing, and remain in good standing, in order to participate
in the co-op program. Co-op is an academic program, designed to facilitate understanding of
theoretical material through applied work experience. Therefore, the co-op assignment should
complement learning and boost academic success. This is measured in part by the student's academic
achievement remaining high. (3.0 GPA for grad students and 2.25 undergrads)
2. Students must be registered in the CMC database (e-recruiting), and must ensure that their
registration info remains current, and that an up-to-date resume is posted in the CMC system. In
addition, students must select "Co-op/Internship/Part-Time" as their Applicant Type in their
registration data. Students not registered in the CMC database will be unable to participate in co-op.
3. Students must agree to a multi-work-term commitment with one company. The minimum
requirement is three (3) full-time work terms for undergraduates, or two (2) full-time work terms for
graduate students, although all students are highly encouraged to participate in longer work
rotations. (For the purposes of completing this minimum, two part-time work terms are counted as
one full-time term.) By committing to multiple work terms with a single company, students (and the
university) are better able to track development of skills over time, because the employer establishes
new and more challenging learning objectives each work term, and evaluates the student on his/her
continued performance toward those objectives. Each work term, therefore, the employer is helping
the student gain greater expertise in his/her field of study.
4. Co-op is an academic program and follows regular university cycles - this means work terms must
coincide with university semesters. Students may not begin co-op work assignments in the
middle of a semester. Check with the CMC for specific deadlines determining the earliest and latest
start dates for any given work term.
5. Students must register for co-op for each term they work at their co-op site - this documents each
work term as a formal part of a student's academic program. IIT grants full-time student status to coop
students who are working full time (approximately 40 hours per week), or who are working parttime
(up to 20 hours a week) and taking a half load of regular course-work. Students must register
for this course by the deadline for regular course registration, or else they will need to submit a
request to the Dean's office to permit late registration into co-op. Late registration may not always be
granted.
6. Students must develop a Co-operative Education Plan approved by their faculty advisor, their
work-site supervisor, and their CMC advisor. On this plan, students map out what courses they will
take during specific semesters (subject to change, as are university course offerings themselves),
what terms they will be working, and whether that work will be full or part time. This Plan must be
fully filled out - that is, showing all course-work, both completed and anticipated, and all work
terms - before it is signed by the student, faculty advisor, and work-site supervisor. This plan must
be submitted along with the other necessary co-op agreement forms (see the Co-op Forms
Checklist), signed by the student and their employer, before the student's co-op position will be

ecognized by IIT.
7. Paperwork: Five forms must be fully filled out and completed before a student may enter the coop
program - the Student Agreement, the Employer Agreement, the Employer Information
Form, the Student Co-operative Education Plan, and the faculty advisor's review of job
description. See the Co-op Forms Checklist for details about who fills out and signs what. In
addition, a student must bring a copy of the job offer letter and a copy of a job description. A job
title is not sufficient; the job description must detail what tasks and assignments will be expected.
(After entering the co-op program, Work Term Evaluations are also required; see #9.)
8. Work terms must cycle through the academic year; they may not occur only over summer
semesters. One of the goals of requiring multiple work terms from co-op program participants is to
provide students with the opportunity to work at a company through different cycles and seasonal
fluctuations, thus providing a more realistic and well-rounded view of day-to-day work changes and
variations at the company.
9. A Work Term Evaluation form must be submitted after EVERY co-op work term. This fourpage
form can be downloaded from this website, along with all other co-op forms. The Evaluation is
completed in two parts by the student and his/her supervisor:
• The first two pages, which establish the student's work and learning objectives for that term,
should be completed by the student's supervisor, with student input, during the first two
weeks of the work assignment.
• The last two pages are completed and signed by the student and supervisor at the end of the
work term.
This Evaluation is the only required form needed to renew a student for his/her next co-op work
term. NO co-op renewals will be issued without an original, signed Work Term Evaluation.
10. Students must be enrolled in at least one full-semester course during their last semester at IIT
completing their degree program. Students also may work at a co-op job during this time - either full
or part time. However, they cannot have their final semester at IIT consist solely of a work
assignment. The academic course in which a student is enrolled must meet for the full semester;
short courses will not fulfill this requirement.
11. Students are expected to maintain contact with both their CMC and academic advisors
throughout their participation in the co-op program. Any changes in employment, problems, or
questions should be directed to the student's CMC advisor as soon as they arise. In this unique
learning program, students are equal partners with the university and their employers. Only through
open communication can the CMC act as an ally to both student and employer to ensure success,
learning, and growth at the work assignment.
12. All co-op forms submitted to the CMC - those required for initial entry into the co-op program
and subsequent Work Term Evaluations - must be originals, and contain original signatures. Faxes
and copies will not be accepted.