Internships & Cooperative Education 

Internship
A short-term, mentored work experience with a learning focus connected to your major or career. An internship is typically completed after you’ve taken some core courses (English, math) and some courses in your major. It can be paid or unpaid, depending on the field, your education-level, and any prior experience. You can earn academic credit for your internship.

Cooperative Education
Also known as co-op, this is the class you take in order to earn 1-3 academic credits for your paid internship. You can use an existing job if it’s related to your major or Key Career Place can help find you a position.

Co-op requirements include:

  • Working toward an Associate Degree or Certificate, NOT just taking classes to transfer
  • GPA of 2.0 or better
  • 12 credits or more (transfer credits are considered)

Employers often have additional criteria (higher GPA, more credit hours, various skills and qualifications).

You can also earn credit for unpaid internships by working with Key Career Place and your academic department.

Steps to Obtain an Internship

Web Resources - Internships
These resources list intership postings, and many contain advice to assist you in your search. Use as many resources as you need to help you meet your goal.

Also consider using major search engines such as Google or Yahoo! etc. Try just the word internship, or internship plus:

  • Your major: Internship + Accounting
  • A company: Internship + Cleveland Indians
  • A location: Internship + Cleveland
  • A hobby: Internship + sports