The Co-op Program

What It's All About

A Student at His Co-op Job
The ultimate goals of The Kettering Professional Cooperative Education Program are to

  • develop a strong and positive correlation between a student's academic program at the school and the educational experience with his or her employer;
  • provide educational experiences that orient and integrate the student into a productive professional role at the employer organization; and
  • develop of positive work-related habits and characteristics in a student.

One Program, One Employer

The Kettering Professional Cooperative Education Program is designed to achieve the educational and career goals of our students in conjunction with meeting the future human resource needs of our co-op employers. Because it is an academic program, Kettering students are expected to remain with the same employer throughout the entire program. Experience has shown that, in most cases, it is more advantageous for the student to progress within one organization than to change from one to another. Each time a student begins with a new organization, he or she starts over in the learning process and is often assigned beginner tasks and responsibilities. Staying with the same organization through the entire program has proven to increase interest and responsibility afforded to the student. See a full listing of our employer partners here.

Co-op Employment for International Students

Because of immigration laws, American companies generally are unable to employ students who are not United States citizens or permanent residents. While some international students are able to secure co-op employment in the U.S., it may be possible to obtain co-op employment in their home country. In addition to providing work experience, the co-op employer must also provide students with a salary during work periods.