Schedule of Classes for Co-op Students
As you consider your education in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, we would like to take this opportunity to inform you of our Cooperative Education Program. The School of Chemical Sciences sponsors a thriving cooperative program. The word "cooperative" in this context means that three parties are participating and hold joint responsibility: The student, the University, and the employer. An integral part of the program is the experience of working full time for an industrial firm several different school terms. During the other school terms, of course, students attend the University full time to complete their academic degree requirements. The total program involves extending the completion of the baccalaureate degree by no more than one calendar year.
Participation in the cooperative education program is indicated on the University of Illinois transcript by official registration in special courses. That is, while on each work assignment, the student is officially registered in the University of Illinois as a student participating in an off-campus program. Completion of a minimum of three work assignments is recognized by a certificate issued by the School of Chemical Sciences.
Through the work assignments, which become increasingly more challenging and professionally oriented, our students acquire invaluable industrial experience. This experience will be beneficial to the student who plans to seek industrial employment immediately following graduation and to the student who will pursue a graduate degree before seeking permanent employment. The work assignments give students a chance to apply the knowledge which they are learning in the classroom in a practical situation. It also allows students to find out what actually goes on in industrial organizations.
Another major factor which students find attractive about the cooperative education program is the salary. Most cooperative students are paid a competitive salary during their work assignments, and are able to save enough to defray a major portion of their school expenses. Additional benefits are offered by many companies, including relocation expense coverage, tuition expenses, and job offers upon graduation. Cooperative education is among our most substantial financial aid programs.
Interviews for cooperative education assignments are typically held on campus in the spring semester. If you wish to discuss the program in more detail or express your interest in it, please make an appointment with Patricia Blum , Coordinator of the Cooperative Education Program in Chemical Sciences, 105 Noyes Laboratory, in the fall of your freshman year. For help planning your academic program please see the SCS Advising Office, in 168 Noyes Lab.
