Division of Professional Practice (Cooperative Education, Internships, & Work Abroad)
Georgia Tech believes that obtaining relevant, academically related experience outside of the classroom is an integral part of the educational process. The Division of Professional Practice offers several methods to obtain such experience: the Cooperative Education Program (both undergraduate and graduate), the Undergraduate Professional Internship Program, and an innovative Work Abroad Program.
The Undergraduate Cooperative Plan (Co-op) has been offered at Georgia Tech since 1912. It is a five-year program for students who wish to integrate practical experience with theory learned in the classroom. Approximately 2,500 students currently participate, working full time on alternate semesters for more than 650 employers throughout the United States (as well as numerous international assignments). Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education, it is the largest totally optional program in the country and the highest ranked program among public universities.
The Undergraduate Co-op Plan is available for all engineering majors as well as those students studying biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, computer science, management, economics, earth and atmospheric sciences, international affairs, industrial design, building construction, and science, technology, and culture. The academic curricula are identical to those offered to regular four-year students, and co-ops remain on the school rolls while on work periods by registering for the appropriate co-op courses. The Graduate Co-op Program is described in greater detail in another section in this catalog.
Co-op offers the student practical experience and insight into human relations, as well as financial assistance. The work experience received is a valuable asset to graduates starting out in their chosen professions. Neither college laboratory experience nor employment during vacations can take the place of organized co-op training. The plan provides, to a substantial degree, the experience most companies require of their employees before promoting them to positions of higher responsibility. Work experience may also assist students who are undecided about their future plans in determining early in their college careers whether they wish to continue in a particular field.
Moreover, daily contact with diverse groups among their fellow employees offers students practical insight into sociology, psychology, economics, and ethics that no textbook can supply. Finally, students receive compensation for their services from the employer. Typically, co-op students can save enough from their earnings to pay for more than half of their school expenses.
Undergraduate professional internships provide practical experience for students who choose not to follow the Undergraduate Co-op Plan. Although internships normally do not provide the same depth provided by the Co-op Plan experience, they are an extremely viable way to obtain out-of-classroom experience. Similar to cooperative education, the jobs and the students’ performance are monitored by the Division of Professional Practice to ensure maximum benefit by all parties.
Students in all majors may participate in the internship program and may work any term during the academic year.
The Division of Professional Practice now offers an extensive Work Abroad Program for those students interested in pursuing global careers and work experience. In the current global economy, Georgia Tech realizes the importance of students obtaining relevant experience in cultures outside of the United States. In order for students to have a complete “immersion” experience, it is necessary to live and work in those environments. Each year, Georgia Tech has dozens of students, both undergraduate and graduate, who take advantage of this opportunity. The Work Abroad Program is available to students in any major, and also for those who may be in the Co-op or UPI programs.
For more information on any programs offered through the Division of Professional Practice, visit our Web site at www.profpractice.gatech.edu or write to:
Division of Professional Practice
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0260