1)  When does UC officially convert to semesters?

2)  What is the duration of a semester co-op?

3)  Are there any changes to the number of required co-op sessions at the same employer?

4)  Will the semester conversion change the length of a student’s program?

5)  How many semesters will a student be required to co-op?

6)  How will the curriculum change (i.e. what will co-op students know)?

7)  Can we still hire two alternating students to fill one full-time position year round?

8)  Can students work two consecutive (back-to-back) semesters?

9)  What is the best time to recruit students under the semester system, and how do I go about recruiting students?

10)  How, when and from whom will we be notified when students will be available for the following semester?

11)  Will semester conversion change the number of available co-op applicants?

12)  How will semester conversion affect co-op students who are currently employed with us?

13)  What is the difference between quarter and semester work terms? Is there a transition time period?

14)  Will the student evaluation process change under semesters?

1)  When does UC officially convert to semesters?

• Semester conversion officially takes place on August 27, 2012.

2)  What is the duration of a semester co-op?

• Semester co-op is typically between 16-18 weeks in length.

3)  Are there any changes to the number of required co-op sessions at the same employer?

• No, students are still required to complete a minimum of two co-op sessions with the same employer before they may request a job change.

4)  Will the semester conversion change the length of a student’s program?

• No, semester conversion will not affect the length of the co-op program; undergraduate programs will still be five years in length, graduate programs will be NEED NUMBER)

5)  How many semesters will a student be required to co-op?

• The number of required co-ops a student must complete is determined by their major. Please refer the Program Requirements page for more information. 

Note: Some students will stay with the same employer for all co-op semesters; others will request a job change. Students may request a job change after working two semesters with the same employer.

6)  How will the curriculum change (i.e. what will co-op students know)?

• Please refer to the College websites for more information regarding the curriculum for a particular major. A list of Colleges and the majors under each is located on our Students and Majors page.   All programs spent considerable time updating and improving the curriculum.

7)  Can we still hire two alternating students to fill one full-time position year round?

• Yes. However, how the students alternate is slightly different.

Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering, and all majors in the College of Business will continue with two alternating sections of students by class.  Basically, this is the same as the present co-op program.

All other engineering and applied science majors and all co-op majors in DAAP will move to a single section model. This means that all students in one class year will be on co-op at the same time.  However, due to the rotation period through the year, these students will alternate semesters with students one year ahead or behind.

The bottom line is employers will still have year round coverage to fill their needs.

8)  Can students work two consecutive (back-to-back) semesters?

• Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering, and all majors in the College of Business will be able to work two consecutive semesters.  All other programs in the College of Engineering and Applied Science will work consecutive semesters for their last two work semesters (spring/summer), but will not be able to work other consecutive semesters. DAAP students are unable to work consecutive semesters.

9)  What is the best time to recruit students under the semester system, and how do I go about recruiting students?

• The best time to start company recruitment under the semester system is to begin the fourth week of the semester prior to the one in which you would like a student to begin working within your office. Please refer to our Recruiting Students page for more information regarding how to go about recruiting students.

10)  How, when and from whom will we be notified when students will be available for the following semester?

• Semester conversion has not affected our communication process. Employers will be notified by the Division when it is time to post a job, when we send resumes/portfolios, and when it is time to interview. For more information regarding when information will be sent to you, please refer to our Co-op Calendar & Deadlines page, and specifically the Recruiting Calendar located on that page.

11)  Will semester conversion change the number of available co-op applicants?

• UC continues to grow, so the number of applicants in each major has increased over the past five years. With semester conversion, the number of applicants will continue to grow. As with quarters, the number of available applicants will vary slightly from semester to semester. It is important to speak with your Professional Practice faculty advisor for specific information regarding availability, and to convey your needs well in advance.

12)  How will semester conversion affect co-op students who are currently employed with us?

• Students with a graduating class year of 2014 and 2015 will be the most affected by the quarter to semester transition. Unfortunately, transition schedules vary by college and major. As a result, the best way to understand the co-op rotation schedule for your current student(s) is to either ask the student directly, or ask the Professional Practice faculty advisor. For more information regarding the new co-op rotations under semesters for each major, please refer to our Transition Calendars page.

13)  What is the difference between quarter and semester work terms? Is there a transition time period?

• Semesters are typically 16-18 weeks in length. Those students who were working with your company under the quarter system (12-14 weeks) will now be working with your company for 16-18 weeks for each work term. To allow for the transition, summer quarter 2012 is shorter than the typical quarter as it is 10 weeks in length versus the normal 13 weeks. Co-op will begin on June 18, 2012 and will end on August 25, 2012 for the 2012 summer quarter. This is important to note if you plan on having a co-op student during this quarter. 

14)  Will the student evaluation process change under semesters?

• No, the student evaluation process is the same. For more information regarding the student evaluation process, please refer to our Employer Evaluations page.