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The Birthplace of Co-op, the University of Cincinnati, Kicks Off Three-Day Career Fair

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3 minute read September 13, 2016

As more than 360 employers flood into the campus of the University of Cincinnati for its biannual Career Week, the UC Office of the Provost today unveiled the new name of UC’s 110-year-old cooperative education program:

the Division of Experience-Based Learning and Career Education.


Building upon the oldest co-op program in the world, the one-stop division has an integrated approach to experience-based learning including cooperative education, internships and career services at UC. This single point of entry makes it easier to connect students with employers and better leverages resources to prepare graduates for meaningful and successful careers in a wide range of professions, sectors, industries and locations.

Several UC colleges require cooperative education work experience for certain undergraduate degrees, with opportunities offered by 1,800 participating employers. Co-op students may earn more than $10,000 per semester working for companies as diverse as Procter & Gamble, General Electric and Macy’s. Last year, the total annual earnings of UC co-op students exceeded $60 million.

“The Division of Experience-Based Learning and Career Education benefits our students and employers, but also our city,” says Peter Landgren, interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Given that 65 percent of UC’s co-op placements are local, we see the city retain the best and the brightest, as many students decide to remain in Cincinnati after they graduate.”

The 2016 UC Fall Career Week is a series of events for three days across campus is designed to help employers meet their co-op, internship and employment needs from UC’s diverse student body. Sponsored by companies such as Fifth Third Bank, Toyota and Luxottica, UC Fall Career Week is a collaborative event led by the Division of Experience-Based Learning and Career Education, the students from the Engineering Tribunal, and the Lindner Student Association. The one-stop career education division is one of several investments being made by the Office of the Provost towards re-imagining the student experience, a cornerstone of the Third Century plan. Landgren adds, "Many universities model our co-op programming, yet only UC can claim ours as the birthplace of co-op." 

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