Paid, Hands-on Experience

The Cooperative Education Program (co-op) is designed to provide you with an employment opportunity to gain practical degree-related work experience before you graduate. 

NOTE: Only paid, full-time experiences are eligible for the co-op program. A student would still be expected to enroll in classes to satisfy their enrollment if they accept a part-time and/or unpaid experience. 

Schedule An Appointment

We offer in-person and virtual appointments to help you with your co-op and internship questions. These meetings are to discuss eligibility, registration, and general information about the co-op program at S&T.

Set up a meeting

Make Sure You Are Eligible for Co-op

To be eligible to participate in the co-op program, you must satisfy the following requirements:

  • Be currently full-time degree seeking. Full-time is defined as satisfactorily carrying and passing a minimum of 12 credit hours (9 credit hours for a graduate student) in a fall or spring semester
  •  Have at least a cumulative GPA of 2.0 out of 4.0 to apply to and participate in the program
  •  Not be on any type of probation
  •  Other eligibility requirements may be established by the sponsoring company with Missouri S&T

Before you can be considered for a co-op, you need to register on CareerForge

Unsure of the process for registering your co-op?

How to Register your Co-op
  • First-time Co-op Students
  • Helpful Information for International Students

First-time Co-op Students

  1. Log into your Handshake account at: https://mst.joinhandshake.com/
  2. Click on the “Experiences” link on the left side of the screen
  3. Select “Co-Op” as the experience type
  4. Enter the requested information into the fields on the page
  5. Click “Request Experience” at the bottom of the page
  6. Review the information after submitting & update if you find any inaccuracies
  7. Select the blue “New Attachment” button on the lefthand side of the screen to attach your official offer letter (required for co-ops)
    • Freshman students are eligible to go on co-op after completing two semesters.
    • Graduate students (MS/PhD) are eligable to go on co-op after completing one semester.
    • Transfer students are immediately eligible. A transfer student who is participating in a co-op program through another institution may transfer and continue the co-op affiliation subject to Missouri S&T's guidelines.

If you would like to petition to waive the requirements set by Career Opportunities and Employer Relations in order to participate in the Cooperative Education Program at Missouri S&T, please fill out the Co-op Waiver Form.

Helpful Information for International Students

Be sure to upload an offer letter with:

  • Start/end date
  • Pay rate
  • Job description

If your original offer letter does not have these items, ask your employer to add the items listed.

Find guidelines and information on the CPT process by visiting International Student and Scholar Services

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Co-op Benefits

  • Gain future employment advantage
  • Earn a higher starting full-time salary
  • Validate your career plans
  • Option to earn academic credit
  • Network with professionals and other college students
  • Learn corporate recruiting strategies
  • Help finance college

Co-op Hiring Schedule

Employers hire throughout the academic year.  Most commonly, employers prefer to recruit for combined semesters (summer/fall or spring/summer), and will then decide to make additional offers based on student performance and employer needs. Other options are alternating multiple semesters of study with employment. However, this is a decision between the employer and student, and the schedule can be arranged as agreed on by the parties. It is Missouri S&T policy that students are not away from their studies for a full academic year unless prior authorization is given by the academic department.

Co-op Work Terms

  • Fall (August - December)
  • Spring (January - May)
  • Summer/Fall (May - December)
  • Spring/Summer (January - August)

Have Co-op Questions? We've got Answers!

Any registration holds could prevent registering for a  co-op, as they would prevent registration activity. These are typically pre-registration holds released by an academic advisor, or holds based on probationary status. If a student has holds on their account, they should inquire about the holds before trying to register for the co-op course.

It is possible to complete a co-op that lasts for two consecutive semesters, or is extended once you have started the co-op. These situations require the Co-op Waiver Form to be completed and may require multiple experience submissions if the co-op duration extends over typical experience timeframes.

While most students do not complete coursework while completing a co-op, it is possible to do so in some circumstances. We recommend discussing this with your academic advisor to determine if any coursework can be completed online while balancing full-time work responsibilities.

Financial aid is typically not issued while completing a co-op, as you would not typically be taking coursework, but your aid will be available to you when you return to school. Most scholarships are “frozen” while completing a co-op. Please speak with Student Financial Assistance before you leave in order to verify everything is in order.

Some academic departments allow students who complete a co-op experience to earn academic credit for that experience. Your academic advisor/ academic department will be able to tell you if your department offers this opportunity. If your academic department does offer this opportunity, this would be considered a “co-op for credit” opportunity. If your academic department does not offer a co-op for credit opportunity, or if you decide that is not the best opportunity for you, the co-op work program allows you to enroll in the co-op work program. Thai still “holds your place” as a student, but does not allow you to earn academic credit for completing the co-op experience.

Co-ops can be found by applying on platforms like Indeed and Handshake by attending networking events throughout the year, by attending Career Fair, through faculty and industry connections, and by applying online & directly through the company you are interested in working with.

Absolutely! COER offers resume reviews, interview prep, search assistance, and more! Schedule an appointment with one of our career advisors or attend one of our workshops on MinerLink to learn more about COER’s services.

Students will pay different fees based on their co-op circumstances:

  • Co-Op Work Program, No Other Courses
    • $100 Processing Fee
    • $584 Co-Op Registration Fee
  • Co-Op for Credit, No Other Courses
    • $100 Processing Fee
    • Tuition for academic credit earned for the co-op charged at the per-credit-hour rate at the student’s tuition tier
    • Activities/ Facilities Fee, Student Health Fee, and Testing Fee
  • Co-Op Work Program, Taking Other Courses
    • $100 Processing Fee
    • Tuition for courses taken charged at the per-credit-hour rate at the student’s tuition tier
    • Activities/ Facilities Fee, Student Health Fee, and Testing Fee
    • $584 Co-Op Registration Fee
  • Co-Op for Credit, Taking Other courses
    • $100 Processing Fee
    • Tuition for academic credit earned for the co-op and the courses taken, charged at the per-credit-hour rate at the student’s tuition tier
    • Activities/ Facilities Fee, Student Health Fee, and Testing Fee