Finding an Internship/Job

Nearly all employers today expect applicants to have experience, and internships can help provide you with the necessary skills and tools to stand out among the competition. Internships allow you to learn, explore career options and grow professionally before you join the workforce.

Students who complete internships will also nearly double their chances of securing employment after graduation and earn a higher starting wage than applicants without an internship or field experience.

One of the other great perks? You can even earn college credit for internships!

Get academic credit for your internship with the all majors internship course. The Career Center offers an internship elective course for students in any major –IDS 3947. The benefits of the internship course include:

• Having your internship on your transcripts
• Developing transferrable essential skills that can help you build and launch your career
• Feedback to support your growth as a professional
• A campus resource if/when you need support during your internship

IDS 3947 – Cooperative Internship – Course details:

• Can be taken for 0-6 credits and repeated for up to 6 credits (the 0 credit option is helpful when the internship is unpaid)
• Can be used for internships that are on or off campus and for global internships
• Credits may serve as elective credit and do not count as “excess” credits
• Available on regular or alternate course schedules, so if your internship starts after add/drop, you can still enroll!
• Review the qualifying experiences information

If you would like to register for the IDS 3947 Internship Course, your first step is to request a permit by completing the campus-specific permit request form.

Employer/Supervisor Requirements

• Company must have a physical location you will report to
• Supervisor must be a subject matter expert in the field you are engaging in the Co-op experience for and serve as a mentor for your professional development
• Supervisor must be willing to establish learning objectives and provide evaluation of your performance each semester you are out on Co-op

Position Requirements

• Paid; minimum of 15 hours per week
• Tasks you are being asked to engage in is directly (at least 51% of work tasks) related to the your current academic major
• Learning outcomes/objectives are related to your field of study
• Must require a minimum of 2 semesters of commitment by both you and the employer
• Each semester you are out on Co-op, the experience you are gaining should be increasing in complexity, building on previous duties, or a new rotation in a different facet of the field/industry. This is not just one long internship doing the same thing each semester.

Parallel

• Work a minimum of 15, preferably 20, on-site hours at an approved Co-op site that results in a minimum of 240 on-site training hours for the semester
• Enroll in the IDS 3949 Cooperative Education Course (variable 0-2 credit hours**) and Enroll (and complete) at least 6 credit hours of additional coursework
• International Students: Enroll and complete a minimum of 12 credit hours (Graduate Students: minimum of 9 credit hours) and must work no more than 20 hrs. per week

Alternating

• Work a minimum of 33 on-site hours at an approved Co-op site that results in a minimum of 480 on-site training hours for the semester
• Enroll in the IDS 4949 Cooperative Education Course (variable 0-3 credit hours**). No additional course enrollment (credit hours) is required. If you plan on taking the course for “0” credit hours with no additional course enrollment, it is recommended that you take one course (online or evening) to avoid paying a 1 credit hour Co-op course fee*** and to also maintain academic progress toward graduation.

Please Note: International Students using CPT for Co-op must register for at least 1 credit hour per instructions from the International Services Office.

*Other university offices may define a full-time student differently. In addition, other benefit programs may use different criteria to define a full-time student. These may include, but are not limited to: the Veterans Administration; Bright Futures and other scholarships programs; and other federal, state, or civic programs or scholarships.

** If you do not need credit, it is recommended to enroll in “0” credit hours. If you chose to enroll in the course for credits then you should consult your academic advisor to ensure it is counting towards the degree requirements you want it to count towards. Credit hours can also be important when considering any scholarships, financial aid, or other benefits you receive. It is your responsibility to make sure that you check with these offices based on any benefits you receive.

*** The University requires students who are enrolled in ONLY a “0” credit course, with no other course enrollment, pay for 1 credit hour.

Please verify that you meet all the requirements below in order to participate in Cooperative Education. If so, you can go ahead and start applying for positions. 

Undergraduate Student Requirements

• Must be officially admitted to USF on a degree-seeking basis AND currently enrolled in classes at USF
• Must have completed at least 45 credit hours (60 recommended)
• Must have a declared major in Banner, or officially accepted into a limited access program/academic department
• Must be in good academic standing and a minimum USF and overall GPA of 2.5
• Transfer students must also have completed at least one semester of coursework (6hrs) at USF
• Your first semester of Co-op CANNOT be the semester in which you graduate
• Must maintain adequate academic progress toward graduation if you accept a Co-op position. This will be monitored by our office and affects eligibility for future Co-op enrollment.

Graduate Student Requirements

• Must be officially admitted to USF on a degree-seeking basis AND currently enrolled in classes at USF
• Must have a declared major in Banner, or officially accepted into a limited access program/academic department
• Must be in good academic standing and a minimum GPA of 3.0
• Must be enrolled in at least one NON-thesis or dissertation class required for your degree and still have coursework remaining to complete your degree requirements
• Your first semester of Co-op CANNOT be the semester in which you graduate
• Must maintain adequate academic progress toward graduation if you accept a Co-op position. This will be monitored by our office and affects eligibility for future Co-op enrollment.

Although many employers will start recruiting somewhere between 3-6 months before a start date, it is important to note that many employers have varying timeframes. Some may recruit a year in advance while others only a few months in advance. It is important for you to do your research so that you know the types of organizations you are interested in and their recruiting timelines so that you do not miss an opportunity!

Schedule time to attend on-campus recruiting events, such as career fairs, in which employers will come to campus to recruit for opportunities like Co-op. All our employer recruitment events are posted in Handshake for you to view details and registered organizations and plan to attend.

Co-op positions should coincide with the academic semester so it is important to make sure you are reporting a Co-op offer/hire as soon as you accept them. This will help to ensure that course registration and any other paperwork can be completed in a timely matter and will not have a negative effect on your ability to report to your Co-op on the first day indicated on your offer letter.

Your Co-op experience is documented on your official academic transcripts as a “Cooperative Education” Course each semester you are out on Co-op with your employer. The course is graded Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. If you receive an Unsatisfactory for Co-op you will not be eligible for future Co-op enrollment/experiences.

The course is available for variable credit, but most students will take the course for “0” credits. The available number of credit hours is based on whether your experience is considered Parallel or Alternating.

Access to the course is by permit only. You will only receive this permit once your Co-op offer has been reviewed and approved for enrollment in the USF Co-op program.

Course Policies

Paying for Academic Credit: As Co-op is a variable credit course, you would pay for the number of credit hours you choose to enroll in. Please keep in mind that Co-op is 100% online, therefore online course fees do apply.

Choosing “0” credits: If you are registered for any other credit bearing coursework in any semester while registered for “0” credits for Co-op you do not have to pay for the Co-op course. If you are registered for only Co-op for “0” credits and taking no other coursework in the same semester, you will be charged for one credit hour. Monitor Oasis the first three weeks of the semester for any fees you may be assessed. Failure to pay the required fees will result in an administrative hold on your account and will prohibit you from registering for the following semester or receiving your diploma.

Concurrent Academic Credit Requirement: Students are required to make progress (accumulate academic credit) toward the completion of their degree. Therefore, back-to-back Fall and Spring Alternating (full-time) Co-ops are not allowed.

Academic Performance: Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum of a 2.5 cumulative grade point average, and graduate students must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average while in the Co-op program.

Course Assignments

The assignments in the Co-op courses are designed to ensure you are reflecting on your experience as it is happening. The course assignments include, but are not limited to:

• Establishing at least 3 specific learning objectives with your supervisor at the beginning of each semester (requires supervisor’s signature)
• Mid-term update on your progress towards your learning objectives as well as other “check-in” questions about your experience up to that point
• Final report on learning objectives (with supervisor’s signature)
• Evaluation of your performance, filled out and signed by your supervisor
• Evaluation of your Co-op experience, filled out by you

Questions?

If you have read through this information, or if you are currently in the Co-op program, and have questions, you can visit Diane’s Virtual Drop-in Hours through Microsoft Teams during the pre-scheduled times:

• Tuesdays, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
• Wednesdays, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm

If those times do not work for you, please email Diane Mellon, M.S.Ed., Assistant Director of Experiential Learning (dmellon@usf.edu) with your questions or to request a separate appointment time.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are looking for assistance in finding an internship or Co-op, use the resources below or schedule an appointment with a Career Coach.

Co-op is a form of Co-curricular Practical Training (CPT) and therefore international students may participate using their CPT as long as they are eligible to do so. The International Services Office provides the guidelines for eligibility.

Although similar, in that they are forms of CPT, Co-op and Internship are not interchangeable terms. If you have an internship offer and you do not have a means (a course) to register through your own academic department, you can request a permit for our Internship course; the Co-op course is not an approved substitute for an internship course.

Please Note: International Students using CPT for Co-op must register for at least 1 credit hour per instructions from International Services Office.

Important tips to help you keep the CPT/Co-op Course Approval process as streamlined as possible:

• Co-op course enrollment (and your CPT approval through International Services) will only be allowed if you have an official offer letter stating it is a Co-op offer, not an internship.
  • If your position was not posted directly on Handshake as a Co-op, then you will need to provide a job description showing that this was a posted Co-op position, showing learning objectives and/or job responsibilities.
  • ALL offers will be reviewed by the Coordinator of Experiential Learning to ensure it is a Co-op approved position, eligible for enrollment in the Co-op course.
• If you have an offer from an employer, review the offer letter to ensure it has ALL the information on this sample letter that International Services requires for CPT review.
  • If it does not, ask the employer to either update the offer letter or provide a supplemental letter. The letter must be printed on company letterhead and have an original signature of the person making the offer.
  • If any of this information is missing, it will delay your course permit and CPT approval process until all the required information is provided.