Cooperative Education Opportunities
 
 
Link to Faculty and Department Information Link to Extracurricular Activities Link to Career Opportunities Link to Preparation for Graduate Study Link to Study Abroad Link to Portfolio Assessment Link to Certifying the Major Link to Advising Link to Curriculum Requirements Link to Declaring a Foreign Language Major Link to Learning Objectives Link to Why Learn Another Language? Students who major in French, German, or Spanish sometimes wonder how what is taught in the classroom can be applied in a work situation and worry about their ability to find a job after graduation.  The Department of World Languages and Literatures offers opportunities for students to obtain practical experience which will enable them to compete successfully in the job market. 

Cooperative Education, commonly referred to as "Co-op," is an option whithin the regular academic structure that can be incorporated into any degree program.  By co-oping, a student can earn up to twelve semester hours of academic credit for work experience related to the major. 

Co-oping offers several practical advantages: 
1) It can help students pay their college expenses. 
2) It helps students gain professional experience. 
3) It offers opportunities to apply classroom concepts in work situations. 
4) It helps students develop career goals and make informed job choices. 
5) Successful co-op placement often leads to offers of full-time employment after graduation. 
6) Studies at several universities have indicated that students who co-op receive  significantly higher starting salaries after graduation than students without relevant work experience.

 

  
 

Qualifications

To register to co-op, a student must meet three qualifications: 
1) The student must have completed at least thirty semester hours toward the bachelor's degree. 
2) The student must be available for at least two semesters of co-op work. 
3) The student must have a minimum 2.2 cumulative grade point average. (Most employers specify at least a B average.) 

The Cooperative Education Coordinator in the Department of World Languages and Literatures will assist students in the application process, supervise the work experience, and assign a grade based on the student's performance.  Therefore, a student who wishes to co-op should make an appointment for an interview with the career adviser six to eight weeks before a co-op assignment is to begin.  After learning about the student's interests, aptitudes, and qualifications, the Coordinator will help the student develop an effective resumé and will refer the student to appropriate employment opportunities.

  
 
Employment is competitive
Employers will select applicants they feel are best qualified for the positions available.  When a student is hired for a co-op position, the actual work schedule and the rate of pay will be negotiated between the student and the employer.  the Cooperative Education Coordinator will assist the student in satisfying the requirements for CEP 300, the course for which the student will register to  receive credit for co-oping.  To receive a grade, the student will be required to write out learning objectives, keep a log or journal, and prepare a final report.  During the work experience, the adviser will visit the student at the job site and will be available for consultation with both employer and student. 

NKU's co-op program is flexible in scheduling.  There are two options: 
1) ALTERNATING - students are employed full-time one semester and are in school the following semester. 
2) PARALLEL - students are employed twenty hours a week (minimum) and attend classes (at least six semester hours) on campus. 
map: deutschsprachige Länder
  
  The department's Cooperative Education Coordinator pro tem is Dr. Hilary Landwehr. Students should contact her first. In cases not involving Spanish, a faculty member in the appropriate language will assist Dr. Landwehr in monitoring and evaluating the student's experience.