The
Hendrix Cooperative Education (Co-Op) Program
provides all Hendrix students with a structured, full-time, career-related
professional experience that integrates classroom learning with the student’s
career goals. Co-op experiences are undertaken cooperatively between Hendrix
and an employer related to the student’s area of career interest. The employer
provides the student with significant professional experience and on-site
mentoring, while Hendrix provides opportunities for reflection and integration
of the experience into the student’s educational pathway.
Program preparation
Prior to enrolling in a Co-Op experience, students must
complete COOP 295 Co-Op Foundations (0.5 credits), typically
during the sophomore year. This course prepares students for the co-op search
and application process and supports self-assessment, career exploration, professional skill development, and
goal setting. Completion of COOP 295 is required before registering for any
Co-Op or Intensive Research Experience course.
Co-Op Pathways
Students fulfill the Co-Op requirement by completing one of
the pathways described below. The semester-long Co-Op is the default pathway.
Alternative pathways are available to accommodate summer experiences and
approved research-focused trajectories.
The Co-Op or Intensive Research Experience is supervised by a workplace mentor and
is for credit only.
The Co-Op workshop provides a structured
framework for students to reflect on their experiences, analyze professional
and organizational practices, and connect experiential learning to long-term
academic and career planning. Students engage with peers from diverse
disciplines and work closely with faculty to integrate their experiences into
their educational pathways. It is taught by Hendrix faculty and is taken for a letter grade.
Semester Co-Op pathway (default)
Students typically complete their co-op as a full-time,
semester-long professional experience during the fall or spring semester of
their junior year.
- COOP 493 Semester Co-Op Experience (3 credits),
a full-time professional experience of at least 14 weeks and 420 hours
- COOP 497 Co-Op Workshop (1 credit), taken
concurrently
Summer Co-Op pathway
Students may also complete their co-op professional
experience during the summer term.
- COOP 480 Summer Co-Op Experience (0 credits) or,
with special permission, COOP 483 Summer Co-Op Experience (3 credits), a
full-time professional experience of at least 12 weeks and 420 hours
- COOP 497 Co-Op Workshop (1 credit), taken
concurrently
Registering for COOP 483 requires special permission and
consideration of tuition and financial aid implications.
Intensive Research Experience (IRE) option
Students preparing for medical school, graduate school, or
professional school, rather than seeking employment immediately after
graduation, may apply to complete an Intensive Research Experience in place of
a traditional Co-Op. Students must demonstrate that an intensive research
experience provides a more appropriate pathway to their academic and
professional goals.
Intensive Research Experiences are available only in the
summer term and require prior approval from the Intensive Research Experience
Oversight Committee.
The IRE pathway consists of:
- COOP 470 Intensive Research Experience (0
credits) or, with special permission, COOP 473 Intensive Research Experience (3
credits), a full-time research experience of at least 8 weeks and 320 hours
- COOP 497 Co-Op Workshop (1 credit), taken
concurrently
Oversight and approval
Co-Ops and Intensive Research Experiences must be
approved by the College and meet established standards for mentoring, scope of
work, and educational value. Additional policies governing approval processes,
special permissions, and oversight are maintained outside the catalog.
Notes
Co-Op foundations (COOP 295) and workshop (COOP 497) courses are eligible to be taken for
credit only as governed by the policies in Section D.2.d. of the
Catalog.