The College of Mount St. Joseph is dedicated to student success, delivering hands-on experiential learning through our cooperative education program. Cooperative education, or co-op, complements formal education with real-world work experience that directly relates to a student's major or career path.
Employers benefit from employing enthusiastic students who are eager to learn. Many employers choose to hire the Mount co-ops full-time upon graduation.
Professional experience that pays
Students who participate in co-op gain career-related professional experience that looks great on a résumé, while earning general elective credit. The average student participating in cooperative education earns over $10.00 an hour; money that can go towards paying for tuition and other expenses.
Make lasting professional connections
Co-op also helps you make connections for your future — more than a third of all co-op students go on to accept jobs with their previous co-op employers after graduation.
How co-op works
The Mount's co-op program works on a trimester calendar, including summers. This enables students to work 15 to 16 weeks each semester (and sometimes more during summer). Students can choose between two plans:
- Alternating: Students are employed full-time one semester, and attend college full-time the following semester. With this plan, a student maintains full-time status during the work session.
- Parallel: Students carry a full-time course load and are available for employment 15 to 20 hours each week.
To find out more about cooperative education at the Mount, read how co-op works.
Advantages of the College's co-op program
Co-op at the Mount provides an excellent opportunity for students to:
- examine their career interests
- acquire valuable college credit, while earning money for tuition and/or living expenses
- gain an understanding of professional practices and work environments
- sharpen professional skills employers value
- integrate classroom learning with on-the-job experience
- develop a network of professional connections
Students who participate in co-op also gain access to valuable career-development resources, including résumé and cover-letter critiquing, and access to eRecruiting, an online résumé and job-posting database. Read more about the advantages of the Mount's co-op program.
Job opportunities and co-op employers
Students at the Mount co-op in a variety of positions that enable them to leverage their talents while developing new skills. Some example co-op positions include:
- activity leader
- assistant networking administrator
- clinical research assistant
- communications co-op
- events coordinator
- graphic designer
- interior design assistant
- lab technician
- legal assistant
- marketing intern
- media relations intern
- nursing co-op
- sales associate
- web designer
Emloyers may view a list of the academic programs at the Mount .
Sample co-op employers
Students at the Mount have found great cooperative opportunities with companies throughout the greater Cincinnati area. Check out the list below for organizations who have employed Mount students in the past:
- American Red Cross
- Better Business Bureau
- Cincinnati Art Museum
- GE Aircraft Engines
- Kroger Company
- Paramount's Kings Island
- U.S. Bank Arena
- and many more
What students say about co-op
Participating in cooperative education at the Mount creates rewarding opportunities for students, but don't take our word for it.
I had several co-op jobs — at the Mount's Career and Experiential Education Center, the Cincinnati Area Chapter of the American Red Cross and Rumple Corporate Communications. The program prepared me for real-world situations and helped me build an impressive portfolio. I have worked on a variety of projects — designing logos, flyers, posters, invitations, mailers and other promotional material.
My co-op job at Rumpke led to a full-time position, and I couldn't imagine being happier anywhere else.
Maria Ruebusch '09
Graphic Design major, iDesign, Business Administration minor
Graphic Designer, Rumpke Corporate Communications
Find out what others had to say about co-op.
Contact the Career and Experiential Learning Center
For more information, contact Jen Franchak, Director of the Career and Experiential Learning Center, at (513) 244-4824 or email the career center.
If you would like, you can also use our convenient form to contact the Career and Experiential Learning Center.
Employers, get in touch
Future and current co-op employers can use this form to get in touch.