<p>My son is seriously considering attending Stevens. He was invited to participate in the 5 yrs. Master's Degree program with his acceptance letter. We also are very interested in the Co-op Program. Are students able to do both the 5 yr. Master's & Co-Op at the same time? My son is telling me that you have to pick one or the other, otherwise you would be going to school forever.</p>
<p>Hi… I would call them and ask. They’ve been pretty helpful with our questions.</p>
<p>Yes, we were thinking of doing that or finding out at the Accepted Students Day. Just thought maybe somebody on here could shed some light first. :)</p>
<p>Your son is mistaken. My son will start this fall at Stevens and is also a 5 year masters. We’ve already asked this question. Doing CoOp and the masters program will lengthen the time to 6 years, but you won’t be paying for full time school while doing the CoOp, of course.</p>
<p>IMHO, it’s worth the extra time to get both.</p>
<p>Thank you for the info. I agree…I think it is worth it even if it takes 6 yrs, but knowing my son he will think 6 yrs is forever, lol. He thinks the 5 yr Masters is more valuable than the co-op & I think he should do both. We have some time to convince him though. :)</p>
<p>They have a different coop schedule for 5 years masters students who are in the scholars program. You do less coops so you still graduate in 5 years. My son is doing this.</p>
<p>You can do more coops, but then you will go for 6 years vs 5. </p>
<p>The coop program requires that you do a minimum of 3 coop rotations, but you can do 4 or 5, depending on when you want to graduate. My son will probably do 3: he is taking his ‘free’ scholars classes this summer (2 classes each summer session) and then he will do his first coop in spring of next year. He is a freshman now. He has a lot of AP credits as well and he is set to graduate in 5 years on this program.</p>
<p>Your advisor will help you plan your schedule. Your schedule has to be approved each semester by an advisor so that keeps you on track for graduation.</p>
<p>Any student can be on that schedule, it just depends on what they want to pay for.</p>
<p>The 5 year masters is a program where the last couple/few years are compressed to obtain the masters in five. Being in the five year masters program only means you get the financial aid package for that fifth year as well. Being in scholars means you get the masters for free and the opportunity for paid research on campus during the Summers and/or work on campus at things like ECOES.</p>
<p>MSEEs think they will be paid more, and that’s true, but not JUST because they have the Masters. Due to the 2008 meltdown, it’s a new world out there. Masters used to go along with some level of experience. Not anymore. A lot of kids have just stayed in school to get it.</p>
<p>Don’t be fooled by the “education machine” telling you which is more valuable. Whatever puts money into their machine is the one they will swear by. It’s not always true.</p>
<p>Also, there’s an excellent chance one of the CoOps/interships will offer him a job. That is commonplace today and a reason for taking the CoOp program very seriously.</p>
<p>If he can stand it, he’s crazy not to do both. Even if he has doubts, he should approach it as if he will do both and see near the end if he can hang on for the masters or just take one of the offers I’m sure he will have. I’m sure he will do the right thing… for him. ;-)</p>
<p>I am a Junior (3 out of 4) Computer Engineering B.E / M.E on track to complete both by the end my four years. I am in the scholars program and usually take classes during the summer but I am doing an internship this summer. It is completely possible to do Bachelors and Masters in 4 years with the scholars program. Some students I personally know who are doing coop and still getting Masters in 5 years even without being in the scholars program. As someone who started out with no AP credits (due to a lack of classes at my high school) it is still completely possible to complete Bachelors and Masters in 4 years and Bachelors, Masters and Coop in 5 years being a scholar. The main advantage scholars have are the four class they can take during the summer which makes it possible for me to meet my goal. With AP class credits you can have room for some research or internships during the summer. The issue I had with CoOP is giving up my 4 summer classes for one class that is allowed to be taken with coop. Students at Stevens are really only limited by the workload they can handle. Let me know if you would like more information or have any questions.</p>
<p>Arch how much do coops/internships typically pay?</p>
<p>Here are coop salaries:</p>
<p>[Cooperative</a> Education Student Salaries | Stevens Institute of Technology](<a href=“http://www.stevens.edu/sit/co-op/employers/student-salaries]Cooperative”>http://www.stevens.edu/sit/co-op/employers/student-salaries)</p>
<p>Thanks for the link dadinator. I tend not to look at the website because it’s usually so frustrating.</p>
<p>My friend’s son made ~10 last coop and I remember thinking that was good for a 10 week work break. Now that I see those wages I know I wasn’t imagining it.</p>
<p>At the coop presentation we went to they really stressed that they expected their students to be paid a decent wage for their work.</p>
<p>IMHO, the kids should be looking for internships and CoOps that give them the most valuable <em>experience</em>, not the best pay. I really believe the amount of pay shouldn’t even enter into our equation.</p>
<p>After merit and a $5K loan I’m asking my son take, I’ll be <em>at least</em> $42K out of pocket every year (increasing every year!). He’s in a 5 year masters, so my investments will be about a quarter of a million dollars lighter when he’s done. :-</p>
<p>We do this so our children have a great beginning to their professional lifes. I don’t give a darn if he’s making $10/hr or $20/hr… or interning for free for that matter. Seriously… if he needs more money from us, it will amount to a pimple on an elephant’s butt. ;-)</p>
<p>It would be like spending a ton of money on an expensive, high performance sports car that really needs to guzzle high octane gas, but putting regular gas in it to save a dime. 
</p>
<p>The real payoff of an internship or CoOp is the experience, not the dollars. If you can have both, it’s a mitzvah!, but IMHO the first priority should be the quality/value of the experience.</p>
<p>My S goes to another one of the engineeing/technology schools. Yes, you can make some nice money on coop.</p>
<p>One of his friends told him:</p>
<p>“When I started my first coop I was making more than either of my parents had ever made. They were amazed.”</p>
<p>BTW, while I may agree with the thrust of what Maikai is saying above (witth the caveat that some of the kids could probably really use the money they earn during coop), the real payoff of a coop may be that many of the students end up getting offers for permanent positions from the companies they work for, especially the ones they work for right before senior year (at least at my S’s school, per my S).</p>
<p>maikai I don’t think students are picking coops based on pay, but it’s a nice benefit that Stevens expects all coops to pay a decent wage. These are smart kids and I am sure they consider all angles when picking a coop: experience, location, pay. There has to be a good fit all around. </p>
<p>btw they kids can’t choose any job they want: the companies get to pick who <em>they</em> want and then the students decide from those choices.</p>
<p>And it’s nice that your son can get his education without any regard to finances. Many students do not have that luxury, and the good pay is a serious benefit.</p>
<p>rualum,</p>
<p>Ahh… PC.</p>
<p>I did not mean to have a “Let them eat cake” attitude. I am fully aware I’ve been luckier than I deserve to be and frequently think “There, but for the grace of G-d, go I.” </p>
<p>That said, I sincerely doubt there is more than a small minority attending Stevens that can’t sacrifice some pay now for the ability to be paid more later. I put myself through school for electrical engineering, when something like that could still be done. I understand completely the “hiring” process for CoOps and Interns. I know all about sacrificing money and time now for earning more money later. You’re talking to someone who paid their own way through a community college, joined the army because money ran out, then worked as an armed guard at JFK from 11PM to 7AM and attended a regional college all day… then worked my butt off while making a reputation for myself so I could finally get a job that others could get right out of a decent school. My understanding of sacrifice and my drive to attain my goals is the very reason why my son has a stay at home mom and doesn’t need to worry about money. ;-)</p>
<p>My point is $10 to $30 per hour is a small sum to compromise a resume for. Taking the wrong experience could (and will) cost them far, far more in the future than they would ever earn now. </p>
<p>The basic difference between the terms CoOp and Intern seems to be the pay and/or the amount of time one works at a company. </p>
<p>My point remains… Look at the opportunity for experience first and foremost. Pay should never be the controlling variable in that equation. Unless the child is unfortunate enough to be in that small minority who simply can’t sacrifice, pay shouldn’t be in the equation at all. In fact, this train of thought should dictate a young engineer’s first couple/few jobs. </p>
<p>Experience and capabilities first. Salary second. If you take care of the first, the salary will eventually come… and boy… will it come.</p>
<p>maikai you are the one who seized on the salary aspect. I was just commenting on the fact, after a poster asked, that Stevens made sure their coop students are paid well. I sincerely doubt that the type of student who attends Stevens would choose a coop for pay over experience.</p>
<p>rualum,</p>
<p>Sorry. My mistake. I assumed something and responded.</p>
<p>arch444…Can I ask what kind of grades you had that you were excepted into the scholars program with out any AP classes. I have been stressing to make sure I try and take as many AP courses that I can to even compete with applicants. Can you tell me what made you stand out to be accepted into Stevens and into the program.</p>
<p>Some things that will make you stand out besides a demanding curriculum- very high GPA and high SATs, esp math, top 1-5% of class (probably the same as any other competitive program) long-term participation in an activity, music, Eagle Scout, etc.</p>