I was wondering how developed the UVA co-op program is for engineering students or if there is one at all. I couldn’t find any info online so any help would be appreciated.
I also specifically wanted to know how many engineering students tend to do a co-op and if there is any way to still finish in four years if I do one? And if anyone has a list of the employers that students have done co-ops with in the past, that would be great. Thanks!
UVA engineers primarily do internships.
Co-op traditionally means you stop going to school and work. It delays graduation. it really isn’t necessary in this day and age. UVA students are getting real-world experience through class project work (lots of partnerships mean students are often working on projects for companies or organizations), research, and internships.
Look at the news stories and career services outcomes report on the engineering school’s website and you’ll probably find examples.
Thanks for the info Dean J! Go hoos!
We were told that UVA doesn’t have co-ops because they want their students to graduate in 4 years, which is a great goal. However, our experience has been that summer engineering internships are not as easy to find as you might think. This is a problem for graduates when applying for jobs because, of course, employers want experience. The class projects and lab experience are good, but just aren’t a strong substitute for real world experience imo.
Hm. On my panels this month, I’ve had engineers who haven’t seemed to feel that getting an internship was an issue. I would make sure you are taking full advantage of career services folks who work specifically with engineers.
My first year engineering student had an Internship with the Navy his first summer and his second summer will be doing a research internship. All of his engineering friends had no problem finding internships in the summer. They may have had to go to DC for them but they were easy to find.
If I find a co-op at a company on my own, is it possible to take a semester off from my classes and do it if I want to?
I’m not sure why you would want to do this, @radni19. You do not need a co-op to be an engineer.
Yes, you can do a co-op here. It would mean you’d graduate a semester behind your peers. You can get job experience though internships and graduate on time.
[Take a look at the outcomes data](https://career.virginia.edu/uva-first-destination-reports/university-virginia-class-2016) and [these general stats](Facts and Stats | University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science). You can limit the results on the first link by school.