Internships & Cooperative Education

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UNT's Internships & Cooperative Education (Co-op) program helps students integrate classroom theory with work experience through internships and/or co-op positions.

Through your opportunities, students obtain a broader educational experience.  At its best, our program involves a partnership among students, the university, and you! 

What is an Internship?

Internships are work experiences (typically one semester) related to a student's field of study, with an emphasis on learning and on-the-job training rather than merely employment.  Internships can be either part-time or full-time, and can begin at any time throughout the year, although our busiest season is in the summer.

What is Cooperative Education (Co-op)?

Cooperative Education, more commonly called Co-op, also integrates theory and practice over the course of multiple semesters.  Historically, Co-op is much more structured and requires much more institutional support from both the university and the employer.

Types of Internship/Co-op Positions at UNT
 

Single Semester Internships

These are the most traditional internship positions and require a single semester commitment from both the student and the employer.  Start and end dates are predetermined in most cases.

Parallel + Summer Full-time

The term “parallel” in this case refers to a student working and going to school at the same time during a semester. Most often students work part-time (15-30 hours per week) during fall and spring, and full-time (40 hours per week) during the summer.

Parallel + Summer Part-time

These positions are part-time year round (including summer). These positions allow the students to take classes during the summer, but they also limit the amount a student can earn during the summer months.

Alternating (Co-op)

Alternating positions are those in which students work full-time for a period of time (usually a semester, sometimes 6 months), and then return to school full-time for a semester. Then, students go back to work full-time for a second work period, followed by a semester at school, and so on. Most alternating positions require at least two work periods, although many students discover that this is such an ideal blend of educational and career goals, that they choose to continue this alternation until graduation.

This is the most traditional and formal type of Co-op position. It requires the highest level of commitment from an employer and a student, and will usually provide the highest level of experience. Most often, students who rotate through several alternating work periods are seriously considered for full-time offers upon graduation.