Co-op is an educational program blending classroom learning with practical work experience. It provides structured and progressive work experience. Co-op consists of students working more than one semester within your organization (three terms of Co-op work assignments are required for undergraduate engineering majors, and two semesters are required for graduate students or students in non-engineering majors.). These positions are paid and students receive one academic credit hour for each semester worked. Students are required to attend a mandatory orientation and register for the program prior to participation. The Cooperative Education Program offers two work options:

• Alternating Plan: Students alternate between full-time semesters of work and full-time semesters of academic study. To complete the program, three alternating semesters of work are required for undergraduate engineering students; two are required for undergraduate students in non-engineering majors and graduate students. Note: Back-to-back semesters of work are considered to be valuable work experiences, but cannot be included as part of a student's co-op program. The University Cooperative Education Program is designed around the premise that the timing of the students' work experiences and academic coursework facilitates a developmental relationship and greatly enhances the overall educational experience. Back-to-back semesters of full-time work do not allow for the necessary period of academic coursework and, therefore, cannot be included as part of the co-op program. They are, instead, considered as extended internships and included as part of our Internship Program.
  
  
• Parallel Plan: Students work a minimum of 20 hours per week within commutable distance of the Gainesville area, while continuing to attend class. To complete the program, six semesters of parallel experience are required for undergraduate engineering students, and four are required for undergraduate students in non-engineering majors and graduate students.