In addition to augmenting their marketable knowledge, students receive competitive wages, develop maturity, and may earn academic credits from cooperating academic departments. The program is available to most academic majors upon completion of the freshman year. There are three options for participation:

1. Under the Alternating Plan, students work one semester on a full-time basis and then study one semester on a full-time basis.
2. Under the Parallel Plan, part-time work is found that closely relates to a student's major and career interests.
3. Under the Summer Plan, students work full-time during the summer months.

Work, related to the student's major and career choice, is identified through the combined efforts of the Cooperative Education Section of Career Services and the various academic departments. Placement arrangements are handled upon hiring. Co-op students have worked in city, state, and federal governmental agencies; agriculture; business; and all facets of private industry.

To be eligible for Co-op, you must be currently registered at California State University, Fresno, have at least a 2.0 GPA, and be a sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate student. Eligibility for accredited Co-ops and paid internships may vary between departments and colleges/schools. For further information, call Aleta Wolfe in Career Services at (559) 278-2381, or visit Career Services in Joyal Administration 256.

Please Note: The Internship Coordinator in Peters 185, (559) 278-4985, handles co-ops and internships accredited through the Sid Craig School of Business Internship Program.

In addition, the Kauffman Innovation Partners Program creates paid internships in local Fresno businesses for Fresno State graduate students.

There are also a number of Internship Sites on the Internet. Some include:

1. Career Planit
2. Environmental Careers Organization Paid Internships
3. Experience.com
4. Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities National Internship Program
5. Institute for Experiential Learning in Washington, DC
6. InternshipPrograms.com
7. The Internsource: Internships for California College Students
8. Internweb.com
9. Live, Learn and Intern in Washington, DC
10. National Assembly Internships in Youth Development
11. Non-Profit Internships
12. Rising Star Internship Database
13. US Interns.com
14. Walt Disney World Advanced Internships
15. The Washington, DC Center for Internships and Academic Seminars
16. Washington, DC Intern Foundation

The following courses are examples of field experiences that may qualify as Cooperative Education. Check with the academic department for enrollment requirements: