Cooperative Education and Career Services
Dr. Brandon Owens
Provost & Vice Academic Affairs
Office: (937)-502-3782
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
The Cooperative Education and Career Services Program is a program that manages our Cooperative Education Program and Career Readiness Activities. The Cooperative Education and Career Services Program combines classroom education with practical work experience. Our program provides academic credit for career readiness experiences.
We also help students with scholarship preparation, essay writing, and personal development training.
Our Mission
Our mission is to ensure that each student receives career knowledge, career development, and positive self-esteem building by promoting and providing experiential life and career learning opportunities.
Our Vision
- Wilberforce University’s Cooperative Education and Career Services will empower students by fostering career development.
- Wilberforce University’s Cooperative Education and Career Services will empower students to make informed career decisions and have an advantage in a competitive job market while earning academic credit.
- Wilberforce University students will gather more knowledge, insight, and proven strategies to obtain an internship, job, or career.
- Students will learn knowledge of self.
- Students will learn the value they bring to the job market and society.
- Students will learn networking and marketing strategies that increase their job opportunities.
- Students will obtain two Co-op internships before graduation.
- Wilberforce University’s Cooperative Education and Career Services will continuously create mutually beneficial partnerships with employers, alumni, universities, professional organizations, and the community.
College to Career
The Wilberforce University Co-Operative Education Experiential Learning Program
It is mandatory at Wilberforce University that all students complete at least two (2) Co-Ops before graduation. The Co-Op experience is characterized as follows:
- Duration of 35-40 hours per week for 10-16 consecutive weeks to be considered as (1) one Co-Op credit.
- Students on Co-Op can receive compensation.
- Experiences can be self-initiated or identified through the Co-Op Office but must be approved by the Co-Op Office.
- Faculty mentorship.
- Guided Reflection.
- Completion of the WU Co-Op Assessment Model.
Emerging Leader Co-Op with Chime Solutions
Wilberforce University is partnering with Fortune 1000 companies to provide students with unique Co-Op experiences as part of the college to career strategy. Some Co-Ops in these partnerships provide tuition grants, stipends, and college credit.
The on-campus Emerging Leader Co-Op with Chime Solutions provides students with:
- Up to 12-credit hours
- Up to $2500 stipend
- Up to 40 hours per week for 16 consecutive weeks
- Up to $2500 tuition grant
- Opportunity for Employment beyond the Co-Op experience
Eligibility:
- Completion of 30 credit hours
- G.P.A. of 2.0 or higher
- Majors: Mass Communication, Business, Computer Science, and Undeclared
- First- and second-year students change or choose a major or find internships
- Juniors and seniors seeking after-graduation jobs or applying to graduate school and fellowships
- Graduate students seeking internships and after-graduation jobs
- Any student or alumnus/a who needs career-related assistance, for example:
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- A student who is trying to decide which major is best for him/her
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- A student who likes his/her major, but doesn’t know what to do with it
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- A student who wants help figuring out what kind of job is right for him/her
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- Any graduating student who wants to conduct an effective after-graduation job search
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- A student heading to graduate school who wants feedback on personal statements, or who wants to take a free practice graduate school test
Choosing or Changing a Major
The first step to choosing a major is understanding yourself and your passions. This means examining your values, interests, personality, and skills to discover how they influence your major selection and ultimately your career path.
Wilberforce University’s Cooperative Education and Career Services has assessments that help you define your values, skill set, personality and interests, and how they influence career choice.
Schedule an appointment by calling (937) 708-5737.
- One-on-one appointments for self-assessment, career exploration, decision making, job search strategy, networking advice, and interview practice
- Assistance with choosing or changing a major
- Resume assistance
- Graduating Student job search
- Workshops, career information series, and special events to provide information and training
- Assistance applying to Graduate school, Co-ops/Internships or Jobs
- Career Fairs for students to explore employers
- On-Campus Recruiting for graduating students
- Opportunities to meet employers in Information Sessions
- “Testing the waters” to see if a potential career is right for you
- Getting some experience to add to your resume before a practical experience assignment
- Helping build your network of connections (employers love to hire from within!)
- Mostly paid cooperative education experiences
- Helping to conduct after-graduation job searches and apply to graduate/professional schools