Cooperative Education is a program which combines college studies with professional work experience in business, industry, or government agencies.  Students benefit by acquiring important career-related skills and by earning money to help finance their education.  Employers benefit by supplementing their labor force and creating a trained pool of potential employees.

Students and/or employers wishing to participate in the Cooperative Education Program at Dalton State College should contact Jeremy Moore, program coordinator at 706/272-4429.  The coordinator will visit with the student or employer to explain the policy and procedures of the program and the completion of necessary paperwork.   Completion of the required paperwork does not guarantee that the student will be placed nor does it obligate the employer to hire a student.

Qualifications

The minimum requirements for a student to be accepted into the Co-op Program include: completion of 15 hours of coursework at the 1000 level and a GPA of 2.5 (employers may require a higher GPA).  If a co-op student’s GPA falls below 2.5, he or she will be placed on probation.  If the student fails to raise the GPA by agreed upon time, he or she will be dropped from the program.

* Regents’ Engineering Transfer Program (RETP) students must meet and comply with the Co-op articulation agreement that has been established between Dalton State College and Georgia Tech.

Hiring Process

When an agreement has been reached between an employer and Dalton State College, the coordinator will forward résumés of participating students who are qualified for the specified co-op experience.  The employer may have students interview at the work site or on campus.  The DSC Coordinator is available to assist in scheduling interviews. 

Work/School Rotation Plans

Students may be hired on either the Alternating Plan or the Parallel Plan.  In the Alternating Plan, the student alternates between semesters or full-time work and college.  In the Parallel Plan, the student works part-time and attends classes in the same semester.  Students remain with the same Co-op employer for each rotation.

Job Assignments

Job assignments must be related to the student’s academic major.  Technical difficulty and level of responsibility should be increased with each work rotation and as the student demonstrates competency.