What is the difference between a co-op, internship, and 49ership?
All three of these programs are classified as experiential learning, which are opportunities to gain hands-on experience in your field by working for an organization. Co-ops are the most intensive type of experiential learning, requiring students to commit to three semesters of full-time work as they are completing their degrees. Because organizations require full-time work, students often need to lengthen their programs of study by one to two semesters. The good news is organizations often use their co-op programs to recruit entry-level employees and hours accumulated in a co-op can count toward hours needed to earn a professional engineering license (P.E.). Co-ops are only available to undergraduate students. Internships and 49erships are usually one semester or summer opportunities to gain work experience. The difference is an internship is administered by an engineering or engineering technology department and can be completed to gain experience and obtain academic credit (only ava
