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The Co-op Engineering Program enables students to combine classroom study with off-campus work experiences in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering. By integrating rigorous engineering coursework, engineering laboratories research projects and a foundation in humanities studies, students gain the personal skills and professional responsibilities demanded of engineers.

At Gannon, Engineering students are educated in an environment which fosters inquisitive, analytical and creative thinking.

All Gannon Engineering students acquire professional preparation within a liberal arts context that also develops the abilities to communicate, think critically and make ethical decisions.

Engineering students are well prepared for employment in research, development, design and production. The Gannon Engineering education also includes learning how to respond to economic, ethical and public issues associated with the field.

Gannon's Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

 

How The Program Functions

The program operates on an alternating system in which students engage in full-time studies followed by a specified period of full-time employment. (The course curriculum for the Co-op option is the same as the four-year program.) The program schedule is described below:

 

Alternating Five-Year Program

	Fall	Spring	Summer
Year One	School	School	---
Year Two	School	School	Co-op
Year Three	School	Co-op	School
Year Four	Co-op	School	Co-op
Year Five	School	School	---

Student Eligibility

Students selecting the Co-op Engineering track usually do so upon enrollment in the University. However, in certain instances, students may transfer into the program. In order to be eligible for work experience, students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.75, successfully complete required course work and be in good standing in the University. Prior to their work experience, students complete the co-op seminar which helps them develop professionally. In addition, this seminar emphasizes resume and interviewing skills and prepares students for the transition from the University environment to the workplace.

Co-op Process for the Employer

Participating employers review student resumes, interview prospective candidates and choose the student whose needs and interests are most compatible with their own. The employer consents to providing three consecutive work experiences related to the student's area of engineering, contingent upon the student's continued satisfactory performance. (As students progress through the employment periods and the academic curriculum, the complexity of work and responsibility increases.) Students are compensated by the employer during the placement period. The employer conducts continuous evaluation of the student's progress, in collaboration with the Cooperative Education Coordinator and the student's faculty advisor.

 

Outcomes for the Employer and the Student

The utilization, training and evaluation of Co-op students by employers influence higher educational institutions to update existing courses and generate new courses and programs. The program also provides employers with the opportunity to preview potential permanent employees and maintain an infusion of new talent.

Research on Co-op Engineering Programs finds that:

• Co-op graduates report greater job satisfaction than non Co-op graduates.
• Co-op graduates become longer-term permanent employees.
• Co-op graduates advance faster than non Co-op graduates.
• Co-op graduates are promoted more rapidly to supervisory positions and are awarded more merit raises than other college graduates.
• The ratio of hires per students interviewed is thirteen times greater for Co-op graduates than for recent college graduates.
• Seventy-nine percent of Co-op students offered permanent job offers accept those offers (after graduation).

 

Participating Co-op Employers Include:

• Autoclave Engineers
• Niagara Power
• American Meter
• Lord Corporation
• Erie Plastics
• General Electric Rail
• R.M. Kerner
• Ohio Power
• Smith Meters
• Zurn Industries
• EMI Corp.
• Rockwell Manufacturing
• Reed Manufacturing
• U.S. Steel
• Foam Fabricators
• Elchleay Engineers