COOP Program
The Engineering Cooperative Education Program (COOP) at UPR Mayagüez is a planned and progressive educational program that gives students the opportunity of exploring their career interests in jobs related to the field of study being pursued in the college. The Chemical Engineering Program participates in the COOP program, which allows students to obtain a full-time real-world experience in private industry or government (e.g., National Laboratories) before graduation. Participation in the program is optional, but chemical engineering students must have at least approved INQU-4005. Coop students are considered regular students at the school with all rights, privileges and obligations this status entails, including financial assistance if the student qualifies.
Students must be enrolled in the COOP Practice for ChEg (INQU-4995) course and receive 3-credit hours per period (summer or semester) for up to three times or nine (9) credits. Up to three (3) out of the nine credits can be used as Technical Chemical Engineering Electives, while the remaining credits can be used as Free Electives. Students are jointly supervised by a member of the department’s faculty an official from the cooperating organization. A written report and presentation is required upon completion of each period of work. The academic supervisor may require progress or preliminary reports, supervisor’s evaluation of job performance, and interview student by phone, videochat, or on-site visits.
The institution also offers the option of the Institutional COOP Program (INTD-4995) which allows students to obtain an experience if the practice is not full-time (for example Primera Experiencia Laboral program), the student has not approved INQU-4005, or the practice is not necessarily related to the discipline. Supervision of the practice is similar.
While participation in these type of courses is optional, many recruiters at UPRM require students to have at least one practice period even to participate in the interview process for entry level jobs. Participation in a professional practice experience help students to develop their engineering professional skills and apply their technical knowledge through non-traditional learning experiences. This has made these programs to be highly sought after by recruiters and students. Up to 56% of our recent graduates have taken advantage of these opportunities.
For more details, including Requisites and Application Procedure, visit the official COOP Program website at UPRM’s College of Engineering digital page or visit their Office, which is located in SA-201 Stefani Building (i.e. at Stefani’s lobby).
Participating Organizations
