Cooperative Education and Internship Program (CEIP)

The terms mean different things to different people and are sometimes used interchangably.

• “Co-op” usually refers to a multi-work term agreement with one employer; traditionally with at least three work terms alternated with school terms, resulting in a five-year degree program for what would otherwise take four years. Co-ops are traditionally full-time, paid positions.
• “Internship” usually refers to a one-term work assignment, most often in the summer, but not always. Internships can be full- or part-time, paid or unpaid, depending on the employer and the career field.
• However, beware: Not all employers use these terms consistently or with consistent meanings!
• Some employers use the term co-op to refer to a one- or two-term work assignment.
• Internships can occur in fall or spring semesters, as well as summer, and internships can sometimes be multi-term programs.
• When you talk with employers about their programs, make sure you understand their program requirements, and know what they expect of you so that you can seek a good fit or match.
• Both terms "co-op" and "internship" are in our program name because students in either type of work experience may enroll in the program.
• More about: Internships and co-ops: What's the difference.

• Career and Professional Development does not require any student to be enrolled in CEIP.
• Employers sometimes require students to be enrolled with their university during a work term. CEIP can help meet that requirement. 
• It is to a student's advantage to enroll in CEIP if you are in a full-time work program during a fall and/or a spring semester, so that you maintain student standing while working.

• No. You cannot earn academic credit through enrollment in CEIP.
• Academic credit can only be granted by academic departments, and each academic department has its own policies on whether or not it will grant academic credit for an internship.
• Students interested in credit-bearing internships should discuss this with your academic major department.

• You must have completed at least one academic semester at Virginia Tech before you can be enrolled in CEIP for a work term.
• A CEIP work term may not be your last semester of your undergraduate degree.
• Engineering majors usually cannot split your senior year with a work term, due to the senior design project spanning a full academic year.
• A student may work one or multiple terms, as agreed by the student, the employer, and the student's academic department.
• Employers may require students to work a specified number of terms to meet the employer's requirements.
• Academic departments may place restrictions on when students can work — because the ultimate goal is for the student to complete degree requirements, and students may need to be taking courses during particular terms when those courses are available.
• Students who work in fall and/or spring semesters may need to extend their academic program beyond four years, depending on the timing of their work terms and when required courses are offered.

• No. Students may be paid by their employers, or the position may be unpaid.
• Other benefits such as insurance, leave time, and housing assistance are at the discretion of each employer.
• The U.S. Department of Labor provides guidelines on whether or not employers must pay interns in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Sources through which students found their work positions for CEIP:

• 17% Engineering Expo
• 7% Fairs sponsored by Career and Professional Development
• 9% Personal contacts in the employing organization
  
• 16% Student contacted organization directly
• 4% Source in academic department
• 22% On-Campus Interviewing Program
• 6% Handshake
• 3% Worked for the employer before in another capacity
• 15% Other

• You are welcome view FAQs related to Covid-19 that were provided in spring 2020 for CEIP students.

• You must be an undergraduate student and have completed at least one semester at Virginia Tech to enroll in the Cooperative Education and Internship Program (CEIP).
• You may not have completed all your undergraduate course requirements. If you have completed all your course requirements for your degree, you may not enroll in CEIP; differently stated, your last undergraduate term cannot be solely for enrollment in CEIP.
• Graduate students who wish to register with the university during a work assignment must follow the requirements of the Graduate School Cooperative Education Program. Career and Professional Development is not authorized by the university to enroll graduate students.
• For work term timing: Note that some engineering majors may not split their senior semesters with a work term, due to the senior design project that spans two consecutive semesters of the senior year.

• Students in all undergraduate majors are eligible to enroll, as long as permitted by your academic department.
• See majors participating above.

GPA

• Career and Professional Development requires that you have a 2.0 minimum.
• Specific academic departments and specific employers may have higher minimum standards.
• You must have established a GPA at Virginia Tech. See information below for transfer students.
  
• If you have a work-school schedule for multiple work terms, and your GPA falls below 2.0 between work terms, you will not be eligible to enroll in CEIP as long as your GPA remains below 2.0 (or higher if required by your academic department). 
  

Suspension by the university

• The university's academic eligibility policies (see the undergraduate course catalog: academic policies: academic eligibility) supercede the CEIP policy. A student who is on suspension by the university may not be enrolled in CEIP.

• You must have established a GPA at Virginia Tech before you can be enrolled in CEIP for a work term. (Although academic credits may transfer from another institution, GPA does not transfer.)
• You may seek a co-op or internship position before establishing your Virginia Tech GPA, but you cannot be enrolled in CEIP for a work term until your Virginia Tech GPA is verified.

• International students must request authorization from, and abide by deadlines administered by, the Cranwell International Center before you can apply for co-op or internship positions.
• Your visa status determines whether or not you are eligible to work in the United States in a co-op or internship capacity.
• Be aware that many employers cannot, for legal reasons, hire international students. This is determined by the policies of the employer and is not negotiable.

• If you have a "registration hold" on your account, you must resolve that issue prior to enrollment in CEIP.
• See information about "holds" on the Bursar's Office website.

• Enrollment in CEIP is an option for students who meet the eligibility and program requirements.
• Career and Professional Development does not require any student to be enrolled in CEIP.
• Employers sometimes require students to be enrolled with their university's co-op program (which is CEIP at Virginia Tech).
• It is to a student's advantage to enroll in CEIP if any of your work terms are in fall and/or spring semesters so that you maintain student standing while working.

• Students who have not been in compliance with CEIP rules and requirements in the past, and/or who have not completed CEIP assignments, and/or who did not achieve an S (Satisfactory) in previous enrollment in CEIP, will not be enrolled in future terms of CEP 3084 or CEP 4084.

There is only one mandatory fee for participation in the Undergraduate Cooperative Education and Internship Program [CEIP]:

• During each work term (fall semester, winter term, spring semester and/or summer terms), that you are enrolled in CEP 4084 or CEP 3084, this will appear on your transcript. [The CEIP office will enroll you after you complete required steps.]
• This does not carry credit hours, but does keep you enrolled in the university.
• Enrollment in CEIP requires payment of a fee to the university during work terms:
  $75 for fall semester.
  $75 for winter term.
  $75 for spring semester.
  $75 for a six-week summer term.
  $75 for a twelve-week summer term.
  
• This fee is NOT paid to Career and Professional Development.
• Due dates for fees are the same as for tuition, and are established by the University Bursar. See the Bursar's Office website for complete information on fees and payment.

• If you choose to enroll in any course for academic credit, including online courses, during a work term, you will be required to pay tuition as charged by the university.
• The CEIP enrollment fee does not cover the cost of tuition for academic-credit courses. 

• During your work terms, you are NOT automatically billed for any fee other than the mandatory fee explained above. Therefore you do NOT automatically have access to all student services.
• If you wish to purchase access to other student services during your work terms when you are enrolled in CEIP, you must take initiative to pay the fees for these services, such as:
  • Health Service fee
  • Athletic fee
  • Other fees (student activity, bus, rec sports, etc.)
• See the University Bursar's website for complete information on payment of fees, and contact that office with any questions about how to pay those fees.

Available session(s) listed. Click on a session to view details and register in Handshake. You must register to access the event (whether by Zoom, in person, or recorded).

CEIP Orientation and Enrollment sessions:

• 60 minutes, including time for Q&A.
• About 10 sessions offered in both fall and spring semesters; attend one.
• When upcoming sessions are scheduled, they will be listed below; click on a session to see details and register in Handshake.
• If there are no upcoming sessions, contact CEIP for guidance and assistance.