CO-OP

Cooperative Education

Experiential learning enables students to apply what they’ve learned through lectures, labs, assignments, and projects to a variety of rich experiences outside the classroom. These meaningful exchanges expand students’ knowledge and broaden their perspectives by refining their professional and intellectual competencies, cultivating their leadership abilities, advancing their career development, and further developing their talents.

What is Cooperative Education (Co-op)?

In addition to gaining theoretical foundations, students engage in hands-on experiential learning in real-world environments that prepare them for meaningful careers. This is a structured program, which is mandatory for all RIT students.

Cooperative Education is work experience in a professional setting, designed to help students build career readiness, professional skills, confidence and a clearer sense of direction after graduation. Ideally, Co-ops should be related to the student’s career interests and academic focus.

^OVER150

Students

attended the on campus Career Fair last year

Students

Participate in Cooperative Education

200

Is the number

of Companies Hiring Cooperative Education`s from RIT Kosovo

60^%

Of students

in Cooperative Education end up with a permanent contract

^OVER70

Students

are engaged for work-study in our campus yearly

What are the Cooperative Education Requirements?

One Co-op should consist of 400 hours of work, which must be completed within a 3-month period if done full-time, or within a 6-month period for students working part-time. These experiences can take place in private companies, non-governmental organizations, or governmental institutions in Kosovo or abroad.

Co-op Registration and Evaluation

You can do this through open applications, networking, and/or applying to positions advertised by the Co-op & Career Services.
Define your role and ensure it meets academic requirements:
CIT students must work in the CIT field
SOIS students can work in any field for the first Co-op and in a sub-plan related field for the second Co-op

After securing a Co-op opportunity, students must register before beginning the experience. Registration is done exclusively through the Co-op Registration Form. Students should make sure to adhere to the announced registration deadlines and will receive all relevant information via email. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure timely registration.

The Co-op Coordinator will review applications and contact students to inform them if the proposed Co-op has been approved and it meets academic requirements. Once approved, the student may begin the registered Co-op experience.

Throughout the duration of the Co-op, coordinators conduct periodic site visits to companies/organizations where students are currently working to ensure the quality of the experience and provide support as needed.

At the end of the Co-op experience, each student must ask his/her supervisor to submit the Co-op Employer Evaluation Form directly to the Co-op & Career Services Office by e-mail. This form should be signed and sealed. In addition, a Co-op Student Evaluation Form should be submitted directly by the student who has finished the Co-op. Without these two evaluation forms, a student cannot receive the Co-op grade.

A student being evaluated for his/her Co-op may receive two possible grades: ‘S’ which stands for Satisfactory, and ‘I’ which stands for Incomplete. If the student receiving the ‘Incomplete’ grade fails to finish the Co-op within two consecutive semesters, the Co-op grade becomes F (Failed) and the student must complete another Co-op to fulfill the degree requirements. 

Note: Providing False Information and Misbehavior

Students providing any kind of false information while registering and/or completing their Co-op will be subject to disciplinary sanctions as according to the RIT Kosovo (A.U.K) Conduct Code. In addition, students are responsible to represent RIT Kosovo (A.U.K) in accordance to the RIT Kosovo (A.U.K) policies, rules and regulations while doing their Co-ops. If the student completing the Co-op receives bad employer evaluation, such a Co-op may be considered as invalid and the student must do another Co-op to complete the requirements.

Individualized Study Program

For students enrolled in the the first Co-op should be completed during the freshman or sophomore years and can include a broad range of jobs to support career exploration. The second Co-op should be completed during the junior or senior years and should be related to one of the students’ chosen subplans. 

Online Cooperative Education Forms for Individualized Program

Computing and Information Technologies (CIT) Program

Second Co-op is to be completed in the summer of the junior year and is a requirement to be eligible for enrollment in the ISTE 500 course for the fall term of the senior year. 

Online Cooperative Education Forms for CIT Program