The Co-op Program at USC follows two formats:

Parallel- Students work twenty hours per week while attending full-time at USC, for three consecutive *semesters.

 

Alternating- Students will work a minimum of two **semesters full-time (40 hrs/wk) while alternating semesters of working and attending school. This option allows for students to live and work in other parts of the country.

 

* semester = fall, spring or summer
** = student must be in classes, with a minimum of 12 hours, one of the two main semesters of an academic year- either fall or spring in order to be a full time student (15 hours to maintain scholarships)

 

 

Student Eligibility
A prospective co-op student must:

• Be in good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 2.5) at the University of South Carolina;
• Have completed a minimum of 30 credit hours prior to co-op start date;
• Co-op students must have 1 full-time semester enrollment left at the University of South Carolina (unable to co-op during final semester unless completing a parallel co-op);
• Obtain a full access account in JobMate (requires resume critique/approval)
• Complete "Report a Co-op Hire" in JobMate prior to the add/drop date each semester that the student will be working;
• Meet with Program Coordinator in the Career Center to complete co-op enrollment
• International students must be approved by USC’s International Student Services office and complete a Curricular Practical Training application.

*Other requirements will be specified during the individual student enrollment meeting and are included in the Student Agreement.

Enrollment Process

• Log in to your JobMate account and click on "Report a Co-op Hire " located in the left panel
• Review the co-op Student Agreement and agree to terms by adding your initials when you report your co-op in JobMate
• A Career Center Program Coordinator will contact you once you have submitted your co-op hire in JobMate
• Student must satisfy a 2-semester requirement for USC, and/or additional semesters as established with co-op employer

Why do I Need to Report my Hire?

1.   You will receive a notation on your transcript to identify the semester that you worked

2.   Reporting ensures that you will retain your “full-time” student status and will not have to re-apply to the University

3.   Reporting ensures that a Program Coordinator in the Career Center will contact you to schedule an enrollment meeting

If you are interested in finding a co-op, drop by during walk-in hours Monday-Friday from 1pm-4pm to talk with a staff member.