Employer Information
Registration (or general inquiries) can begin with the Director of the Co-op Program:
Dr. Todd Krug, 610-660-1103 or at Krug@sju.edu.
The Co-op Program includes two full-time work terms:
1) from September to December of the sophomore year and
2) from January to August of the junior year.
For both terms, students’ resumes are sent to the University’s Co-op employers, and Co-op students subsequently interview for the posted positions. Because of changing job market conditions and variations in students’ skills and abilities as they relate to employers’ needs, the Co-op Program cannot guarantee jobs. However, the Director works diligently with students to help them engage in the most successful job search possible.
The first work term is a more general experience, introducing students to the fundamental demands of work and providing them with workplace tasks that meet their introductory-level skills and knowledge. The second work term is comparatively more in-depth, allowing students to participate in higher-level responsibilities. Students may work for the same employer for both work experiences or opt to work for different employers.
Co-op students enroll in two summer semesters (the summers following the freshman and sophomore years). The summer semesters, which run from mid-May to mid-July, replace the semesters that students work. Contrary to what one might expect, Co-op students commonly report enjoying the summer semesters, particularly the cohesiveness and collaboration among the students in the Program and the academic success that often results.
A Co-op student’s schedule proceeds like this:
| CLASS | FALL | SPRING | SUMMER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshman | Study | Study | Study |
| Sophomore | Work | Study | Study |
| Junior | Study | Work | Work |
| Senior | Study | Study/Graduate |
Co-op employers need to sign an agreement form which lists the standards and expectations that will inform and support the relationship between the company and Saint Joseph’s Co-op Program. Co-op employers also need to complete a directory form (with the name and telephone number of the company’s contact, a mailing address, a web site address and so on). These forms are available by contacting the Director of the Co-op Program.
Co-op students at Saint Joseph’s University self-select into the Co-op Program; as such, employers are assured that the candidate pool is comprised of students who are particularly focused and committed, as they are among a select group of students who have opted to alter the process of earning their four-year degree to make possible two full-time work experiences. Co-op students must have a minimum GPA of a 2.75 to be in the Program, and the average GPA of Co-op students is a 3.2. In short, Saint Joseph’s Co-op students are eager, hard working, reliable and anxious to learn.
Tangible benefits to employers include the opportunity to: 1) add to the company workforce with young, new talent and in a cost effective way; 2) develop a relationship with a student who may one day become a full-time employee; and 3) enjoy the technological know-how of students, as students typically are on the cutting edge of technology and its applications.
Saint Joseph’s Co-op students are all business majors from the following majors: Accounting, Business Administration, Business Intelligence, Family Business & Entrepreneurship, Finance, Financial Planning, International Business, Leadership, Ethics & Organizational Sustainability, Managing Human Capital, Marketing, Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Marketing, Risk Management & Insurance, Sports Marketing.
The Co-op Program asks for four fundamental areas of commitment from employers: 1) to engage in a fair and professional interview process, to offer a supervised work assignment and to assure a safe and professional work environment; 2) to provide meaningful, skill-appropriate and sufficient work that connects to the student’s major and interests; 3) to compensate students fairly through the company’s payroll process; and 4) to complete a face-to-face, written performance evaluation for each hired student, which is subsequently submitted to the Co-op Program by the employer for placement in the student’s file (the Co-op Program provides this form). The Co-op/Employer agreement expands upon these expectations, but the expanded roster of expectations generally falls under the three points listed above.
The first-round of Co-op students (mid-semester sophomores) expect general tasks that acclimate them to the world of work and to the demands of a given office or profession. The second-round of Co-op students (end-of-year juniors) bring to the job background from their first work experience as well as knowledge from additional coursework, so more specialized (even entry-level professional tasks) are appropriate. In both cases, supervisors should provide meaningful work and increasing levels of responsibility. Saint Joseph’s Co-op students report the greatest satisfaction with employers who challenge them, keep them busy and allow them to see the greater organizational purpose of their work and projects.
Co-op students earn between $10 and $20 an hour. Employers set the wage based upon their budgets, field of work, intensity of the work and the background of the Co-op student. The bulk of Co-op students earn between $14 and $18 an hour.
Employers submit a written job description for each job opportunity. The job description can be uploaded to the University’s career web site directly by the employer (each Co-op employer is granted access to this password-protected site) or the description can be sent to the Director of the Co-op Program for posting.
First-round Co-op students (mid-year sophomores who work from September 1 to December 15) will engage in interviews in June and July—with an ideal hiring date of no later than August 1. Second-round Co-op students (end-of-year juniors who work from January 15 to August 1) will interview in October and November—with an ideal hiring date of no later than December 1).
Interviews can take place on campus or at the employer’s location. Employers who want to interview on campus can do so by scheduling an interview room with the Director of the Co-op Program.
An employer is not obligated to hire a student, and Saint Joseph’s Co-op Program does not place students. At the onset of each interview period, each employer receives an electronic link to review the resumes of all Co-op students whose backgrounds match the employer’s needs. The company’s listed primary contact (and any designees) will receive this link. The employer then selects candidates for interviews. Following interviews, the employer makes an independent hiring decision and notifies the student(s) and the Co-op Program of this decision. The process is very similar to most companies’ existing hiring processes.
The Director of the Co-op Program likely will make one site visit to each student’s employer during his/her work term. This is an opportunity for the Director to meet with the student’s supervisor, see the work environment and the student’s colleagues—and to discuss any issues in person. Employers should not hesitate to contact the Director any time questions or issues arise.
Student Information
Cooperative Education (Co-op) unites the classroom and the workplace, allowing students to engage in real-world applications of their academic pursuits. Through two full-time, paid experiences (creating one year of full-time work experience within the four-year degree), Co-op has proven to be an instrumental way for students to discover and live their professional passions. Co-op is available to full-time, day, undergraduate business students (with a 2.75 GPA or better) majoring in Accounting, Business Administration, Business Intelligence, Family Business & Entrepreneurship, Finance, Financial Planning, International Business, Leadership, Ethics & Organizational Sustainability, Managing Human Capital, Marketing, Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Marketing, Risk Management & Insurance, Sports Marketing. The pay range for Co-op students is $10 to $20 an hour.
The Food Marketing Department administers a separate Co-op Program for its students.
The Co-op Program includes two full-time work terms: 1) from September to December of the sophomore year and 2) from January to August of the junior year. For both terms, students’ resumes are sent to the University’s Co-op employers, and Co-op students subsequently interview for the posted positions. Because of changing job market conditions and variations in students’ skills and abilities as they relate to employers’ needs, the Co-op Program cannot guarantee jobs. However, the Director works diligently with students to help them engage in the most successful job search possible.
The first work term is a more general experience, introducing students to the fundamental demands of work and providing them with workplace tasks that meet their introductory-level skills and knowledge. The second work term is comparatively more in-depth, allowing students to participate in higher-level responsibilities. Students may work for the same employer for both work experiences or opt to work for different employers.
Co-op students enroll in two summer semesters (the summers following the freshman and sophomore years). The summer semesters, which run from mid-May to mid-July, replace the semesters that students work. Contrary to what one might expect, Co-op students commonly report enjoying the summer semesters, particularly the cohesiveness and collaboration among the students in the Program and the academic success that often results.
A Co-op student’s schedule proceeds like this:
| CLASS | FALL | SPRING | SUMMER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshman | Study | Study | Study |
| Sophomore | Work | Study | Study |
| Junior | Study | Work | Work |
| Senior | Study | Study/Graduate |
Students who participate in Co-op can expect to:
- Learn a host of job-search skills, from writing an effective resume to interviewing well.
- Apply classroom knowledge to the workplace and workplace knowledge to the classroom.
- Engage in relevant, challenging, paid work rotations (current pay range is $10 to $20 an hour).
- Utilize their technical skills.
- Discover how to earn trust in the workplace.
- Experience the day-to-day rewards, successes and challenges of the workplace.
- Build confidence and maturity.
- Test a career choice while still in college.
- Learn the value of teamwork, effective communication and presentation skills.
- Gain ethical and professional insights.
- Receive first-hand understanding of and knowledge in a given profession.
- Participate in the usual University activities, such as student government, Greek life, study abroad, select sports, honor and professional societies and so forth.
- Gain one year of full-time work experience in four years without extending the graduation date.
- Be substantially more competitive job candidates upon graduation.
The terms Co-op and internship are frequently used interchangeably, but there are some important distinctions in how these terms are defined at Saint Joseph's University:
Co-op
More lengthy work experience (one year)
No classes should be taken during work/students focus exclusively on work
Paid, non-credit
Always full-time
Internship
Less lengthy work experience (two to four months)
Classes can be taken during work/students typically balance work and school
May be paid or not paid. May be for one to three credits or for not credit
Generally part-time
Students can join Co-op by completing a short application that is available at the Co-op Office in Mandeville 314 or at classroom/campus information sessions.
Students should register for Co-op during the first semester of the freshman year (usually by or near November 1). Students may enroll later; however, the advantage to enrolling early is wiser course selection: the Co-op Program guides students into specific courses for the spring semester to prevent scheduling conflicts with the courses that need to be taken during the summer semester. Additionally, Co-op students enjoy a host of special programming (resume writing and interviewing workshops; social gatherings; networking nights; site visits to companies, etc.). Only registered students will know about and be eligible to participate in these events.
Because of changing job market conditions and variations in students’ skills, abilities and academic success as they relate to employers’ needs, the Co-op Program cannot guarantee jobs. However, the Director works diligently with students to help them engage in the most successful job search possible. During those times when student enrollment exceeds the number of potential Co-op job opportunities, the Director will typically counsel students whose grades are between 2.75 and 3.0 to delay enrolling in Co-op, improve their grades, and seek enrollment in Co-op for the second work term.
For each work rotation, the Co-op Program submits student resumes to dozens of companies that post Co-op positions with the Co-op Program. Companies then select students for interviews, which may take place on campus or at the employers' location. Companies then make independent hiring decisions and notify students accordingly.
All students in the Co-op Program are provided with instruction on resume writing and with direction on interviewing effectively.
AIG
Aon
AmerisourceBergen Corporation
Bank of New York-Mellon
Catholic Leadership Institute
CBIZ
CIGNA
Citigroup
DuPont
Estee Lauder
F X Duffy
Kencrest Services
Kildare Capital
Morgan, Lewis & Bokius
McNeil Consumer Group/Johnson & Johnson
Penn Mutual Management
Phelan, Hallinan and Schmieg
Philadelphia Insurance Companies
Porter and Curtis Insurance
SAP
Smart and Associates
Sunoco
Susquehanna International Group
Teva Pharmaceuticals
Unites States Liability Insurance
Vanguard
While on work assignments, Co-op students are classified as full-time. Full tuition must be paid for the two summer semesters (which replace the fall semester of the sophomore year and the spring semester of the junior year). There are no tuition charges for the two work terms.
Students who are contemplating Co-op must meet with their financial aid counselor to investigate how, if at all, Co-op will affect their financial aid package. Typically federal loans and grants are affected by the first Co-op work experience; the Financial Aid Office can provide good alternatives to students who find themselves in this situation.
On-campus housing is available to Co-op students during the summer semesters and during the work experiences for students who are eligible for it.