Engineering Co-ops and Careers

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Attend Career Expo

Each year we hold a spring and fall Career EXPO. About 100 companies and hundreds of students and alumni attend, looking for full-time employment and co-op positions.

Career EXPO

Be a Corporate Partner

The College of Engineering continues to be a leader in engineering education because of our relationships with partners like you.

Corporate Partner Program

Post a Job

Interested in recruiting a UToledo engineering student? Let us help you.

Post a Job

 

how can your company benefit from hiring our students for co-op? 

Sign up for our Employer Portal

Employers may sign up for GradLeaders, our Employer Engagement Portal for Engineering Students. On GradLeaders, you can:

  • Register for Career EXPO
  • Request to come on campus for information sessions, resume reviews and mock interviews
  • Post co-op and full-time positions
  • Complete co-op evaluations on students

For more information, contact our office or visit gradleaders.com/employer-support.

GradLeaders Signup

 

Ty Paris, Early Career Specialist
Owens Corning, Toledo, Ohio

"UToledo engineering co-ops have created a strong talent pipeline for our manufacturing leadership programs. These employees then continue to be skillful leaders in our company."

 

About Co-ops

In 1997 the UToledo College of Engineering implemented a mandatory cooperative education program. We are just one of eight programs in the U.S. to require co-ops.

Cooperative education is defined as a semester-long, full-time, paid work assignment that is directly related to a student's major. These work assignments alternate with semesters of on-campus course work. Each successive co-op experience is intended to increase in difficulty and level of responsibility.

Our goal is to provide students with the skills to be successful in the workforce. A high-quality co-op experience allows them to do that.

Each bachelor of science in engineering student is required to complete a minimum of three semester-long work experiences, with an option for two additional semesters of co-op. The first begins as early as the spring semester of the student's sophomore year.

Co-ops are optional for our engineering technology students.

How will my company benefit from the co-op program?

Our program provides you with qualified and highly motivated students. Hiring a co-op student can help reduce costs, since co-op students are generally paid below a starting professional's salary. You also ensure that you are training highly qualified employees. Many of our co-op companies hire their co-op students when they graduate.

We work with businesses to quickly find students to fill cooperative education positions and offer on-campus interviewing.

What can i expect from a co-op student?

Co-op students have varying levels of knowledge and skill, depending on how far along in the program they are and how many co-ops they have completed. We expect them to learn new tasks on co-op and for their job responsibilities to increase as their familiarity in the field improves. Simply put, co-op students should be able to fulfill their assignment as long as they receive the necessary tools and training.

WHAT'S A FAIR CO-OP SALARY?

A student's pay is generally up to company discretion. We offer a few guidelines to determine a fair salary:

  • Students should be paid based on their job responsibilities.
  • Student should be paid according to their value to the company.
  • As responsibilities increase with each successful co-op, salaries should rise accordingly.

Refer to our table to get a sense of what other employers are paying our co-op students.

Hourly Salaries for Engineering Science Students

Program Sample size Minimum salary Average salary Maximum salary
Bioengineering 174 $10.00 $20.70 $26.25
Chemical and Environmental Engineering 179 $10.00 $25.26 $44.30
Civil Engineering 99 $10.00 $18.93 $25.00
Computer Science and Engineering 156 $10.00 $22.25 $38.46
Electrical Engineering 138 $14.00 $22.02 $34.93
Mechanical Engineering 469 $11.00 $22.33 $50.00


Hourly Salaries for Engineering Technology Students

Program Sample size Minimum salary Average salary Maximum salary
Construction Engineering Tech 18 $14.00 $18.75 $33.70
Computer Science and Engineering Tech 23 $15.00 $21.65 $25.24
Electrical Engineering Tech 3 $10.00 $21.25 $23.50
Information Tech 6 $18.00 $18.68 $23.44
Mechanical Engineering Tech 45 $12.41 $23.35 $26.00
Last Updated November 2023


WHAT IF OUR COMPANY IS TOO FAR FOR STUDENTS TO COMMUTE FROM TOLEDO?

Many of our co-op employers are outside of the Toledo region. Some companies have the resources to compensate the student for relocation or have student housing available; but it is not required. We generally ask that a student's wages are able to cover the living expenses in the city in which they will be working.

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Last Updated: 11/29/23