These two courses count for six credit hours, are challenging, fast paced and require your concentration before the semester begins and during the entire semester. Students are cautioned to enroll only in these courses in the last semester of their degree.

What is Cooperative Education?

It is an educational field activity similar to an internship, jointly sponsored by Texas State University-San Marcos and a public or private sector organization. It provides you with an opportunity to apply the theory learned in your Professional Development Module (18 hour block). Therefore, you must make sure the activity relates to the focus of the courses. In your proposal at the beginning of the course, you will be required to justify how the coop activity you select relates to your Professional Development Module. A minimum of 180 contracted hours will be spent on the COOP activity. Approximately 60 hours will be spent preparing the Proposal, Interim Report, and Final Report, and 120 hours will be spent at the work site on the project itself. Hours may be weekends, evenings, or regular daytime hours. The activity is a three-party agreement between the student, university, and the work site and each party must realize there are responsibilities and obligations that must be assumed by each of the parties throughout the semester.

Am I eligible to register?

The following prerequisites must be completed prior to enrolling in OCED 4360 and OCED 4361:

• All core curriculum and foreign language requirement (if required).
• 12 of the 18 hours in the Professional Development with a 2.25 GPA
• Official signed degree audit report
• Minimum of 2.00 GPA with Texas State
• Students must be in their final semester.
• Attend an internship orientation the semester prior to taking 4360/4361

Do you require IRB training?

Human Subjects Protection Information - Students who will interview, survey, or experiment with humans or animals during their Cooperative Education activity are required to participate in Human Subjects training. Because Texas State University is dedicated to protecting the privacy, health and safety of all individuals, students in the OCED 4360/4361 should contact their Occupational Education advisor if there is any reason to believe the internship would impact humans or animals. This would be an important meeting in order to determine if training is needed and if there will be time enough to conduct the training and submit the proposal to the Review Board at Texas State for approval. Students who do not obtain approval for their Cooperative Education project prior to registration risk having to change their project or wait until the next semester that OCED is offered. The key to the process lies in beginning the approval process the semester prior to taking the OCED 4360 and 4361. Keep in mind that many internship activities do not require IRB approval.

The IRB office recommends filling out the request for an IRB exemption first as this request is processed more quickly than the full form. The office will notify you within 48 to 72 hours if you must take the training or your project is exempt. The process is now on-line.

If you must take the training, the steps are as follows:

1. Take the IRB training on the Texas State web site. Click here for that site. Follow the instructions on the site to take the training.
2. You will receive a number following the training. Make a copy of this number for your advisor. You will need it for the application to the Review Board.
3. Print out the application from the web site. Complete it and take it to your advisor or your instructor for the OCED 4360/4361 for approval.
4. Once your advisor has approved the application, go back the the IRB site and fill out the application for approval of your project. You will receive a notice from the Board when they have approved your project. Please make a note of the dates when the applications are due.

Remember you may not begin your project until your instructor in the course has approved your contract/proposal AND the IRB has approved your proposal if it requires the training.

Submission of application

• If student was unable to attend the live internship orientation download the Application for Enrollment in Cooperative Education from this website.  Application in MS Word for typing OR Application in MS Word to be handwritten. 
• Complete the application and obtain the required signatures. Faculty member's signature is not required; however, if you prefer to receive approval directly from a faculty member, schedule an appointment prior to the deadline date. Appointments can be made in Round Rock at (512) 716-4541, in San Antonio at (210) 659-0954, or on campus at (512) 245-2115.
• Mail completed application to: Occupational Education, Texas State University-San Marcos, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, Texas 78666. The application must be mailed by the deadline date listed on the internship orientation schedule. If the application is submitted after the deadline date, one point per day late penalty will be deducted from your final course grade. A copy of the approved application will be mailed to you within 3 to 4 weeks. Once the application has been approved, you can start the literature review associated with your proposed COOP activity. Refer to the textbook (page 32) or the on-line material for additional information related to the literature review.

Registration for OCED 4360 and OCED 4361

Advance Registration - You can be given special approval to enroll during advance registration ONLY if all prerequisites have been completed and are posted to your Texas State transcript. Late Registration - You will automatically be given special approval to register if:

1. Application for Cooperative Education has been received.
2. All prerequisites have been completed and are posted to your Texas State transcript. Make sure you register for both (one for each 8 week session), and that they are with the same professor and on the same day. NOTE: Summer sessions of the COOP is routinely taught by two professors.

What should I do next?

Review the on-line material for the class or purchase the textbook Cooperative Education by Michael J. Pierson and Stephen B. Springer, 2nd edition. We recommend students review the text carefully prior to the first day of the course. It is also valuable to begin development of the Review of the Literature for the project during the months before the course begins. (Review of the Literature is discussed in the text on page 32.) Select the organization for your COOP activity. It is your responsibility to find and select an organization to complete the COOP activity. You should choose a cooperative education site where your activities will be helpful to you in the future.

Where will I do my internship?

1. Place of Current Employment – You may complete the COOP activity at your current place of employment; however; the activity must be different job duties from the ones you normally perform.
2. Other than Current Employment – Identify three potential organizations for your COOP activity and interview at each of the three sites, if necessary. Then choose one.  If you need proof that you are a Texas State University-San Marcos student when you interview with potential agencies, contact our office and we will mail you a Letter of Introduction.

Important information from the Program Chair

Most semesters the class meets only three times; therefore, it is imperative that students attend each of the 3 classes and stay in close contact with the professor by e-mail. You may not begin working on the activity at the chosen organization until your professor has approved the proposal for the course project. This is generally in the third week of the semester. In addition, the contract must be signed by the student, the organization supervisor, and professor. There are no exceptions to this rule and hours logged prior to the contract being approved will not be counted for the course. You must pay close attention to deadlines and maintain a high degree of self-reliance.
Dr. Steven Springer, Program Chair

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