Cooperative Education

PSY 4953

PSY 4953 Cooperative Education (Co-op) is offered through the TWU Department of Psychology in conjunction with the Cooperative Education Program of the TWU Pioneer Center for Student Excellence. Co-op is intended for students who are currently employed in a psychology-oriented job or who plan to obtain a multiple semester job while they are still a student.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Prerequisites: PSY 1013, 1603, and 2513.
• Students must complete all steps to register at least 2 weeks prior to the end of the preceding semester in which they plan to enroll in Co-op. (e.g., if a student plans a spring coop, he/she must complete registration before the fall semester ends.)
• Students must be of junior or senior standing.
• Students must have completed a minimum of 15 hours in psychology and 55 hours overall.
• Students must have a minimum of 3.0 cumulative and 3.0 psychology GPA in order to enroll in PSY 4953.
• All placements are subject to the approval of the supervising professor.
• Students are required to work at a psychologically-oriented agency for at least 20 hours/wk for 3 hours of credit (200 clock hours per semester) or 40 hours per week for 6 hours of credit (400 clock hours per semester). All placements must be approved by the psychology department's cooperative education faculty advisor, Dr. Lisa Rosen.

Steps to Registration for Students Who Are Already Employed

1. The semester before you plan to register, contact Dr. Rosen to discuss your job and employment responsibilities to ensure a match and that learning objectives can be created. Official documentation and terms of your employment must be provided by a work supervisor.
2. Once your employment has been verified and considered to be relevant to psychology, you may obtain the course code from Dr. Rosen to register for the class.

Steps to Registration for Students Seeking Employment

The Pioneer Center for Student Excellence can assist you in finding internship and cooperative education opportunities during all semesters. While it is ultimately your responsibility to find a position, the Career Connections Center can assist with your résumé, interviewing techniques, application issues, etc.

Once you have secured a job, follow steps 1-2 above.

Semester Requirements

In addition to your employment work hours, each student should submit a 500-word paper to Dr. Rosen summarizing your experience at the end of the term.

Questions?

Contact Dr. Lisa Rosen at lrosen@twu.edu.