Co-Ops and Internships
The alternating cycle of co-op work semesters and school semesters do not suit the needs of industrial design students at Georgia Tech.
Our undergraduates must take a specified studio sequence. Fall semester studios are often prerequisites for spring semester studios, which in turn are prerequisites for the following year's fall studio. If industrial design students were to be away from campus for any reason, they would then be off sequence for studio and would then not be able to continue in sequence until the following year.
The school prefers that those students who pursue a co-op opportunity do so after the spring semester of their junior studio, then spend the entire next year on their co-op assignment. They would then return a year later in the fall to complete their final year of studio.
What Is Co-Op?
Cooperative education, or "co-op," is a unique partnership among employers, students, and the university whereby students work in paid, planned, and supervised experiences in business and industry. It is an academic program designed to complement a student's formal education with practical work experience directly related to the student's major.
It usually takes five years to complete the academic requirements, combined with work periods, to get a bachelor's degree under a co-op designation. The co-op work period schedule for most majors at Georgia Tech is an alternating cycle of work and school semesters.
What About Internships?
Likewise, because the studio nature of the industrial design curriculum demands much of a student's time during each semester, internships follow a similar trajectory as co-op. An academic advisor notifies students of internship opportunities, and students are encouraged to take the initiative in applying for internships.