History and Background


Cooperative Education (Co-Op) first appeared in America in 1906. At CSUN the Honors Co-op program started in 1986 and represents an opportunity for students to gain valuable practical experience in a technical job while attending college.

For the sponsors it is an opportunity to familiarize some of our best students to their organizations, thereby opening  the possibilityo f future recruitment.

The Honors Co-Op is an honor program. Students must meet strict academic qualifications to be selected for participation in the program. Traditionally, most companies hire undergraduate students in their senior year, although some sponsors are beginning to hire graduate students.

Qualifying Jobs


The Honors Co-Op is not just a placement program.  Companies participating in the Co-Op program make a commitment to provide a training environment for the interns and agree to faculty supervision of the work performed.  Each job description is carefully scrutinized before being placed in the program and not every job qualifies. 

A student cannot obtain just any jobin industry and be expected to be part of the Honors Co-Op program.  The Honors Co-Op is an honor program.  The student must qualify, as described above and the job must be approved by the college.  The Co-Op program does not accept any job as qualifying; the job must be technical and be related to the field of study.  Additionally, the sponsoring company must sign an agreement with the college, see the pages listed under Company.

One Year Committment


The Honors Co-Op participation is a one year commitment, starting in summer and lasting until the end of the spring semester of the following year.  See the page Honor's Co-Op for You for more details.