Cooperative Division Publications (Georgia Institute of Technology)

The fourth institution nationwide to adopt the cooperative program, Georgia Tech has provided cooperative education for its students since 1912. In the early days of the program, engineering students could elect to enroll in the five-year program, in which they would alternate periods of school and work in industries related to their course of study. At first, students in Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering could participate in the program; Textile Engineering was added by 1920, Civil and Chemical Engineering were added by 1928, Aerospace Engineering was added in 1942, and shortly after World War II Industrial Engineering became part of the program. In the 1960s, Chemistry, Engineering Mechanics, Physics, and Industrial Management became additional disciplines in the cooperative program. Ceramic Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Computer Science, Management, and Mathematics were all added by the early 1980s. By the mid-1980s, over 2,000 students were enrolled in the program; by the early 1990s, a total of 23 disciplines offered cooperative program options. Cooperative programs have been available for graduate students since 1983.

During the 1980s and 1990s cooperative programs operated under the jurisdiction of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, except during J. Patrick Crecine's presidency, when they were overseen by the Executive Vice President. As of this writing (August 2011), the Undergraduate Cooperative Education Program is part of the Division of Professional Practice (DoPP), which manages undergraduate and graduate co-op programs as well as internship and work abroad programs. DoPP is overseen by the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs through the Senior Vice Provost, Academic Affairs.