Co-Ops and Internships
Professional work experiences in ISE
The ISE department strongly encourages students to take advantage of all types of practical experience relating to their major.
Through effective collaborative planning by the student, the academic advisor, and Career and Professional Development, an internship, cooperative education (co-op), or externship experience can greatly enhance the student's academic knowledge. While the ISE academic program is structured, students may still complete a co-op/internship often with only an additional semester or year.
Work experiences are of varying length. For instance, experiences can last a summer (internship), one to three semesters (co-op), or a few hours or a few days if shadowing a person in your career field (externship).
There are many reasons to complete co-ops/internships within the ISE program. The experience gained is invaluable and can lead to permanent employment with a company after graduation. This educational opportunity also helps students focus on areas of particular interest, which they can pursue further on campus through a selection of electives, independent study, or undergraduate research.
Many companies are expect a successful job candidate to have some prior work experience before hiring. This gives the student a definite advantage over those having no real-world work experience and training. ISE students who have participated in co-ops or internships consistently say their experience has increased their satisfaction with the ISE undergraduate program by providing a depth of knowledge gained through application, teamwork, and communication.
Contact ISE Academic Advisor
The academic advisor receives many contacts throughout the year from employers looking for an intern to work in their organization. The advisor sends the position description via the ISE undergraduate listserv, and the student can respond directly to the employer to apply to the company.
Contact Career and Professional Development at Virginia Tech
We highly encourage students to take advantage of the resources for finding co-ops and internships available through Career and Professional Development at Virginia Tech (CPD). It is located on campus at the corner of Washington Street and West Campus Drive.
CPD guides the student through necessary paperwork, including cover letters, resumes, and other documents for employment. CPD works with employers and students to maintain accountability for both parties. This includes ensuring a reasonable and meaningful experience by the company for the student, and also makes the student responsible for completing the rotation in a responsible manner. There are progress reports by both company and student which are kept on file and can be used as references for employment or graduate school. CPD also enrolls the student, if participating during the semesters, in a one credit hour "class", that is reflected on the student's transcript if finished successfully and acknowledged this with a certificate of completion.
Cooperate Education and Internship Program (CEIP)
To find more information on Internship and Cooperative Education (co-op) experiences, contact the ISE department advisor or go to the Career and Professional Development at Virginia Tech website to read more about the process.