Director: Nancy Cintron (Shuster Hall, Room 254)
Cooperative education is an educational process in which students, employers, and Lehman College cooperate in relating a liberal arts education to the world of work. The program is based upon the concept that preparation for a student's future career is most effective when academic courses are closely integrated with relevant work experiences through internships. Students in the Lehman College Cooperative Education Program benefit from career exploration, work experience, financial earnings, and reassurance that a continued pursuit of a liberal arts program may enhance future employment prospects. For students with clearly defined professional goals, the internship experience may be a series of assignments with increasing responsibility within their chosen career field. For students in the liberal arts, the work experience will provide an opportunity to explore different career options and to discover for themselves that skills associated with a liberal arts education, such as analytical thinking, good spoken and written communication, and effective human relations, have practical value in the world of work.
The Cooperative Education Program provides students with academic and career advisement from the time of the student's initial enrollment in the program until graduation. Students enrolled in the Lehman College Cooperative Education Program take the following three courses for elective credit:
CED 105: Introduction to Cooperative Education
CED 270: Social Process and Career Development in the Work Environment
CED 355: Academic Perspectives on the World of Work
There are two types of internship placements available:
Students must have completed 15 credits, have a minimum cumulative index of 2.5, and have passed all the skills-assessment examinations. For further information about the program, contact Career Services at 718-960-8366.
*Courses preceded by an asterisk are not expected to be offered in 2009-2011.
*CED 105: Introduction to Cooperative Education and Career Development. 2 hours, 2 credits. An introductory course for students interested in cooperative education, internships, and career development. The course will examine individual and societal attitudes toward work, introduce concepts of the work ethic, and explore career options. A goal of the course is successful job placement as part of the Cooperative Education Program or in other Lehman internship programs.
*CED 270: Social Processes in the Work Environment. 4 hours, 4 credits. Required of all Cooperative Education students concurrent with their first job placement. Topics include individual and group dynamics in work organizations and their application, evaluation of the current work experience and its connection to the academic program, and assessment and analysis of relations between the employee and the employer. Individual conferences. PREREQ: CED 105 or permission of the instructor.
*CED 355: Academic Perspectives on the World of Work. 3 hours, 3 credits. (May be taken for a total of 6 credits.) PREREQ: CED 270 or permission of the instructor.