Ed Hamilton
Marketing Manager, Division of Professional Practice

Georgia Tech’s Division of Professional Practice offers students the chance to gain work experience in their major fields while earning money for college expenses.

Tech has been placing student co-op workers with Atlanta-area employers since 1912. Nearly 100 years later, the Division of Professional Practice (DoPP) offers not only the Cooperative Education (Co-op) Program, but also the Georgia Tech Internship Program (GTIP), Graduate Co-op Program and the Work Abroad Program.

All four programs require participating students to enroll in tuition-free, non-credit bearing courses, allowing them to maintain full-time student status during their work terms. The Georgia Tech Co-op Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education, and Georgia Tech has been consistently included in the annual U.S. News and World Report listing of Programs to Look For, Co-op and Internship Programs, among all U.S. colleges.

The Co-op Program gives students the opportunity to validate their choice of a major by working paid job assignments related to their academic program. Co-op students alternate semesters of on-campus study with semesters of full-time employment with the same employer, thereby providing students a better chance of employment at graduation. Students who work at least three planned and progressive work terms receive the Cooperative Plan designation on their diplomas and transcripts. Most co-op students begin the program as freshmen or sophomores.

The Georgia Tech Internship Program (GTIP) was inaugurated in the spring of 2003. The program’s internships are full-time or part-time work experiences usually lasting one semester. Students can work single internships with one employer, or multiple internships with one or more employers. Those who complete at least one internship receive recognition on their transcripts. Students can apply to GTIP as early as their freshman year, but must have at least 30 academic credits before applying for internships through the DoPP jobs database.

The Georgia Tech Graduate Co-op Program was introduced in September 1984, and is one of the largest such programs in the United States. It is a means for master’s and doctoral students to develop valuable contacts by working with professionals in their respective areas of study. To participate in the Graduate Co-op Program, students are required to obtain approval from their school to work full-time or part-time for one or more semesters.

The Work Abroad Program was established in 2005 as part of the Georgia Tech International Plan, a four-year program that builds global competence by requiring students to engage in a minimum of 26 weeks of international experience related to their discipline, to develop a proficiency in a second language, and to take internationally oriented coursework. The International Plan utilizes existing study, work and research abroad opportunities available through DoPP and the Office of International Education. The Work Abroad Program gives students the chance to work co-op jobs or internships outside the United States, and enables them to develop their careers for the global job market. Most Work Abroad employers pay students living expenses while the students work in their host country. Georgia Tech Work Abroad students are typically juniors, seniors and graduate students. Last year, Georgia Tech Work Abroad students worked in 36 countries around the world.

Additional information about the Georgia Tech Division of Professional Practice and its programs can be found at www.profpractice.gatech.edu.