Cooperative education at Kentucky State University is an academic program incorporating alternating and parallel periods of employment and classroom study. This educational process is a joint or cooperative effort on the part of the Cooperative Education Office, the faculty instructing the student, and the employer furnishing opportunities for practical applications of the student’s class work. Students are limited to a maximum of twelve hours in cooperative education courses for their academic career at KSU.
Cooperative education helps the student bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace, and it allows the student to observe and participate in practical applications of coursework. Cooperative education enables students to be more valuable contributors upon returning to the classroom; they gain self-confidence and become more involved in the educational process. Full-time employment is of significant financial benefit to the student and is valuable in adding to the student’s credentials for employment. Upon graduation, the co-op student has a decided edge in competing for professional positions.
The University believes that supervised work experience is worth college credit; therefore, upon successful completion of each semester of work experience, semester credit hours are awarded. Cooperative education courses will not be substituted for mandatory classes in the student’s major.
The Cooperative Education Program seeks to meet the needs of students in most academic disciplines offered at Kentucky State University. Therefore, the program is offered to all students after the completion of one full academic year of coursework (30 semester credit hours minimum) unless requested and approved by dean or chairperson or their advisor. Participating students are expected to be in good standing with the University and have a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 or better. Students may earn no more than twelve (12) semester credit hours in Cooperative Education courses (including both associate and baccalaureate degrees) during their tenure at KSU. In order to receive academic credit, a student must register for Cooperative Education courses.
It is recommended that each student take the time to visit the Cooperative Education Office and meet with staff to discuss available opportunities.
A student may take a course as an Independent Study if special circumstances warrant. A student will be allowed to pursue an Independent Study only with a proven record of academic achievement. An independent Study shall be used only in cases of unavoidable course conflict.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's bureau that oversees all non-immigrant international visitors to the U.S. International students needing a student visa to study at KSU must apply for an F-1 visa through ICE's Student Exchange Visitor Program's web-based information system (SEVIS). Currently KSU is authorized to issue I-20's, which is the core document that tells a U.S. Embassy or Consular Officer that a person should be issued an F-1 student visa.
International students seeking a degree at KSU, either graduate or undergraduate, must go through the KSU Office of Admissions application process to gain admission and provide the necessary information to secure an F-1 student visa (see Admission of International Students section). Below is an overview of the steps and procedures required for international students, but more complete information is available at the following website:
http://www.kysu.edu/academics/globaleducationprograms/iss/iss.htm
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