How University of Cincinnati Students are Embracing Cooperative Education Programs

Taking in the tall ceilings and sophisticatedly decorated lobby, Gabriella Abell was all nerves as she walked through the doors of Stengel Hill Architecture in Louisville, Kentucky. But her mind was soon set at ease by friendly smiles from coworkers and the realization that she was taking the first steps toward her interior-design career.

“In the moment, I was extremely nervous,” recalls Abell, now a fifth-year interior design major at the University of Cincinnati. “It made me feel a lot better that there were two other UC students there interning at the same time.”

This long-awaited first day of work was made possible by the University of Cincinnati’s cooperative-education program, which offers students real-world work experience in a variety of fields. It was a first day preceded by resume creation, interviews and support from Abell’s instructors at the university’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning.

UC offers one of the largest co-op programs in the world, working with thousands of employers and catering to the 1,000-plus students who complete co-ops each academic year. UC was ranked in the top five best places for co-ops and internships in the United States by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2023. For over a century, UC has been extending the learning experience beyond the classroom for students pursuing fields that include engineering, science, design, architecture, art, business, technology and more.  

“It gives the students a real opportunity to apply what they’re learning in the classroom,” says Annie Straka, Associate Professor and Associate Dean in UC’s College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies. “I think it’s a really dynamic experience to take classes and then go work in the workforce and then return to classes.”

Civil engineering professor, Herman Schneider launched the cooperative-education program at UC in 1906. Those early days of the co-op program involved 13 local companies and 27 engineering students. It was the beginning of a program that has greatly expanded since then but still aims to achieve its original goal of bridging the gap between classroom and field knowledge.

“I think that UC has a tremendous history that allows for a tremendous amount of infrastructure to ... support both students and employers,” Straka says. “It’s in the blood of everything that we do.”

Abell exemplifies the success UC helps its students to achieve. Having completed five co-ops, Abell says she has learned a lot about herself and her career field with each experience. The co-ops place Abell in the decision-making rooms at Stengel Hill Architecture, allowing her to see what it is like to be a designer in action 

“It was such an amazing experience,” Abell says. “Getting to network with the designers, representatives and sales reps. ... Now I have those contacts.”

UC’s co-op program for interior design laid the foundation for Abell’s career, helping her navigate the industry and ultimately find her place within it. Before her co-ops, Abell was unsure what outlet of design she wanted to make her focus. Now she knows she wants to work with set and production design for television and movies.

“[It] laid a lot of groundwork for who I ended up becoming, and it made me realize which parts of design I’m more interested in,” she says.

UC works with over 1,300 companies in 44 states and 22 countries, offering students a chance to work with a diverse range of businesses. Any student pursuing a degree at UC has the option to experience on-site work via a co-op. For such majors as business, architecture, design, engineering and information technology, a co-op program is required for graduation. For others, co-ops are offered as an option to gain more hands-on experience.

Co-ops are more than just a bonus at UC; they sit at the core of the institution, according to Straka.

“I think we have up to 25 co-op tracks that are in the College of Arts and Sciences now,” she says. “So, we are really trying to focus on how we can make experiences in the workplace more accessible to students who are in degree programs where that’s not always been the tradition.”

During the 2023-2024 academic year, UC students completed more than 8,300 paid co-op experiences, earning over $88.8 million. University of Cincinnati President Neville Pinto is working on a strategic plan, Co-op 2.0, which works to expand the co-op programs into the rest of the university.

“The core focus was to create opportunities for all students at the university to pursue a paid experience that would support them in their careers,” Straka says.

UC takes pride in its dedication to making sure students are prepared to use their education outside of the classroom. The co-op program is constantly evolving to ensure each student has the same opportunity for success after college.

“I think everyone walks away feeling like it has benefited their careers and their professional goals,” Abell says.

For more information about cooperative-education programs at the University of Cincinnati, visit uc.edu/co-op.

This story ran in the Winter-Spring 2025 issue of College 101.