Co-op Perspectives
“There are aspects of every profession that cannot be learned in the classroom but must be learned where that profession is practiced . . . Judgment based upon experience must supplement theory.”
~Herman Schneider, engineering professor at the University of Cincinnati
“I look at the coop program this way. I am helping the school, and the student, and my facility. I get an extra pair of hands for the summer for those projects that never get done. I also get to look at a prospective employee; it’s a three-month job interview.”
~Alumnus, Class of 1988
“There is a course we teach that you won’t find in the course catalog. It’s called ‘confidence’ and our students learn it from cadet shipping, co-op courses and internships.”
~Alumnus, Class of 1973
“My internship was the best course in my major.”
~IBL student, Class of 2006
“If you keep....your ears open and learn from the people you work with, things seem to work out.”
~ VOT Student, Class of 2008
Cooperative Education
We bring prepared students and interested employers together.
The cooperative education work experience is powerful and dynamic, providing both technical and social learning opportunities. The purpose of the co-op is to facilitate practical, hands-on experience in a student’s field of study. Along with this work experience comes exposure to:
- Current practices in your area of study
- Management organizations and structures
- Diverse equipment, machinery, people, and geographical locations
- The social atmosphere and its surrounding community
Cooperative education courses at Maine Maritime Academy are an integral part of our students' education and a graduation requirement for most majors.
Program Highlights:
- Some sponsor companies are large, national and multinational companies. The primary motivations of these companies in sponsoring co-ops, is to train and evaluate students in order to develop them as prospective future employees
- Co-op courses earn academic credits toward graduation
- Experience may be an avenue for employment opportunities with sponsor companies
- Typically completed during summers between academic years (students may opt to do year-long co-op with pre-approval)
Program Specifics:
- All students who are preparing for the USCG unlimited license programs are required to participate in MMA’s original Cooperative Education program called Cadet Shipping
- Students in the USCG unlimited license programs may do a co-op following completion of the training cruise