Cooperative Education and Internships

 

Contact Information

Faculty Coordinator/Instructor of Record

Department Co-op Staff Coordinator
Arlene Gomez, agomez25@calpoly.edu

Overview

Co-operative education (co-op) is a type of field experience. Students doing a co-op receive academic credit while acquiring professional skills and earning an income. A co-op, however, is more than a job; it is a workplace-based learning opportunity that is supported by student observation and reflection. For Cal Poly purposes, the terms co-op and internship are used interchangeably.

Finding a Co-op/Internship

Co-ops and internships have traditionally been self-initiated opportunities, with students approaching employers directly.

Architecture students can find opportunities at the following locations:

• Online at MustangJOBS, available through the student Cal Poly Portal
• Private websites, for example:  Chegg, WayUp, Payscale.com 

Not surprisingly, Architecture students usually do co-ops and internships with architects, but this is not always the case. The department recognizes that work experience with other design and construction professionals — building departments, city planners, construction managers, architectural/structural engineers, and landscape architects — may contribute to a professional education. Students may propose co-ops with such professionals, subject to approval by the faculty coordinator.

In alignment with our professional organizations (namely, the AIA, AIAS, and NCARB), students enrolling in for-credit co-op's and internships must be paid at least the prevailing minimum wage for the location where the practice is located.  Payment can be made to the student as wages or a stipend.

Steps to Enroll for a Co-op/Internship for Academic Credit

1. Students proposing to do a co-op or internship should start by reviewed the co-op requirements posted online and select a co-op/internship firm. The resources above can assist students in finding a firm.  If you need further assistance, you are welcome to contact the Staff or Faculty co-op advisors above.
2. Once the firm has been determined, complete the Cooperative Education/Internship Application (download and save this form to your computer prior to completing). Have the Firm Supervisor sign. Return back to Department Co-op Staff Coordinator - who will obtain International Advisor and Faculty Advisor signatures.
3. Students must download the Experience Areas & Tasks form and review it with their firm supervisor, checking off the boxes that correspond to the categories, areas and tasks that they can expect to address in their co-op/internship. This outline must be attached to their application. Students will be asked to review the outline in their final end-of-semester reflection.
4. Download, complete and sign the CP Release of Liability form.
5. Download the Site Self Assessment Form, have firm supervisor complete, sign; Student signs; Return back to Department Co-op Staff Coordinator - who will obtain Faculty Department signature.
6. Submit all forms to the Department Co-op staff coordinator via email. Students will receive an email confirmation. If the faculty coordinator approves, then the student will receive registration instructions.
7. International students: Please review the Cal Poly International Center's website for student employment guidelines: www.international.calpoly.edu. If you are required to submit an offer letter due to your student work visa requirements, you must submit your offer letter along with the other ARCH Coop documents stated above to Department Co-op Staff Coordinator.  

To receive credit for a co-op/internship, students must be enrolled in the appropriate course at Cal Poly while working. Students have until the add/drop deadline to enroll, but they must join the co-op course Canvas shell by the first day of class.

Co-op/internship courses are considered professional electives. Because the BARCH curriculum includes only 11 units of such electives, co-op/internship courses are effectively limited to 11 units.

Arch 4485 may be repeated within the guidelines of the University Catalog. Please review Catalog for specific rules and guidelines.

Credit for ARCH 4401

Students may apply to receive credit for ARCH 4401. Students can do this for one semester only.

Students register for ARCH 4485 (5 units) and may add additional ARCH 4485 units for professional elective credits.

• To receive Studio Credit for the designated term, a Petition for Major or Support Course Substitution/Exception-Undergraduate (E-Form) will need to be completed. The course, Arch 4485, will be substituted for Arch 4401, 5 units.
• The form is located in the Registrar's website under Registrar-Student forms.
• It is recommended to submit form prior to end of term.
• You do not need to submit the form for professional elective credit. 

Students electing this option must complete all the requirements of the normal co-op/internship (see below). Because they are receiving a letter grade for ARCH 4401, their work is held to a higher standard than students electing to do a co-op option alone.

Co-op/Internship Assignments

Arch 4485 is a graded course. To receive credit, students must complete all of the following assignments and post them on CP Canvas: a daily forum, several in-progress memos and online web conferences, an end-of-quarter reflection, a resume, a portfolio of work completed during the co-op/internship, a supervisor’s evaluation, and a self-evaluation.  The course CP Canvas site has the most current course requirements and deadlines.

Students should post all their course submittals according to the schedule. The faculty coordinator assigns a grade based on the quality of these submittals and the students’ participation in the two group meetings.

If students need additional time to complete their submittals, or if for some legitimate reason they cannot attend the meetings, the faculty coordinator may record a temporary RP grade until all the requirements of the courses have been met.

The number of hours you work determines the number of units you can earn: 30 hours of work equals one(1) unit. So, for example, if you work 32 hours per week for ten weeks, you will have a total of 320 hours. Dividing the total by 30 leaves 10.66, which means you could earn up to ten (10) units during that term (we would round down).

• You may not earn more than 12 units per semester, even if you work more than 360 hours (360 divided by 30 = 20).
• The maximum number of units you can earn is based on the rate listed above, but this does not require you to sign up for all the units possible using that rate. In other words, if you want to work 360 hours over the course of the semester, you do not need to sign up for 12 units.

Architectural Experience Program

Students who are participating in a co-ops or internships may have the opportunity to apply their work experience by establishing a record with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) towards Architectural Experience Program (AXP) credit. Students can do this for a nominal fee. See the AXP Guidelines at www.ncarb.org/sites/default/files/AXP-Guidelines.pdf.

For more information about the AXP program, contact Professor Greg Wynn, the department’s AXP advisor, and see NCARB’s AXP webpage www.ncarb.org/gain-axp-experience.

 

Updated 08.12.2026