According to the 2011 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the number of co-ops is expected to increase by 9% in 2011.

Recruiters will draw approximately 40% of their new college hires from their internship and co-op programs.

Cooperative Education (co-op) is a program designed to enhance the learning experience of participants by allowing them to apply classroom knowledge in real-world work environments.

The Co-op Program at USC follows two formats:

Parallel  - Students work twenty hours per week while attending classes full-time at USC, for three consecutive semesters.

Alternating - Students will alternate semesters of working full-time (40 hours/week) and attending classes full-time, and must work a minimum of 2 semesters.