A general assumption underlying cooperative education programs is that the co-op experience gives students certain job and career advantages when they graduate. One expectation held by professionals in cooperative education is that students with co-op work experience will make the transition from college to full employment with more ease than students who have not had such an experience. This expectation is well supported by various studies (Alwell, 1977; Brown, 1976, 1984; Richards, 1984; Rowe, 1980).
Brown (1976) investigated the post-graduation activities of co-ops and non-co-ops. The results of this study indicate that more co-op graduates obtain full-time employment than do non-co-ops. The non-co-ops are more likely to enter graduate school, work part-time, travel, become homemakers, or enter the military.
A common assumption is that co-op graduates command higher salaries than non-co-op graduates. However, research findings on salaries of co-op graduates are mixed. An earlier study (Wilson and Lyons, 1961) found no difference in the starting salaries of co-ops and non-co-ops. Since then studies have shown that co-op graduates have higher earnings (Alwell, 1977; Epting, 1975; Hanson & Marshall, 1977; Richards, 1984; Rowe, 1980; Yensco, 1971). According to Jagacinski et al (1986), engineering graduates with relevant college work experience, whether as part of a co-op program or not, have a salary advantage over engineering graduates who have no relevant experience.
Research has shown that co-op alumni feel better prepared for jobs after college than do non-co-ops (Brown, 1976) and that co-op graduates are more realistic than non-co-ops in their expectations regarding their first job (Brown, 1984). However, co-op and non-co-op engineering students do not differ significantly in their evaluations of their job preparation (Brown, 1976).
Some studies have examined the relevance of students' academic majors to their first jobs after graduation. The research indicates that co-op graduates are more likely than non-co-ops to select jobs related to their undergraduate majors and to their career goals (Brown, 1984).
Brown (1976) studied the resources used in the job search and found that co-op graduates locate their first job after college most often through their co-op employer contacts, with personal contacts and the college placement office ranking second and third. Non-co-ops most often use personal contacts in their search for the first job, with the placement office ranking second.
Program directors should be able to support their claims that cooperative education programs better prepare students for employment than the traditional college course of study. Assessment of the impact of the co-op program provides valuable information to not only college administrators and program coordinators but also employers, students, and parents.
Komgold and Dube (1982) propose an assessment model for cooperative education that surveys employers, faculty, and students to measure program objectives. A major objective of co-op programs is to prepare students for permanent jobs that will lead to satisfying careers. Therefore, follow up surveys of graduates are an essential component in a full-scale program evaluation.
The career-related advantages that co-op graduates have over non co-op graduates, as supported by the research reported above, would likely apply to engineering co-op graduates as well. This current study focuses only on engineering graduates and compares those who have had co-op work experience with those who have not.
To explore the impact of cooperative education participation on graduates' career and educational plans, the researchers surveyed 1983 to 1984 baccalaureate-degree recipients from North Carolina State University, a large Southern land-grant university. Seven-hundred graduates randomly selected from the 2,484 graduates who had not participated in cooperative education, and all graduates with at least one co-op work period (n = 190) constituted the sample.
A survey was developed with input from the several university schools as well as from a review of existing instruments. The questionnaire was mailed to the sample of 890 in June 1985. A follow-up questionnaire was sent four weeks later to non-respondents.
A total of 429 usable questionnaires was returned, for an overall response rate of 48 % . Because responses to the questions differed by the field in which graduates received their degrees, this study limits the analysis to only the engineering graduates (n=l84), of which 65 had participated in cooperative education and 119 had not. Of the 65, 53 (81.5 % ) had at least three work semesters, the required minimum for program completion. Of those remaining, six (9.2 % ) had worked only two semesters and six (9.2%) had worked only one semester.
The percentages of co-op and non-co-op engineering graduates who responded to each question in the survey are compared. The likelihood ratio chi-square statistic is reported for each question, with a probability level of .01 selected for statistical significance (SAS User's Guide: Statistics, p. 412).
The comparison of respondents to the total population of engineering baccalaureate-degree recipients indicates a representative sample. The proportions by race and gender are fairly equivalent for the co-op and non co-op samples, as seen in Table 1.
| Race | Co-op Sample | Non-Co-op Sample | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 6.2% | 4.2% | 5.4% | |
| White | 93.8% | 91.6% | 90.0% | |
| Other | 0.0% | 4.2% | 4.6% | |
| Gender | ||||
| Female | 13.9% | 16.8% | 16.4% | |
| Male | 86.1% | 83.2% | 83.6% | |
The first set of questions pertains to graduates' employment and their job preparation. Engineering graduates, regardless of their cooperative education experience, are likely to be employed full-time. Only 6% of the co-op graduates and 2 % of the non-co-op graduates reported being unemployed.
Of those employed full-time, approximately two-thirds of the co-op and the non-co-op engineering graduates are employed in the state where the university is located. Cooperative education has not influenced the geographic mobility of graduates.
Approximately three-fourths of the co-op and the non-co-op graduates are employed by business or industry, with another 10 % employed by government. Another 15 % of the co-op and 12 % of the non-co-op graduates work for other types of organizations.
After one year out of college, over 80 % of the co-op and the non-coop graduates are employed at their first jobs. Only 2 % have changed jobs two times or more.
Slightly less than half of each group reported obtaining their jobs immediately after graduation. Seven percent of the co-op graduates as compared to 12 % of the non-co-op graduates took longer than three months to find their jobs. These differences, however, are not statistically significant.
Almost one-third of each group indicated that they had first learned about the job opening from the college placement office. Direct application to the employer and referrals from friends and relatives ranked second and third in frequency as sources of information which led to engineering graduates' employment.
Engineering graduates who had participated in cooperative education work experience reported salaries that are higher than the non-co-op group. The chi-square statistic (X=20.879) indicates a significant relationship between co-op participation and starting salary. Almost three-fourths (73 % ) of the co-op graduates reported salaries of $24,000 and over, as compared to 43 % of the non-co-op group.
| Co-op | Non-Co-op | Chi-square | |
| <$8000 | 2% | 0% | 20.879* |
| $8000-$11999 | 2% | 1% | |
| $12,000-$14,999 | 3% | 4% | |
| $15,000-$17,999 | 3% | 13% | |
| $18,000-$20,999 | 7% | 20% | |
| $21,000-$23,999 | 10% | 19% | |
| $24,000-$26,999 | 42% | 30% | |
| >$26,995 | 31% | 13% |
When asked to what extent the first job was related to their major area of study at the university, 76 % of the co-op and 68 % of the non-coop engineering graduates reported "directly related." The difference in percentages between the two groups is not, however, statistically significant.
In response to a question assessing academic preparation for the first job, approximately 75 % of each group rated their preparation as "excellent" to "good:'
Only 24 of the engineering graduates indicated that they were pursuing additional education, nine of whom were cooperative education participants. All except two of the 24 were enrolled in master's degree programs, and two-thirds were enrolled as full-time students. The co-op and non-co-op groups are similar in their educational plans.
The graduates who were enrolled in an educational program evaluated how well the university had prepared them for their additional academic work. The majority of the co-op (90%) and the non-co-op graduates (87 % ) rated their preparation as "excellent" to "good:'
Consistent with previous research (Al well, 1977; Epting, 1975; Hanson & Marshall, 1977; Rowe, 1980; Yensco, 1971), cooperative education experience has an impact on beginning salaries of recent graduates of engineering programs. Those graduates who had participated in a cooperative education program reported significantly higher starting annual salaries. This finding suggests that cooperative education gives the graduate an edge in negotiating a starting salary. Another possibility is that companies recognize the value of the co-op experience and have established a higher salary scale for employees with that experience.
This study did not ask engineering graduates whether they had participated in other types of work experiences. Previous research (Jagacinski et al, 1986) found that, regardless of the type, work experience had an impact on graduates' job status. It may be that some of the non-co-op students also had relevant work experience.
Cooperative education graduates did not differ significantly from other engineering graduates in their responses to any of the other survey questions. However, statistical significance is difficult: to reach because of the small sample and the number of response categories for each question.
In summary, the results provide a picture of post-graduation experiences of engineering co-ops. Engineering graduates who participated in cooperative education are employed full-time, and most are still employed at their first job a year or more after graduation. They are most likely to be employed in business or industry. They have been able to find a job within two months of graduation and are most likely to have heard about the job from the placement office, by direct contact with the employer, or from friends and relatives. Engineering co-op graduates report that their college studies are relevant to their job responsibilities, and the majority perceive that they are well prepared for their initial employment. Perhaps because of good job prospects only 14 % of those surveyed are enrolled in advanced educational programs.
Future studies should follow co-op participants several years after graduation to assess whether the initial salary advantage found in this study is maintained over time. In a time of declining support for financial aid programs, the fact that co-op graduates have higher starting salaries is an important finding. Cooperative education may help students not only to finance their college education while attending college but also to repay educational loans with higher earnings once they are permanently employed.
Not addressed by this study is the impact of cooperative education on job advancement and career development over time. Recommended are long-term follow-up surveys of alumni that examine job histories and career paths. Specific topics that require analysis of job histories are length of tenure with the first employer and subsequent employers, promotions within the organization, and changes in level of job responsibility. Such analysis could describe career stability as an indicator of successful job placement and career choice. The evaluation of long-term effects on career progression of alumni is a necessary component of an overall assessment of cooperative education.