Influence of Job Market Conditions on Engineering Cooperative Education Participation
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 142, Issue 3
Abstract
Cooperative education (co-op) is a program in which participating students typically alternate between full-time study and paid full-time employment. Choosing to participate in a co-op program usually delays the student’s graduation by up to one year, but may increase the student’s job market prospects. This paper attempts to estimate the response of co-op participation to the engineering field-specific average wage for recent graduates. A relationship between wage growth, student ability, and co-op participation is investigated. Predictive modeling was performed using data obtained from the Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development (MIDFIELD), as well as the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) Annual Report of Engineering Salaries. Semistructured interviews were conducted with industry co-op representatives to address supply and demand related questions. The authors found that a $10,000 real increase in the average initial wage causes a 5.4% decrease in co-op program participation. In addition, there is heterogeneity in the response by student ability.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
ABET. (2014). “Criteria for accrediting engineering programs.” Baltimore, MD, 27.
Arrow, K. J., and Capron, W. M. (1959). “Dynamic shortages and price rises: The engineer-scientist case.” Q. J. Econ., 73(2), 292–308.
Calway, B. A., and Murphy Gerald, A. (2000). “Career progression of cooperative education graduates.” J. Cooperative Educ. Internships, 35(2–3), 68–75.
Clemson University. (2015). “Cooperative education program.” 〈http://www.clemson.edu/coop/〉 (Mar. 17, 2015).
Engineering Workforce Commission. (1988–2009). “Engineering salary survey: Professional income of engineers.” American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES), Washington, DC.
Friel, T. (1995). “Engineering cooperative education: A statistical analysis of employer benefits.” J. Eng. Educ., 84(1), 25–30.
Gardner, P. D., and Motschenbacher, G. (1997). “Early work outcomes of co-op and non-co-op engineers: A comparison of expectations, job level, and salary.” J. Cooperative Educ. Internships, 33(1), 6–24.
Hansen, W. L. (1961). “The shortage of engineers.” Rev. Econ. Stat., 43(3), 251–256.
Long, R. A., and Ohland, M. W. (2015). “The multiple-institution database for investigating engineering longitudinal development.” 〈https://engineering.purdue.edu/MIDFIELD〉 (Mar. 17, 2015).
Morgan, J., Brannon, T., and Bowman, K. R. (1999). “The relationship of undergraduate work terms and other variables to starting base salary of agricultural graduates.” J. Cooperative Educ. Internships, 34(3), 25–29.
National Commission for Cooperative Education. (1996). Directory of college cooperative education programs, Oryx Press, Phoenix, AZ.
Ohland, M. W., Lord, S. M., and Layton, R. A. (2015). “Student demographics and outcomes in civil engineering in the United States.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 04015003.
Purdue University. (2015). “Professional practice (co-op) program.” 〈https://engineering.purdue.edu/ProPractice/〉 (Mar. 17, 2015).
Raelin, J. A., et al. (2011). “The effect of cooperative education on change in self-efficacy among undergraduate students: Introducing work self-efficacy.” J. Cooperative Educ. Internships, 45(2), 17–35.
Russell, J. S. (1991). “Cooperative education: One perseptive.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 319–335.
Ryoo, J., and Rosen, S. (2004). “The engineering labor market.” J. Political Economy, 112(S1), S110–S140.
Smollins, J. P. (1999). “The making of the history: Ninety years of Northeastern co-op.” Northeastern Univ. Mag., 24(5), 19–25.
Somers, G. (1995). “The post-graduate pecuniary benefits of co-op participation: A review of the literature.” J. Cooperative Educ. Internships, 31(1), 25–41.
Stockbridge, F. P. (1911). “Half time at school and half time at work.” World’s Work, 21, 14265–14275.
Virginia Tech. (2015). “Career services @ Virginia Tech.” 〈http://www.career.vt.edu/COOP/COOP1.html〉 (Mar. 17, 2015).
Wessels, W., and Pumphrey, G. (1995). “The effects of cooperative education on job-search time, quality of job placement and advancement.” J. Cooperative Educ. Internships, 31(1), 42–52.
Worley, D. L. (2010). “The benefits of preparation: Examining the relationship between integrated work experiences and post-graduation pursuits for baccalaureate completers.” J. Cooperative Educ. Internships, 44(1), 23–33.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 26, 2015
Accepted: Aug 31, 2015
Published online: Nov 6, 2015
Discussion open until: Apr 6, 2016
Published in print: Jul 1, 2016
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.