Career Education Center

The Career Education Center offers many services to help undergraduate students and alumni in making career decisions appropriate to their career goals. Career Center resources such as: Titan Career Link the online job search and resource database, provides resources to research career options, explore job postings, apply for actual positions and learn more about career related subjects, activities and events.

Dean: Sheryl McGriff
Office: 109 Reno Hall
McNichols Campus
Phone: (313) 993-1017
Fax: (313) 993-1029
Email: careerlink@udmercy.edu

Assistant Dean: Peg Pierce
Office: 137 Reno Hall
McNichols Campus
Phone: (313) 993-1447
Fax: (313) 993-1029
Email: careerlink@udmercy.edu

Career Advising

Career advising clarifies the relationship between academic programs and career objectives. Through participation in career development courses, career advising sessions, or workshops, students can learn more about their career goals and explore various career options. Students can utilize the Career Center website and resource library to access a comprehensive reference collection of company literature, educational guides, self-help publications and career information resources.

Career and Job Search Services

Career and job search assistance is available to graduating seniors. Services include workshops and seminars, job search assistance and career advising, practice interviews, campus interviewing and an opportunity to participate in local and regional job fairs. Through the Career Education website: Titan Career Link students have access to a database of current job postings from local, regional and national organizations.

Cooperative Education

Co-op links academic learning with workplace experience to provide students with an education that has career relevance. Co-op gives students a chance to obtain practical work experience relative to their major and career goals before graduation. Students alternate their academic programs with terms of paid training in business, industry, healthcare and government.

Co-op assignments normally run concurrent with the University academic term beginning in January, May, and September. Work assignments are career specific. Students either “ALTERNATE” a full-time academic term with full-time co-op work assignments or “PARALLEL” part-time academic studies with part-time co-op work assignments.

Participation and Eligibility

All students in Master of Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Engineering programs are required to participate in the cooperative education program as part of their graduation requirements. Architecture and Engineering students have a minimum 2.0 overall GPA requirement, Nursing students must have a minimum 2.5 overall GPA.

Students in Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Science and Health Services Administration may elect to participate in the cooperative education program if their overall GPA is 2.5 or above, and they obtain faculty authorization from the school/college in their declared major.

Enrollment

Cooperative Education Preparation (CEC 300) is the prerequisite for students to participate in the cooperative education program. This one credit, tuition free class prepares students for involvement in the cooperative education program. The course helps students understand what co-op is and the value it has to their career goals. Students learn how to conduct a co-op job search and establish a relationship with their designated co-op coordinator to develop a clear plan for their co-op job search.

Transfer Students

Cooperative education in non-mandatory co-op programs is an option for students transferring into UDM. Students contemplating transferring to the University from another institution should contact a co-op coordinator and arrange an appointment to evaluate the student’s academic history and career goals for participation in cooperative education.

Co-op Student Responsibilities

• Successfully complete with a grade of C or higher, CEC 300 no sooner than the first semester of sophomore year.
• Secure a full-time or part time employment offer, related to the field of study for one more semesters
• Agree to work full-time or part-time for a minimum of 12 weeks of the academic term.
• Have approval of the academic advisor and submit an application for co-op credit application to the Career Education Center prior to registering for co-op credit.
• While on alternating co-op, take no more than six credit hours during the term without consulting their academic dean and co-op coordinator. Course work and work responsibilities should never interfere with each other.
• Complete all academic assignments and evaluation forms as part of the co-op assignment grade. Requirements may vary depending on the co-op assignment.
• Keep the co-op coordinator abreast of any changes in the co-op assignment.
• Architecture and Engineering students must maintain an overall GPA of 2.0. All other undergraduate programs must maintain a 2.5 overall GPA, and graduate students, a 3.0 GPA.
• Be a currently enrolled student.
• Adhere to policies of the co-op employer and the regulations of UDM catalog and the CEC’s co-op handbook.
• Participate in seminars as required.
• Pay the requisite participation fee for each co-op assignment. ($600 alternating/$300 parallel).

Co-op Portfolio Credit

Many transfer and returning adult students have spent considerable time in the work world and have experience that could be considered comparable to the co-op experience. These students have the option of submitting a “co-op portfolio” to document these experiences for consideration to fulfill the co-op requirement. For more information regarding the co-op portfolio credit, contact the Career Education Center. Please refer to the individual school/college listings for the specific requirements for participation in cooperative education.

Student Employment Services

Student Employment Services is coordinated by the Financial Aid Office. Work-study and Non Work-study job opportunities are posted on the bulletin board outside of the Financial Aid Office and on: Titan Career Link