Career Education Center

Mission
The Career Education Center's mission is to offer relevant and timely career development training to UDM students. The Center provides opportunities for students to explore career options, obtain career-related experience and to research and find meaningful employment appropriate to their knowledge, abilities, aspirations and interests. The CEC website TitanCareerLink provides resources for students and alumni to research career options, explore job postings, apply for actual positions, learn more about career related subjects, and view activities and events offered by the Career Education Center.

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

Assistant Dean: Elissa Clemons
Office: Reno Hall
McNichols Campus
Phone: (313) 993-1449
Fax: (313) 993-1029
Email: careerlink@udmercy.edu

Career Education Center Services

We accomplish our mission by providing students with…

• Experiential learning opportunities through cooperative education and internships
• Opportunities to network with recruiters' through campus interviewing, career fairs, employer information sessions and on-line career management software
• Opportunities to learn and implement lifelong career development and career management skills through courses, workshops, seminars and online career resources

CEC Core Values

• We are committed to empowering students to make purposeful career-related decisions.
• We are committed to building and fostering partnerships with employers, faculty, staff and administration to facilitate the accomplishment of the CEC mission.
• We are committed to supporting the University's mission to provide excellent student-centered education in a welcoming and supportive environment

The Career Education Center offers:

• Career coaching and one-to-one individual assistance. E-mail, or call for an appointment at 313-993-1017
• A 4-year Career Development Guide with suggestions for career development beginning as early as the Freshmen year
• 24/7 access to resources to assist in career planning, job search, employer research, interview preparation, dining etiquette, choosing a major, etc.
• 24/7 access to a database of current job postings from local, regional and national organizations

Cooperative Education

Cooperative education (co-op) is a structured educational strategy integrating classroom studies with learning through productive work experiences in a field related to a student's academic or career goals. Co-op provides progressive experiences integrating theory and practice. Co-op is a partnership between students, the university and the employer, with specified responsibilities for each party.

Co-op at University of Detroit Mercy
Cooperative education has been part of the University of Detroit Mercy curriculum since 1911 when the University of Detroit introduced co-op as a required component of the engineering program. The UDM program was the first in Michigan and is the fourth oldest program in the United States. The UDM Guide to Cooperative Education is available on the CEC website.

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.

Co-op Criteria Overview

Participation in the undergraduate cooperative education program is a privilege extended to those students who meet certain criteria and who demonstrate through their initial academic work their ability. Students must be “full-time” matriculating students carrying a minimum of twelve (12) academic credit hours per fall and winter semester and majoring in a discipline which allows cooperative education in the curriculum.

Students must successfully complete the appropriate section Cooperative Education Preparation (CEC 300) course in the appropriate time frame and meet the minimum grade point average requirement. The CEC provides opportunities for students to network with employers to secure co-op experience via job postings on our online recruitment database TitanCareerLink (www.udmercy.edu/cecc), campus interviews, employer information sessions, sponsored career fairs and announcements about other area career networking events.

Because co-op integrates work with classroom trainings in non-required programs will not be allowed to enroll for co-op credit in the final semester of study.

Criteria for Participation (Required Programs)
All students in Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Architecture, Master of Science in Physician Assistant (5 year accelerated), Master of Business Administration (5 year accelerated) 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 and Physician Assistant students must have a minimum 2.5 overall GPA. Business students must have a minimum 3.2 overall GPA.

Criteria for Participation (Non-Required Programs)
Students in non-required Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Science and Health Services may elect to participate in the cooperative education program if their overall GPA is 2.0 or above.

Co-op Student Responsibilities

To earn academic credit, students must meet the criteria and follow guidelines articulated in the UDM Handbook for Cooperative Education before, during and after each co-op work term. The guidelines are reviewed in the required Preparation for Cooperative Education (CEC 3000) course.

Undergraduate Credit by Portfolio

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.

Co-op for 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 the Career Education Center and arrange an appointment to evaluate the student’s academic history and career goals 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: TitanCareerLink