Co-op at MCI

Get co-op. Be successful.

In the Business Technologies Division, which includes the Midwest Culinary Institute, all students must earn eight to ten credit hours in cooperative education, depending on program requirements (except for the Dietetic Technician program).

At Cincinnati State, we know that cooperative education significantly increases students’ chances of career success. That’s why, at the Midwest Culinary Institute and throughout Cincinnati State, co-op is closely integrated with our course curriculum, our scheduling, and our advising system. Two co-op coordinators support MCI students in preparing for and succeeding in their cooperative educational experiences.

As a co-op student in the Midwest Culinary Institute, you may work side-by-side with professionals in your chosen field at restaurants, country clubs, hospitals, hotels, or other venues in the region.

How you can benefit

Co-op experience enables you to:

• Reinforce classroom learning and apply it in a real-world setting;
• Earn money to offset the cost of your education while you gain valuable hands-on experience;
• Decide on your career direction;
• Develop leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Many MCI students have the opportunity for amazing career choices and job placements.

Eligibility requirements

In order to be eligible to participate in cooperative education, a student must:

• Be a matriculated student.
• Maintain a G.P.A. of 2.0 or higher, and complete any required program technical courses; a list is available from the co-op coordinator.
• Attend a co-op orientation session and complete a “petition to co-op” packet. It must be returned to the program co-op coordinator before consideration for placement.
• Agree to follow curriculum and meet all program requirements as specified.
• Agree not to seek full-time employment with his or her co-op employer until graduation.
• Understand that co-op students are not eligible for unemployment benefits for co-op positions, and as such, agree not to apply for them.

Any student wishing to drop out of the co-op program must have prior coordinator approval and complete the remainder of his/her co-op requirements by taking the co-op seminar courses. Once a student leaves the co-op program, he or she will not be eligible to re-enter without approval of the co-op coordinator.

Students may complete the required co-op experience on either an alternating or parallel track depending on the availability of positions. Students must meet with their co-op coordinator as soon as possible after admittance to their academic program to complete their co-op plan.

The Business Technologies Division will assist students in completing their cooperative education work experiences. Although the division’s co-op coordinators are generally successful in finding interview opportunities for co-op students, there is no employment guarantee. In these cases, the co-op coordinator will work with the student on alternatives to fulfill the cooperative education requirement.

For more information about MCI cooperative education, email us or call (513) 569-1621.

Midwest Culinary Institute—your entrée to a successful future