The Statler College and WVU Career Services provide students with opportunities for practical, real-world experience through several different programs, and helps them find great jobs after graduation. Career Services also assist employers in finding talented students for internships, co-ops, and permanent positions, and hosts an annual engineering and computer science career fair that draws hundreds of employers and thousands of students.
STEM Career and Internship Fair
In partnership with WVU Career Services, we offer pathway-based career fairs to streamline employers recruiting from disciplines that extend beyond individual Colleges and encourage students to attend the events that best match their career goals rather than by major.
These events happen each semester with more than 100 employers looking to Hire A Mountaineer! At the STEM Career and Internship Fair, there will be a wide range of opportunities in chemistry, construction, cybersecurity, engineering, healthcare IT, software development, supply chain, and more. Additionally, some companies attending the Agriculture and Natural Sciences Career Fair will seek various engineering majors. Many companies conduct on-campus interviews after the career fairs.
How to Register
The registration process for our Career Fair has been streamlined using our new online career assistance software, Handshake. You can access Handshake by visiting wvu.joinhandshake.com. If you do not already have an account with Handshake, click Sign up here in the top right corner of the screen.
- Select the Fairs tab under Schedule in the left column.
- Use the filters and search bar on the left side of the screen to narrow down your search results, e.g. West Virginia University under School.
- Find the career fair you are interested in, click on it and read the details.
- Click + Register in the top right corner.
- Complete the registration questions and submit.
If you have questions or would like more information please contact:
Erica LaRue
304.293.2222
erica.larue@mail.wvu.edu
Student Participants
Get your resume ready!! The companies attending the STEM Career and Internship Fair will be looking for qualified and highly motivated students to fill opportunities with their companies and agencies for internships, co-ops and permanent positions.
A week or two before the Career Fair, you will begin to receive e-mails with more detailed information and maps of the layout for the Fair.
Also log on to your Handshake account to keep an eye on the list of employers attending and their individual employment needs.
Co-Op Program
The Co-op Program allows students to obtain professional employment experience and earn a paycheck at the same time as they are earning an undergraduate degree in engineering or computer science. Cooperative Education enables students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to career-related employment by alternating periods of full-time study with paid full-time employment.
Any student attending a college or university in West Virginia who is pursuing a degree in engineering or computer science is eligible to apply. A wide range of companies offer co-ops to our students. Students work three or four work periods throughout a five-year period. Co-ops gives students the unique opportunity to integrate classroom learning with practical professional experience.
The Cooperative Education Program is available to any student at WVU majoring in engineering or computer science. Students attending other state colleges or universities who are planning to ultimately pursue a degree in engineering or computer science are also eligible.
The Cooperative Education program in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources is nationally accredited. The program is a statewide initiative designed to help students obtain meaningful employment while pursuing an undergraduate degree in engineering or computer science.
Cooperative Education provides an opportunity for a student to apply what was learned in the classroom to career-related employment by alternating periods of full-time study and paid full-time employment.
Students
The Co-op program is a voluntary plan for students who have completed at least two full-time semesters. Participants must have a total of 30 credit hours and at least a 2.5 college grade point average.
Students accepted into the Co-op program alternate periods of study with three to five periods of work as shown in the sample work schedules below. Although the Co-op participant is considered a full-time student during the work period, students only pay a modest co-op fee during the assigned work periods.
Your Resume
To write a great resume, you do not necessarily need to follow certain "rules" you may have heard. Your resume does not have to be one page. It does not have to follow a specific format. How you set your resume up should depend on how you can best present yourself.
The main purpose of a resume is to get you an interview. A resume is essentially an advertisement for you. An excellent resume doesn't just tell people what you have done in your life; it tells employers how you can put your skills and experience to work to help them accomplish their goals. It is a great idea, whenever possible, to tailor your resume to each position for which you are applying or each company which you are approaching.
There are many resources online for resume writing, so do some research, put some time into developing yours. Also, if spelling, grammar, and usage are not your strong points, be sure to have someone who is an expert in this area review your resume.
See the sample resumes attached here for more ideas.
- Sample Project Based Engineering Resume
- Sample Internship Based Engineering Resume
- Sample Computer Science Resume
Typical Schedule
The statewide program is a five-year professional development experience designed to combine practical on-the-job experience with the classroom education of a four-year college curriculum. Our Co-op Program gives participating students a unique opportunity to integrate classroom learning and practical professional experience, evaluate career choices, and to become more marketable graduates, while at the same time increasing their earning potential during their college experience. Students accepted into the Co-op program alternate periods of study with three to five periods of work as shown in the sample work schedules below. Although the Co-op participant is considered a full-time student during the work period, students only pay a modest Co-op fee during the assigned work periods.
Evaluations
After each work period, students most complete the Student Report and Assessment form and the Student Performance Assessment form.
Student Performance Assessment
FAQs
Who can participate in the co-op program?
You can! If you are an engineering or computer science student in West Virginia, you have the opportunity to put your educational skills to work, develop new skills, get paid, and gain valuable experience to give you a competitive edge for career success.
What type of work will I do?
Co-op employment provides students with the opportunity to compliment their academic program of study with meaningful work experiences related to their discipline. As the Co-op students progress through subsequent work periods, they will perform more complex tasks. By the final work session, students' responsibilities are comparable to those expected after graduation.
When will I work?
Typically,Co-op students begin their working on mid-year of their sophomore year and complete all required work sessions with the same employer. Juniors and seniors should check with the Co-op Office for eligibility.
Where will I work?
Many Co-op students will work in West Virginia and the surrounding states. However, Co-op opportunities are available anywhere in the United States.
Why should I want to Co-op?
This program enable students to explore career opportunities. Co-op students also earn a significant portion of their college expenses that greatly enhancing their marketability.
How do I get involved?
To learn more about this exciting program, please contact careerservices@mail.wvu.edu.