Mechanical Engineering Home > Education: Co-op: FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get to the Co-op Office?

The Co-op Office is located in the Mechanical Engineering building in room 1120 in the Undergraduate and Graduate Advising Office. The building is located at 111 Church Street, but our office is closer to the south side entrance across from Lind Hall, by the enormous "Tin Man" sculpture. For more information on parking and accessibility, go to the campus maps on Onestop.
Entrance to co-op office----->

Can I email in assignments?

You may email your journal article summaries (*including a pdf file of the article*), report title or design proposals, or report draft assignments. Specific instructions are given at the Co-op Calendar. *DO NOT* email your final reports, as they must be signed by a supervisor, and they need to be presented in an appropriate, professional fashion (see Guidelines for Reports for more details).

What if the office is locked when I turn in my assignment?

There is a box right outside the co-op office you may deposit your assignments or notes to be picked up the next day. You may also make special arrangements with the co-op office
(co-op@me.umn.edu) if you cannot make it to campus during the regular business hours
(8am-4:30pm).

Am I required to include all of this in my rough draft?

They are not required, and they don't count toward page count of the draft, but it is a very good idea to include them so the T.A. can make corrections if needed. It is especially recommend to do a title page and sample layout of the letter and tables of contents (even if the exact wording or headings aren't known yet), because these don't take much time, and it will help you in completing the final report.

How do I sign up for a writing workshop?

You do not need to sign up for a workshop. Just show up. If you live more than 70 miles from campus, you are excused from the workshop, but you must notify Barbara Evan (evanx001@umn.edu) or the Co-op office (co-op@me.umn.edu) a few days ahead of time. See the course workshop pages for more information.

Do international students have any special requirements?

For international students, working off-campus requires special documentation. The "F-1 Curricular Practical Training Forms" for student visas should be submitted for evidence that you are in a co-op, and they must be completed before you start at your place of work. It is also strongly recommended that you meet with an advisor at the International Student and Scholar Services office in room 190 in the Hubert H. Humphrey building on the west bank. You can visit their website to download the forms and find out more about the requirements, or call 626-7100 with any questions.

I haven't received a co-op grade yet ...
Why does my transcript show an "I" for my co-op grade?

The "I" or "incomplete" is there because of the longer than usual process it takes for the co-op grades to be processed. (The reports are due two weeks after the last day of finals week of the semester and the grading can take up to two months to review all the reports.)
The "I" will remain on your transcript until the grades are ready in about 6-8 weeks. Please be patient! If you need your co-op grade for graduation you will need to hand your report in early. (See Student Handbook, Grading.)
For more information, visit the Onestop "Academics" Frequently Asked Questions page.

Since a co-op student is considered full time, do I have access to the student services? Do I have to pay the student service fees?

Since co-op students are considered full-time, your full time status is activated in the system by something called "academic progress units". As long as a student has 13 a.p.u.s (6 a.p.u.s for summer semesters), which is the amount needed to be considered full time, you are charged a student service fee and have access to things like rec centers and Boyton Health services. For more information on the new 13-credit policy, please visit Onestop.

My insurance company needs proof that I am a full-time student; what can I do?

If you are ever in need of documentation that you are a full time student in the co-op, the co-op office can prepare a letter for you. The systems are now programmed to recognize co-op students as being full time, so it has become much easier for insurance purposes (see above question).