Georgia Southern University's Engineering Co-op Program Doubles Placement Rate

Georgia Southern University's College of Engineering and Computing says its co-op program placed more than 450 students in paid industry positions this academic year, roughly double the placement total from three years ago, after the school added a dozen new manufacturing and logistics partners across coastal Georgia.

The co-op model, which alternates semesters of classroom study with full-time paid work terms, has become a signature feature of Georgia Southern's engineering school. University officials say the expansion was driven largely by demand from Savannah-area employers who have struggled to recruit engineering talent given the region's rapidly growing port and logistics sector.

"Companies near the port kept telling us the same thing — they can't get enough engineers to move to Statesboro or Savannah, so they need to grow their own," said Georgia Southern's Dean of Engineering and Computing. "The co-op program is our answer to that. Students train with these companies for a year and a half before they graduate, so by the time we hand them a diploma, the employer already knows exactly what they're getting."

Students in the program typically complete three six-month work rotations before graduating, earning wages that the university says average close to $21 an hour. Georgia Southern reports that roughly 68 percent of co-op participants receive a full-time job offer from one of their placement employers before graduation.

The university plans to add several additional co-op partners next year, with a particular focus on advanced manufacturing firms tied to the growing Savannah logistics corridor.