Co-op and Career Opportunities

Co-op gives special character to architectural education at the University of Cincinnati, which invented the concept 100 years ago and is still the largest cooperative education institution in the country. Salaried professional experience, arranged from a roster of over 700 firms all over the U.S. and overseas, complement students' understanding of the discipline. Our graduates' advanced professional experience and self-reliance makes them singularly valuable to employers. Moreover, state licensing boards grant credit toward the three years of internship that are required to take the architectural registration examination. In addition to professional experience, the co-op is also a financial engine and provides significant income to defray educational expenses. At the graduate level, we aspire to heighten integrative learning between the classroom and practice through the four-quarter eCOOP sequence.

Option Quarter

Students in the 4+2 and MArch 1 programs select their own Option Quarter activity. They might organize, for example, an itinerary for educational travel; they might register for more academic study at Cincinnati or another US or overseas school; they can expand their practical work experience with summer employment in construction or other occupations related to architecture; they can volunteer for service/community participation such as Habitat for Humanity; or they can propose individual educational projects. Students encounter new educational experiences, after which they reflect on those experiences in written and visual reports.

Career Opportunities

Most graduates work in architectural firms, which often employ other design professionals as well. While the great majority of architectural offices have fewer than 10 employees, who typically assume a wide range of responsibilities, architects in large firms may focus on more specialized roles such as design, technical support, business management and marketing, facility programming, or historic preservation. An architectural degree can also lead to a career in interior design, urban design and planning, engineering, construction, real estate development, or university teaching.