CO-OP for Grad Students
QUICK GUIDE:
COURSE DESCRIPTION
PREREQUISITE INFORMATION
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS
HONOR CODE
GRADING
REGISTRATION AND TUITION PAYMENT FOR DEXL
The Directed Experiential Learning program (DEXL) is the graduate level equivalent of a CO-OP. DEXL enables students to earn up to six units of Master of Science in Engineering Science course credit for a research or design project. The project is the core of the DEXL. It is proposed by the employer in collaboration with the student and directed by a faculty member. The project is completed while working for a public or private company, external research lab, or government organization. As with a CO-OP, students gain professional experience through these activities. For more information on the Directed Experiential Learning Program please visit their website (DEXL)
Course Description
Directed Experiential Learning (DEXL) enables students to earn up to 6 units of MSES graduate course credit for a research or design project performed while working for a public or private company, external research lab, or government organization. Students will also gain professional experience through these activities.
Prerequisite Information
Students in the blended MSES program who have not fulfilled their undergraduate Co-op requirement need to complete at least six units of graduate level courses for the Master's of Science in Engineering Science (MSES) before they can register for DEXL units. (Non-blended MSES students do not need to meet this prerequisite requirement.) Students need to be in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
Academic Requirements
1. A brief Project Description must be approved by the student's employer, a faculty supervisor from SoECS, the co-op coordinator for SoECS, and the student's graduate-level academic adviser before the student can register for DEXL units.
2. A formal Project Proposal must be submitted to the student's employer and faculty supervisor no later than two months after the start of the semester. This Proposal must follow the MSES Research/Design Project Proposal Guidelines.
3. Students need to clearly document the interactions with their employer and faculty supervisor through Oral or Written Progress Reports scheduled on a regular basis.
4. Final Oral & Written Reports for the project must be delivered to the employer and faculty supervisor by the last day of classes for the final semester of the DEXL experience. The outline and format for the reports need to be determined by their employer and faculty supervisor based on the type of work performed by the student.
Professional Requirements
1. Students must submit a report at the end of their DEXL experience that outlines the general technical knowledge they gained during the experience in addition to other skills and qualities they learned and practiced such as time management, teamwork, ethics, and collegiality. Self-assessment of their performance should be included.
2. Employers are expected to submit a one-page evaluation of the student's employment performance at the end of the DEXL experience.
Honor Code
Students must follow Pacific's Honor Code as outlined in the current version of Pacific's General Catalog.
Grading
Grades on the Project Proposal (10%), Progress Reports (30%), Final Oral Report (15%), and Final Written Report (35%) can be determined collaboratively by the employer and faculty supervisor. A grade for the Professional Requirements (10%) can be determined collaboratively by the employer and co-op coordinator. A final letter grade will be assigned by the faculty supervisor using the percentages recommended above. Letter grades will correspond with the following point values:
| A | 93 - 100 | B- | 80 - 82 | D+ | 67 - 69 |
| A- | 90 - 92 | C+ | 77 - 79 | D | 60 - 66 |
| B+ | 87 - 89 | C | 73 - 76 | F | 0 - 59 |
| B | 83 - 86 | C- | 70 - 72 |
Registering and Tuition Payment for DEXL
§ MSES students: o Students in the MSES program can take up to four units of DEXL for full-time work during a fall or spring semester and up to three units of DEXL for full-time work during the summer. o No tuition units, stipends or fellowships are available from the School of Engineering and Computer Science for students participating in DEXL. Students are responsible for payment of tuition. It is expected that the student will be paid by the employer during the DEXL, yet a student is allowed to participate in an unpaid DEXL experience. § Blended MSES students: o Students in the Blended MSES program can take up to four units of DEXL along with 14 units of ENGR 181-183 (Co-op) for full-time work during a fall or spring semester and up to three units of DEXL along with 11 units of ENGR 181-183 (Co-op) for full-time work during the summer. For example, for the first Co-op/DEXL experience, the student will register for both ENGR 181 and 281. o Students are charged half tuition for fall or spring Co-op/DEXL semesters and receive one free academic summer (up to 20 units total) and one free Co-op/DEXL summer (up to 14 units). o Students will work with the Co-op Office and their faculty advisor to complete a CAPP Adjustment Form to waive the Co-op units that were fulfilled by DEXL units. The justification on the form should state: CONTENT FULFILLED THROUGH DEXL EXPERIENCE.
