Concordia College

Cooperative Education and Internships

Cooperative Education at Concordia is defined as any career-related work experience formalized for academic credit, including internships, field experiences and other forms of practical work-based learning.  In addition to academic credit, Cooperative Education adds relevance to academic studies, heightens curriculum awareness, enhances professional networking, and sharpens career focus.

Guided by learning agreements designed in consultation with their faculty coordinators, students under-take tasks that allow application of classroom theory in real work settings as directed by their site supervisors.  Professional vocabulary, job-specific methods, strategies, and techniques are learned. 

Transferable skills, including oral and written communication, teamwork, problem solving/decision making, self-management, and initiative are learned and practiced.  Technical abilities such as software, hardware, or programming expertise and using specialized equipment may develop or become more refined.

All academic departments participate in Cooperative Education, and experiences relate to a student’s major, minor or career goals.  A maximum of 2.0 credits is allowed toward the 31.5 courses required for graduation.  The amount of credit and learning agreement terms can be determined by consultation with a faculty advisor and a Career Center staff person.  Positions may be local, within the US and in other countries; they may be full-time or part-time, paid or unpaid.  Reflections Internship Program funding to cover tuition expenses may be available to students working in certain unpaid experiences.  For details, see Barbara Aarestad in Academy 110 or Faculty Guide available at http://student.cord.edu/dept/career/coop ed/faculty guide to co op.shtml

Credo Honors Program

The Credo Program is Concordia’s general (as opposed to departmental) honors program.  Open by invitation to highly select first-year students, Credo offers an alternative way to fulfill four of the seven

Core distribution requirements for graduation, as well as offering a senior year independent research experience.  Credo courses are distinctive in that 1) they typically are unique courses that explore the synthesis of two or more Core disciplines; these courses are not otherwise offered in the curriculum,

2) the high ability and motivation levels of the students contributes to an atmosphere of vigorous interchange among students and faculty, and 3) the courses are typically team-taught by two faculty members bringing distinctive disciplinary and methodological approaches to a single issue.

During the first semester of their freshman year, Credo students should take a Credo Critical Inquiry Seminar, Credo 100.  There are six Credo Inquiry Seminars each of which will have a smaller enrollment than the standard Inquiry Seminars.  These Credo Inquiry Seminars are the entranceway into the Credo Program.  After their first year Credo students can take three more of their Core distribution courses in the Credo Program.  Credo students should take one Credo course from each of the three Core areas: Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Social Sciences; Humanities and Arts.  During their junior or senior years

Credo students need to complete a Credo Capstone course in the area of their major.  The Credo Capstone is either an independent study project or a project completed through a departmental Honors Class that is judged to be honors quality by the responsible faculty supervisor.  Students can leave the Credo program at any time.  Should a student choose to leave the Credo Program prior to completing it, all courses taken will still satisfy Core Distribution requirements for graduation.

In order to remain in the Credo program, students must maintain a 3.25 GPA during their freshman year and a 3.50 GPA thereafter.  In addition to course work Credo students gather regularly for films, lectures, and social events.  There is also an optional semester in Crete available for Credo students.

Any invited student who wishes to learn more about Credo should contact Dr.Heidi Manning.  If it appears that a student who should have been invited into Credo has not been invited, please contact

Dr. Manning.

Honors Program -- Departmental

Departmental honors programs are offered to exceptional students who would benefit the most from an opportunity to further develop their talents in intensified study programs.  These upper-division students pursue concentrated and accelerated studies in their area of interest.

Each departmental honors student follows the same pattern of courses required for a major in the field, but he/she must complete heavier assignments in each course.  Additional requirements include a written senior thesis and written and oral examinations during the last part of the senior year.  At times, portions of a student’s attendance requirements MAY be waived so that additional time can be devoted to the student’s studies.  At graduation, the student is recognized as graduation “with honors,” and this notation is placed on the transcript.

Departments that have honors programs are:

                            Biology                                                          Mathematics

                            Chemistry                                                      Philosophy

                            Communication Studies                                   Political Science

                            Education                                                       Psychology

                            English                                                           Religion

                            German                                                         Spanish

                            History                                                           

For additional information concerning these programs, contact the department chair or a member of the department.