Mississippi State University's cooperative education program is one of the first eight to gain accreditation by a newly created national review board.
The MSU program is a charter member of the Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education, which was formed last year.
Co-op participants alternate semesters between campus classes and salaried employment in their chosen field. MSU students currently are working in 38 states with more than 300 companies and government agencies.
Now in its fourth decade, MSU's five-year rotation of study and work is open to all academic disciplines. It is the 12th largest co-op program in the nation, with nearly 900 students enrolled and more than 400 applying for future participation.
ACCE accreditation is awarded by an independent review board of institutional members. Inclusion in the organization requires a comprehensive self-study completed by the university and a favorable report based on a review team's visit to campus.
Accredited programs also are required to have established missions and goals, written criteria for student eligibility and a formal plan for alternating a student's academic studies with work experience.
