Cooperative Education Helps Graduate Land Dream Job

Carlton Stine will be graduating this spring from the civil engineering

ACCEND

program in the

College of Engineering and Applied Science

at the University of Cincinnati.  He will be graduating with a bachelor's of science in civil engineering and a master's of business administration on April 26.

Stine, a native of Toledo, Ohio, chose to pursue his higher education at the University of Cincinnati because of the engineering programs and the

cooperative education program

. Engineering students are enrolled into the mandatory

Cooperative Education Program

in the

Division of Professional Practice and Experiential Learning

. The university’s co-op program alternates full-time terms of academic study and paid work experience.  

Through the co-op program, Stine completed four co-op experiences during his undergraduate career, co-oping at Frito Lay and Marathon Petroleum. Stine’s last three co-op experiences were with Marathon Petroleum in the engineering department, focusing on pipeline integrity and project management. “My job was to help engineers find various anomalies on pipelines such as corrosion, dents, cracks, etc, and to schedule crews and contractors to fix these anomalies,” states Stine.

Stine says he has developed professionally and personally from his cooperative education. He states that the program gives students a competitive advantage over other graduating seniors nationally and in the job market. “From my co-op experiences I have learned how to be an effective employee in a professional environment. I have learned the benefit of continuing education and working hard to achieve career success. I have developed key skills and competencies within my field of study and lastly, I have learned to bridge the gap between classroom and co-operative education,” says Stine.

Stine’s combined exceptional co-op experiences and determination have helped him land his dream job at BP managing offshore pipelines, riser, and flow lines system integrity.

When asked what he would recommend to other co-op students, Stine advises, "Develop a relationship with the cooperative education faculty advisor," adding that “communicating regularly is one of the greatest things you can do, because you never know when he/she may be able to recommend you for your dream job.”