Cooperative Education: William R. Kellett School

Innovative Solutions To Workplace Challenges

At Lakeland University we value work, and the learning that is accomplished on the job and in the workplace. Let us help you receive academic credit while you’re at work and cut down the time it takes to earn your degree – without stepping foot in a physical classroom!

With Lakeland University’s Cooperative Education program, you can help solve workplace challenges – for credit!

  • Conducting research for a new product line?
  • Writing a training manual to improve job safety and efficiency?
  • Designing a better way to review your company’s performance data?
  • …Get class credit.

Earn Academic Credit On The Job

Earn credits toward your degree for on-the-job learning

Whether it is projects you’re already doing or much-needed tasks your boss doesn’t have time for – only Lakeland lets you earn academic credit for real-time work projects. Students help work on solutions to real workplace problems and challenges, benefiting today’s companies and developing tomorrow’s next great innovators!

Unrivaled Flexibility

We Value Work

At Lakeland, students have unrivaled flexibility to supplement their core courses with academic or hands-on learning that achieves your individual career goals as part of your degree.

Lakeland’s undergraduate business programs require an emphasis area, and our Student Designed Emphasis has become a popular option.

In our graduate program, we offer a Student Designed Concentration in our MBA and MS-LOD programs.

Students have three ways to earn their emphasis/concentration:

  • Design your own by choosing four LU courses from any major or program you have an interest in. We’ve had undergraduate business students take computer science courses, or MBA students who took some courses in our master of counseling program.
  • Further your academic experience in areas where Lakeland may not offer coursework. Turn a professional training program, workshop or Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) into credit toward your emphasis.
  • Earn credit through work-based projects with a Cooperative Design course. Lakeland’s award-winning Cooperative Education program allows students to earn academic credit for innovative projects on the job.

Student Examples

Here are some examples of recent projects that Lakeland students turned into credit toward their degree:

  • A Business Administration student designed an operational manual for upper-level management at their workplace, including operational goals and key performance indicators.
  • A Business Administration student created and executed a plan to develop a retail store for a local food manufacturer.

A Food Safety & Quality student utilized work experience for class credit in the creation of a project-based company warehouse risk assessment policy/procedure manual to include food safety. The project will also include educating third party vendors on best practices and compliance rules.

A Management Information Systems student updated the 911 system for automated dispatch of emergency fire calls to all fire stations allowing the dispatchers to immediately focus on injured parties.

An MBA student in the Digital Marketing field created a digital marketing plan for an artist that updates the artist’s Facebook, Instagram and YouTube platforms. The artist accepted the plan and it is currently being implemented.

  • An MS-LOD student created a survey of employees at their workplace on culture. They will analyze the results and prepare an improvement plan to present to corporate leadership.
  • An MS-LOD student created a membership sustainability plan for a local community service organization.

Contact Us!

Whether you are a seasoned professional or new to the world of work, Lakeland's award-winning Co-Op program has an option for you!

Fill out the form below to learn more, and an admissions advisor will contact you to show you can get started!

Have questions? Please fill out this form and someone will be in contact with you.

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