About Cooperative Engineering

"I believe the co-op program at Fredonia has a lot of benefits to offer people; it definitely gave me a strong start to my career."
- Mike McCune
Manager, Fan Drive Gear System Business Center, Pratt and Whitney Aircraft

"Fredonia gave me a great start and I'll do what ever I can to give back to the school."
- Earl Kipler
Industrial Engineer with Northrop Grumman, Baltimore MD

The Fredonia Cooperative Engineering Program, one of the largest in the nation, has over 450 satisfied graduates like these. What is Cooperative Engineering? Read on ....

The Program

The Cooperative Engineering program takes its name from the academic cooperative agreements between the College at Fredonia and affiliated engineering schools. The intent is to combine Liberal Arts and Science at Fredonia with Engineering at another school, thereby maximizing the student's potential as a member of society and as an employer or employee. The agreements facilitate credit transfer and mutual recognition of general education requirements. The student benefits according to which of the five or more options is chosen. The popular "3-2" option enables two baccalaureates to be obtained in only five years, whereas, low cost and small school size for the first two years are the deciding factor in the 2-2 option that leads to one degree. A large number of engineering and engineering-related courses comprising most courses typically taught in the first two years at engineering schools are offered at Fredonia. These include Engineering Statics and Dynamics (PHYS 321,329), Mechanics of Solids (PHYS 322), Circuit Analysis (PHYS 323), Thermodynamics (PHYS 330) and Optics w/lab (PHYS 340-341).

Options

A student in the 3-2 option majors in a modified curriculum in biology, business administration, chemistry, computer science, economics, english, geology, history, mathematics, mathematics-physics, physics, psychology, or sociology; taking a minimum of 90 credit hours of liberal arts and sciences at the College at Fredonia and then 60 or more credit hours at one of the affiliated engineering colleges. When the student has completed the five year program, he/she obtains a baccalaureate in engineering from the affiliated school. Provided the student has satisfied Fredonia's remaining requirements at the engineering school, he/she obtains a second baccalaureate; this one from Fredonia according to the curriculum there followed.

Admission to the second institution is in most cases not guaranteed. However Fredonia students are generally highly regarded at the affiliated colleges, and we are very proud that every student who has completed the three-year Fredonia segment with the minimum GPA of 2.3 required for transfer has found a place at one of the affiliated schools or a non-affiliated school. Some affiliated schools have higher admissions standards than others and the Fredonia advisors will work with students preparing to transfer in order to find realistic choices based on our long experience.

At some of the affiliated institutions provisions are available for the highly qualified candidate to work directly towards a master's degree. This is the 3-3 option leading to a baccalaureate from Fredonia and baccalaureate and a masters degree from the affiliated college. For specialized curricula such as Aeronautical and Astronautical and Welding Engineering, the 2-3 option is available. Other curricular options are the 4-2 and the 2-2 options. In the 4-2 option the student graduates from Fredonia and then attends the engineering institution for two more years receiving either a masters in engineering or a bachelors degree in engineering depending upon his or her performance at the engineering institution. In the 2-2 option, the student will take the engineering core (see catalog) and transfers to the engineering school. However, in the 2-2 and 2-3 options, Fredonia is not able to grant a degree and the student receives only a bachelor's degree from the engineering school.

It is possible for students who do not wish to major in any one of the designated areas of liberal arts and sciences at Fredonia but are interested in engineering or other related disciplines to enter either Fredonia as Bachelor of Arts in Special Studies or Bachelor of Science in Special Studies program which allows the student to design his or her own cooperative engineering curriculum. These students take the prerequisite course work for the engineering college of their choice at Fredonia and then transfer. This program may or may not lead to a Fredonia degree depending upon the number of credits earned at Fredonia.

In summary, Fredonia has curricular options of 2-2, 2-3, 3-2, 3-3, and 4-2 programs depending upon the needs of the students. Entering students should apply as 3-2 Engineering with any of the affiliated colleges. This does not obligate you in any way to that particular choice - once in the program any of the above options can be subsequently chosen.

Please visit the main Physics Department page for further information on the department and faculty. Engineering course descriptions are listed with the Physics Course Listings. Fredonia also offers an innovative Industrial Management program which combines courses from engineering, business, mathematics, and physics and prepares the student for management positions in an engineering setting.

Track Sheets

Although the majority of 3-2 Cooperative Engineering students choose the Physics major due to the close connection of Physics to Mechanical, Electrical, and Civil Engineering, significant numbers choose other majors to suit their wider interests or complement their chosen field of engineering. For instance students interested in Biomedical Engineering may choose a Biology major, Chemical Engineering a Chemistry major, Environmental Engineering a Geology major and Industrial Engineering a Mathematics or Psychology major. Track sheets for 3-2 programs in the following majors give an outline of the courses taken over the three years at Fredonia (requires Adobe Acrobat viewer): Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, English, Geology, History, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology. Special tracksheets are also available for Physics and Chemistry majors preparing for the Ceramic Engineering program at Alfred University: Physics/Ceramic Engineering, Chemistry/Ceramic Engineering. Also a 2-2 pre-engineering program track sheet is available. Students unsure of their Fredonia major should follow the Physics tracksheet.

Advantages of COOPERATIVE ENGINEERING AT FREDONIA

• Two degrees give decisive edge in shifting job market.
• Backed by unbeatable reputations of affiliated engineering schools.
• Well tested program: 450 satisfied graduates.
• Low fees for at least 3 years.
• Two scholarships available in addition to college-wide awards.
• No "Freshman-only financial package" bait.
• Neither major nor engineering school need be chosen too soon.
• Track sheets available recommending course sequences for various majors.
• Physics courses tailored to meet engineering requirements.
• Full complement of introductory engineering courses (Engineering Mechanics, Circuit Analysis, Thermodynamics)
• Elective courses in Electronics and Optics.
• Students report they are very well prepared for upper level engineering classes, compared to students who started at the engineering school.
• Easy change to graduate programs if desired.
• Easy change to other majors if desired.
• Low attrition.
• Personal attention.
• Easy access to faculty with excellent student-faculty interaction.
• Effective advising from experienced faculty and staff.
• Small classes.
• Active Engineering and Physics Club.
• Learning Center: free tutoring.
• Extensive library holdings.
• Study area near faculty offices.
• Open Computer Lab in building with up-to date computers and scientific software.
• Quiet relatively trouble-free campus and community.
• Thriving Music and Theatre Arts departments - many cultural activities and student clubs.
• Immediate access to I-90 Thruway.
• Only 45 minutes to Buffalo and Buffalo International Airport

Career Options

The following is a list of the diverse career options which are available under the Cooperative engineering programs. The affiliated engineering institutions offering each discipline are given by code number according to the key given in the next section. Although every effort is made to keep this list current, students are encouraged to check engineering school catalogs or websites for changes or updates in specific programs.

Careers

• Aeronautical (2), (8)
• Aerospace (1), (11), (12)
• Aerospace & Aviation (6)
• Applied Physics (3),
• Bioengineering (12)
• Biomedical (1), (3), (4), (6), (8)
• Biomedical Materials Eng. Science (5)
• Ceramic (5), (6)
• Chemical (1), (2), (3), (4), (6), (8), (11), (12), (13)
• Civil (1), (2), (3), (4), (8), (11), (12), (13)
• Civil and Environmental (6), (12)
• Computer (1), (2), (3), (7), (9), (12), (13)
• Computer and Systems (8)
• Electrical (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13)
• Electrical Power (8)
• Engineering Administration (13)
• Engineering Mechanics (3)
• Engineering Physics (1), (6), (8), (11), (12)
• Engineering Science (8), (12)
• Environmental (3), (8), (11), (12)
• Fluid and Thermal Science (1)
• Food, Agricultural, & Biological (6)
• Geomatics (6)
• Glass Science (5)
• Industrial (3), (4), (11)
• Industrial and Management (8)
• Industrial and Operations Research (3)
• Industrial and Systems (6), (9), (10)
• Interdisciplinary and Management (2)
• Manufacturing (12)
• Materials (8)
• Materials Science (3), (12)
• Materials Science and Engineering (1), (3), (5), (6)
• Mechanical (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13)
• Metallurgical (3), (6)
• Microelectronic (8)
• Nuclear (8)
• Operations Research (3)
• Polymer Science (1)
• Software Engineering (2), (7), (9), (10)
• Systems and Control Engineering (1), (6)
• Welding (6)

Affiliated Institutions

The 13 engineering institutions now affiliated with the College at Fredonia are

1. Case Western Reserve University
2. Clarkson University
3. Columbia University
4. Louisiana Tech University
5. New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred
6. Ohio State University
7. Penn State Erie
8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
9. Rochester Institute of Technology
10. State University of New York at Binghamton
11. State University of New York at Buffalo
12. Syracuse University
13. Tri-State University

Our newest affiliated school (2000) is Penn State Erie, which offers Mechanical, Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering programs. In addition Penn State Erie is offering scholarships, available for students with Fredonia GPA's of 3.25 or higher.

Students may, if they wish, transfer to institutions other than these. Such arrangements have been very successful in the past.

Student Society:

A student organization,The Fredonia Engineering and Physics Society, sponsors lectures, field trips and research projects. Past projects include magnetic levitation, continuous-wave sonar, and robotics. The society provides a forum for students with similar career interests. Other extracurricular activities are available.

For further details, contact the Engineering Programs Director, Dr. Justin Conroy, Department of Physics, State University of New York College at Fredonia, Fredonia, NY 14063.

Professor Conroy may be contacted by telephone at 716-673-3302 or by e-mail at: justin.conroy@fredonia.edu.

Several Cooperative Engineering alumni have agreed to provide independent information concerning our program via e-mail.