Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Employer

How do I post a job?

The Center for Career Discovery and Development uses CareerBuzz - a free, user-friendly job database that allows employers to recruit students.  Establishing your profile through CareerBuzz ensures that your job opportunities are visible to the largest student population.  Students have 24x7 access to the system to search for full-time, part-time, co-op and internship positions. Students are instructed to use Careerbuzz in their job search.  https://gatech-csm.symplicity.com/employers/

How do I request interview dates?

Using your Careerbuzz account you will Create a New Schedule Request.

What are the important recruiting dates?

Here is the Recruiting Calendar (Adobe PDF file) for the Georgia Tech Career Center.

Who is my Customer Service Representative?

For better service, the Employer Relations team has been divided by alphabet:

Employer Name Starts With Contact Name Contact Email Contact Phone
A-L; 0-9 Chiragi Patel chiragi.patel@gatech.edu 404-894-3715
M-Z Richard South richard.south@gatech.edu 404-894-2554
C2D2 Partners Richard South richard.south@gatech.edu 404-894-2554

 

How do I sign up for career fair(s) on campus?

All career fair dates and information is listed on our website on our Campus Career Fairs page.  You should be able to locate information about these events and find out how to register as an attendee.  If you have any questions or need assistance, please email us at employerrelations@mail.gatech.edu.

How do I connect with students?

There are many recruiting events and opportunities available throughout the year.  For a short list of strategies, review our Employer Recruiting Guide.
 

Who notifies students about my available job opportunities?

You are responsible for creating a “Buzz” about your company and available opportunities.   After posting your job(s) on Careerbuzz  please refer to our Employer Recruiting Guide for ideas on how to generate interest in your opportunities. 

Who monitors my job posting and/or On Campus Recruiting interview schedule deadlines (example: the applicant selection time period)?

You are responsible for keeping track of important dates associated with your interview schedule.

What recruiting events do you offer besides career fairs?

All upcoming recruiting events are posted on our website under our Events section.

Where can I find information about student salaries?

Graduate

What is the Graduate Cooperative Education (Grad Co-op) Program?

Graduate Co-op at Georgia Tech is an innovative approach to experiential learning.  The program was established in 1983 and is currently the largest graduate co-op program in the United States in which students of all majors are eligible to participate.  The program provides all graduate students the opportunity to work with industry and governmental leaders in their respective areas of study.  Students receive approval from their major school to work full or part-time assignments during any semester.  Graduate Co-op students may not work more than two consecutive full-time semesters before returning to school for classes.

There are no fees associated with the Graduate Co-op Program.  Students are enrolled through their registration in a 12 audit hour graduate co-op course.  This permits students to retain all privileges of full-time enrolled students while on work assignments.  The Graduate Co-op Program is available to masters and doctoral level students who are in good standing and maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA.

What is the difference between graduate co-op and graduate internships?

At the graduate level, internships and co-op work assignments mean the same thing at Georgia Tech.  Although graduate students may work internships without enrollment credit at Georgia Tech, co-ops/internships registered through the Career Center’s Graduate Co-op Program are recorded on your transcript as full-time, no-cost, audit credit.  This allows you to maintain your enrollment status while you gain full-time work experience in your field.  Some benefits to this continuity of enrollment include continuation of student benefits such as library access and the opportunity to pay optional student fees for the Campus Recreation facility, health and wellness center, or for Athletic Association events.  

For international students, registration of your internship through the Graduate Co-op Program qualifies your off-campus work assignment as a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) experience; this allows you to postpone using your limited Optional Practical Training (OPT) until after graduation.

Who is eligible?

The Graduate Co-op Program is available to masters and doctoral level students with at least a 3.0 GPA. (Some schools may have higher GPA requirements.) 

With approval, students can register to work full or part-time assignments during any semester, fall, spring, or summer. 

 

Who must approve an internship as a Graduate Co-op assignment?

Graduate co-op assignments require academic department approval and enrollment approval from the Grad Co-op Office in the Georgia Tech Career Center (in the Bill Moore Student Success Center).

Masters:  Academic Adviser or Graduate Coordinator
Doctoral:  Academic Adviser/Graduate Coordinator and Faculty Adviser

 

When may I apply to participate in the Graduate Cooperative Education Program?

Students are eligible to participate in the Graduate Cooperative Education Program after completion of at least one academic semester of graduate study at Georgia Tech. Students receiving undergraduate degrees from Georgia Tech who have been admitted to a Georgia Tech graduate program may seek academic departmental approval to work during their first semester of graduate study. 

Can International Students participate in the Graduate Co-op Program?

Yes!  The Graduate Co-op Program is a great tool for further development of your career skills through experiential education. Registration of your internship through the Graduate Co-op Program qualifies your off-campus work assignment as a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) experience; this allows you to postpone using your limited Optional Practical Training (OPT) until after graduation.  A graduate co-op work assignment using CPT may be approved for any semester prior to your graduation: fall, spring or summer. 

I am an international student on F-1 visa; am I limited to 12 months internship experience?

International students on F-1 visas who register full-time internships as Grad Co-op assignments are eligible for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) There is no limit to how much CPT may be worked as long as it is approved as an academic part of your degree.  However, if you work more than 365 days of Full-Time CPT, you will forfeit 100% of your OPT available to you at your current degree level.  Most students are not willing to give up the after graduation OPT, so students coordinate their CPT work amount with OIE so they do not exceed 365 days of FT CPT.
Part-time CPT is currently not counted toward that 365 day amount that leads to OPT forfeiture.  Note, part-time CPT is available up to a maximum of 20 hours’ work per week.  

 

Can I work part-time as a Grad Co-op?

The Graduate Cooperative Education Program allows the flexibility to work full-time or part-time with academic departmental approval.  Graduate students may not exceed twenty-one hours credit in a given semester, including the audit hours awarded for Graduate Co-op work assignments. Part-time Graduate Co-op classes are available.

Students who work fifteen to twenty hours per week register for COOP 6009.  This class awards nine hours audit credit.  Students who work ten to fourteen hours per week register for COOP 6006, which awards six hours audit credit. Students may receive special approval to work fewer than ten hours per week and will enroll in COOP 6003 which awards three hours audit credit. No fewer than six hours work per week will be considered for Graduate Co-op credit. 
Graduate Co-op classes are approved for a minimum number of weeks equal to the time scheduled for academic classes at the Atlanta campus. Graduate Co-op students must work a minimum of 16 weeks for a fall and spring semester work assignment.  Summer work assignments must be a minimum of ten weeks. No partial semester work assignments are approved for Graduate Co-op credit except in some International Internship situations. 

What is the deadline to register an internship as a Grad Co-op assignment?

The deadline to submit all documents for CPT/Grad Coop/Internship is the Friday before classes begin 4:00 PM EST

Can I change Grad Co-op employers?

After a student accepts an offer for internship or co-op, changes to a different employer for the same work semester are not allowed.  If an offer from a different employer is made after you have already accepted, you may discuss the possibility of working with the new employer on a different semester than the term you have already committed to work.

What requirements must I satisfy for Co-op credit?

All Graduate Co-op work assignments must be related to your academic major.  Graduate Co-op assignments must be paid, although compensation varies from one employer to another. Each Graduate Co-op student is asked to provide updated contact information on their work supervisor; at the end of the work semester, the work supervisor will receive an e-mail request to complete an online performance evaluation of the Grad Co-op student.  Finally, each student is asked to log into C2D2’s software, CareerBuzz, to complete a work report at the end of each Graduate Co-op work assignment.

Undergraduate

How do I join the Internship and/or Co-op Programs?

Log into CareerBuzz, from “My Quicklinks” select “Submit/Edit Your Exp. Learning Application.”  Complete the application and watch the orientation Prezi – allow 24 hours for your application to be approved.  Schedule an appointment to meet with your Career Development Advisor who will answer any questions you have and discuss your career exploration.

What is the difference between Internships and Co-op?

An internship is a one semester commitment.  The internship can be either part-time or full-time.  Co-op is a three semester commitment with the same employer.  Students alternate between work and school until they have completed three work terms.  Co-op work terms are always full-time, students do not attend classes while on work rotation. Students on co-op assignment take a schedule of full-time classes following a work term. 

Who is eligible?

To be eligible for the Internship & Co-op programs, students must have a 2.0 or above GPA and be in good academic standing.  Students also must attend classes on campus for a minimum of one semester prior to beginning a work rotation.  Co-op students must have a minimum of three semesters of classes left to begin a co-op.  If you are an F-1 student please refer to “International Authorization” for more details and requirements.

Are students matched with employers?

No, we do not match students and employers.  Employers post their positions via CareerBuzz and set the criteria for their position.  Students who met the criteria can apply.  Applying for jobs and interviewing are important steps in the career development of our students.  We are here to assist and prepare students as they pursue internship and co-op work experience. 

What is the cost for internships and co-ops?

Students will register for an audit course that will keep them officially registered as a Georgia Tech student for their work term.  There is no tuition cost for the audit course.

Can International Students participate in the Co-op and Internship Programs?

Yes, see “International Authorization” for more information.  

Can I work part-time as a Co-op or Intern?

Students who are employed as interns can work part-time or full-time, however, co-op students are required to work full-time.

Who do I contact if I want a global internship experience?

Internships outside the United States are eligible for credit as Internship or Co-op assignments through OIE’s Global Internship Program

Do I receive academic credit for my Internship/Co-op?

Undergraduate interns and co-ops must complete all curriculum requirements for their major.  During full-time work terms, students register for a twelve-hour audit course to maintain full-time status.  As a result, each work term appears on the student’s transcript.  The audited internship or co-op course does not count toward the academic credits required for a degree. The same is true for the audit credit students take when they register for either a part-time or full-time internship courses.

I received a grade of “V” for my Internship/Co-op course; what does that mean?

The “V” on transcripts for Internship and Co-op work assignments is the standard satisfactory grade awarded for any non-fee based audit course at Georgia Tech.  Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory and Pass/Fail grades are reserved for academic credit bearing classes that require tuition.