The College of Visual and Performing Arts sponsors many cooperative education endeavors. Whether it is student teaching in the K-12 classroom, a practicum in the IPFW Music Therapy Clinic for application of classroom theories, or student arts scholars working in K-12 classrooms through the IPFW Arts Connection, we are always looking for opportunities to connect our music students with the community. It provides practical experience, strengthens your resume and enhances our community.

For information on any of the cooperative education opportunities listed below, please contact the College of Visual and Performing Arts at 260-481-6977.

Music Therapy Practica

Student Teaching

• Music

Internships

• Music (Music and an Outside Field)

Cooperative Education at IPFW

Cooperative education (Co-op) a nationally recognized academic training program that involves partnerships between students, employers, and IPFW. This academic enhancement program gives you the opportunity to explore how classroom theory relates to actual employment opportunities, while you remain an IPFW student. The Program is highly successful and has a proven history of benefits to students, employers, and IPFW.

• 2,231 co-ops worked with 242 employers in northeast Indiana, Alabama, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Tennessee in the past 20 years of the Program
• 94% of IPFW Co-op students persist to graduation 
• 91% of IPFW Co-op graduates land career–related jobs within 1-2  months of graduation
• 75% of IPFW Co-ops accept full-time career-related jobs with Co-op employers
• 5-25% above entry level salary is what IPFW Co-op graduates can expect when they enter the workforce

You receive a competitive wage and earn academic credit while working two or more semesters with an employer from the Greater Fort Wayne area or you can go to another state. The choice is yours.

Local employers provide outstanding co-op opportunities in the Schools of Arts and Sciences; Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science; Richard T. Doermer Business and Management Sciences; and the Division of Organizational Leadership and Supervision.

Faculty co-op coordinators approve all employers who request students. Also they approve your application based on departmental criteria. Upon approval, you are ready to begin the interview process.

National Student Exchange

The National Student Exchange (NSE) is a program for undergraduate exchange within the United States and Canada. Instead of crossing oceans, NSE students cross state, regional, provincial, and cultural borders.

Through the National Student Exchange, students may study for up to one academic year at another location while paying regular IPFW tuition and fees. With nearly 200 colleges and universities from which to choose, students are able to find a university with just the right combination of courses, facilities, and environment to meet academic and personal needs and interests.

For more information please contact the IPFW NSE Coordinator.