University of Cincinnati

These are the anything-but-routine, real-world challenges and opportunities students find at UC, the university of choice for students who want the benefits of rigorous academic programs combined with the imperative to invent in and beyond the classroom. Putting education into action is the cornerstone of UC’s academic strength.

In classrooms, research labs, and with employers around the globe, UC Engineering and Science students are frequently tapped to take on big jobs involving real trust, real responsibility—and real money. That’s because an international array of about 1,800 employers annually partner with the University to support students and their work.

This creative drive stems from UC’s national and international preeminence as the cradle of cooperative education, more commonly known as co-op. The idea that students should alternate academic semesters with paid, professional work terms directly related to their majors had its global founding at UC more than a century ago. Today UC houses the largest co-op program at any public university in the United States. It’s also the third-largest co-op program in the world, and UC consistently places among the very top such programs, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
Via cooperative education, UC students earn a collective $65 million annually, working for local, regional, national, and international employers, including Apple, Boeing, Disney, Duke Energy, General Electric, Honda, Kroger, NASA, Procter and Gamble, Toyota, and many others.

In addition, Engineering, Science, and Technology students are also able to pursue entrepreneurial efforts—in partnership with fellow students from other disciplines—with support from the UC Center for Entrepreneurship & Commercialization and the Entrepreneurship Bearcat Launchpad, the nation’s first student-led business accelerator.

These efforts go hand in hand with our cutting-edge campus, which The New York Times called the “most ambitious campus design program in the country.” This academic setting, with its A+ architecture and state-of-the-art smart labs, has been intentionally designed to both arouse intellectual curiosity and prompt a healthy social culture. People thrive on our campus because it’s a place where they can learn, problem-solve, and collaborate.

Throughout their academic careers, UC students earn many external honors and awards, including Fulbright and Goldwater Scholarships as well as grants and research project support from internal and external entities as varied as the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, National Geographic Society, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and many others. For instance, both undergraduate and graduate students receive funding and mentoring to pursue research through specialized programs like ROSE (Research, Observation, Service, and Education Experiences), WISE (Women in Science and Engineering), and SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship). Such opportunities allow students to directly contribute to innovation, build a meaningful portfolio, and engage with faculty and other thought leaders outside the classroom.