OFF-CAMPUS ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Cooperative Education is an optional learning experience which takes place in a work setting rather than in a classroom. Co-op and internships are the result of partnerships between the University and employers in business, industry, government, and human services. The program is flexible, allowing students to work full-time or part-time. They may work locally, nationally or internationally. This work experience becomes part of the total learning experience, giving the student’s academic program a sense of reality and relevance. As a result of the Cooperative Education program, students in any major can receive work experience, earn income and apply learned theories. Co-op also provides the opportunity for students to gain greater insight into their chosen career, either strengthening or redirecting their career choice.

The Millersville University student may begin to show his/her interest in the Cooperative Education program as early as the first semester, freshman year. Sophomores and juniors (in some instances, seniors, too) are highly encouraged to take the first steps to find out more about Cooperative Education by attending a Co-op orientation.

At the discretion of the department, a maximum of 12 s.h. may be counted in the major or as electives toward normal graduation requirements. Additional credits will be counted over and above the normal graduation requirements. A Cooperative Education student may participate in a maximum of four cooperative experiences.

The Cooperative Education program is optional for most Millersville majors. Students must, however, meet the following criteria for participation:

1. Be enrolled in a degree program at Millersville University.
2. Have successfully completed at least 24 college credits.
3. Have a GPA of at least 2.0 (individual departments may stipulate higher GPA requirements).
4. Have approval from the appropriate academic department to participate.
5. Attend pre-employment skills workshops on resume preparation and job interview procedures.
6. Transfer students become eligible to enroll in the program upon successful completion of twelve (12) academic credits at Millersville if all other eligibility requirements are met.

Undergraduate courses are offered each semester at several sites in the city of Lancaster. Students enrolled in off-campus sites are welcome and encouraged to use campus facilities and services. Courses are scheduled off campus to assist part-time students and adult students enrolled in the Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) Program. For more information, see the catalog entry on that program. For schedules of off-campus courses, contact the Office of Continuing Education at 872-3030.

NONCREDIT COURSES

Classes may be scheduled at off-campus sites to provide tailored educational enrichment or employee training programs to businesses or community organizations. Some noncredit courses are available at convenient facilities in the Lancaster area through the Re:Visions program offered by the Office of Continuing Education. 

STUDY ABROAD

Study abroad can be a valuable and important part of a student’s undergraduate education. Regardless of a student’s major, learning firsthand about another way of life and seeing the world from another culture’s perspective are invaluable assets for success in our global society.

Millersville University students may study abroad in nearly every country worldwide for a summer, a semester or an academic year. Although most students study abroad during their junior year, students may study, work or do an internship abroad for University credit any time after completing one year of study. Student teaching abroad also is available.

Whether fluent in foreign languages or only English, students may participate in study abroad through Millersville’s own international partners, through other accredited U.S. institutions’ programs or directly through many foreign universities. Millersville offers its own student exchange programs with the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland; Philipps University in Marburg, Germany; University of Lincolnshire and Humberside in Lincoln, England; and Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan; University of North London, London, England; and Catholic University of Valparaiso in Valparaiso, Chile. For the Strathclyde, Lincolnshire and Kansai Gaidai programs, Millersville students pay Millersville tuition, room and board and have these services provided abroad for no additional cost.

To be eligible for any study abroad experience, students must: have completed at least 24 college credits; maintained a minimum 2.0 GPA prior to departure (individual programs may have higher requirements); and received advanced approval from the Office of International Affairs.

For more information about study abroad, contact Dr. Kirsten Bookmiller, Director of International Affairs, Cumberland House. Phone 872-3884 or e-mail at studyabr@marauder.millersville.edu.

STUDY AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS

Millersville students may take courses at other colleges and universities for transfer to Millersville. Many students, for example, take summer courses at a college near their homes. To ensure that the credits will be accepted at Millersville, students must:

1. Have a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average, and
2. Obtain approval in advance from their adviser, the department chairperson and the registrar. Approval forms are available in the registrar’s office.

3-2 Cooperative Programs in Engineering. Physics-Engineering and Chemistry-Engineering majors are offered in cooperation with Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pennsylvania. These programs require three years of study at Millersville with a major in physics or chemistry and two years in residence in the engineering program of one of the cooperating institutions. Interested students should contact the physics or chemistry department chairpersons for further information.

INTERNSHIPS

The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS). During each semester of the academic year, Millersville University selects an academically outstanding undergraduate student to participate in the Harrisburg Internship Semester Program (THIS), sponsored by the State System of Higher Education. Students selected are placed with policy-makers in the state legislature, executive branch, and other governmental agencies. Each THIS intern earns 15 semester hours: 9 semester hours for the internship program, 3 semester hours for a research project, and 3 semester hours for participating in an academic seminar.

To be eligible to apply a student must have maintained a 3.0 GPA in at least 45 semester hours. THIS interns are selected from all majors. Contact Richard Fulmer, Department of Social Work, for application information.

Specialized internships are also available through some academic departments. Some degree programs require internship experiences. For more information, contact department offices.

STUDENT TEACHING & EARLY FIELD EXPERIENCES

Undergraduate and graduate teaching experiences including pre-student teaching, student teaching, internships, and practice teaching are coordinated through the Field Services Office, Stayer Education Center.

The University, working with school district administrators, will assign student teaching placements. Student teachers may not request a specific school or cooperating teacher, nor may a cooperating teacher request a specific student teacher. Student teachers are not assigned to the school district from which they were graduated.

For admission to the Millersville student teaching program, the following policies apply:

1. Students must have earned at least 85 credits with at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA and at least a 2.0 GPA in the area of certification.
2. Students must have successfully completed required professional education courses and been admitted to Advanced Professional Studies.
3. Students must apply to the Student Teaching Office one full year prior to the semester in which they plan to student teach. Transfer students who have completed two years of study at another institution should make preliminary application for student teaching upon admission.
4. No student may student teach while on academic probation.
5. A student with a an unsatisfactory Act 34 or Act 151 clearance may be denied a certificate to teach by the Pennsylvania Department of Education or may be denied placement in student teaching or an early field experience.

For additional information contact the director, Urban Education, Educational Foundation Department, Stayer Education Center, 871-2389.

MARINE SCIENCE CONSORTIUM

Millersville is the founder of the Marine Science Consortium, 14 colleges and universities that operate a marine station at Wallops Island, Virginia. The consortium has several seagoing vessels and laboratories with biological and oceanographic equipment. It provides living facilities for students and staff at the station.

Four three-week sessions are offered at Wallops Island each summer. See the Biology and Earth Sciences department listings for information on many of the courses offered. Applications for these courses must be received by February 15. For more information, contact the School of Science and Mathematics.