Defining Career Options through Experiential Education for International Students

The purpose of this honors thesis is to examine the relationship between integrated work experience and the future career options of international students. An increase in the number of international students coming to the United States to pursue post-secondary education has fostered a corresponding increase in the number of these students seeking careers and employment. This thesis proposes that integrated work experience during the college years will positively affect international students after they graduate and enter the workforce. This study also explores the impact of internship and co-op experiences to international students and what would allow them to be more competitive in the U.S. after they graduate. The basic premise of this study is further analysis regarding the co-op and internship programs, the U.S. job market and author’s personal co-op and internship experiences. It is also a study of the relationship between co-op programs and employer’s recruiting full-time hires and the plight of international students. This undergraduate research employs qualitative methods including in-depth interviewing of professionals in the field to improve the depth of quality