In recent years, expectations for a college degree have shifted. Students, parents, employers and others are asking harder questions about what a degree delivers and how quickly. At DePaul, that value has always been evident and rooted in a rigorous education and a commitment to student success. But now, the university is building on that commitment with more direct opportunities to ensure that students graduate not only with the knowledge, skills and experience employers expect, but also the hands-on experience that sets DePaul graduates apart. 

The latest of those opportunities is the Driehaus Co-op Program, offered through DePaul's Driehaus College of Business. The co-op program, which will be built into the undergraduate curriculum, makes paid, professional work experience part of the DePaul business degree. Students work in their chosen field alongside their coursework. They earn academic credit for both. The college’s School of Hospitality and Sports Business is launching its pilot version of the program this academic year. Other units across the college will soon follow.

The co-op is one of many initiatives emerging from Designing DePaul, the university's strategic plan. The plan directs DePaul's investments toward the priorities most likely to advance student success and institutional sustainability. The co-op aims to strengthen career readiness, improve student outcomes, increase retention and create a distinctive model for business education in Chicago.

More broadly, these efforts are meant to strengthen the university's future while remaining firmly grounded in its Catholic and Vincentian mission. That work is through areas where DePaul is uniquely positioned to lead, grow and meet the evolving needs of students and society. At a time when many institutions are responding to uncertainty by cutting back, DePaul is pairing operational discipline with targeted investments aimed at long-term sustainability.

“A DePaul education prepares students not only for their first job, but for a lifetime of opportunity and impact,” said DePaul President Robert L. Manuel. “The Driehaus Co-op Program builds on that promise by bringing together rigorous academic learning and meaningful, paid professional experience, combined with Chicago’s extraordinary breadth of employers, industries, and professional networks. Our students will graduate with a degree, experience in their field, and the connections to put their education to work.”

The Driehaus Co-op Program represents an innovative approach to experiential learning, one that intentionally weaves sustained professional experience into academic study. A co-op is deeper and more focused than a traditional internship, and its longer engagement strengthens partnerships between the university, its students and industry. While cooperative education has long been standard in engineering programs across the country, it remains rare in business. With this co-op, DePaul is positioning itself as a pathbreaker, as no other Chicago-area school offers a similar program for undergraduate business students.

"The co-op model builds on DePaul's tradition of excellence in experiential education and our deep roots in the city of Chicago," said Sulin Ba, Dean of the Driehaus College of Business. "In doing so, it offers a visionary model for the future of business education: one that truly integrates classroom learning with career trajectory and prepares our students to be leaders and agents of transformation from day one."

The Driehaus Co-op Program is not an add-on to a business degree, it is a structural, curricular change to how the degree is designed and delivered. Because the co-op is built into the curriculum, students earn academic credit for their work experience that counts toward graduation and does not require additional tuition. They maintain full-time status throughout, preserving access to financial aid and other university resources that support their success. In practice, that means students can graduate on time with substantial professional experience and industry credentials.

The initial pilot offers an early demonstration of the value of the Driehaus Co-op Program. It builds two years of paid employment and professional experience into the curriculum, with students working full time during summer and winter breaks to align with the hospitality industry's busy seasons. A group of leading Chicago hospitality employers, including JW Marriott, Nobu, Gibson's, Janko Hospitality, Hyatt and Cooper's Hawk, are part of the pilot cohort.

"Our industry partners have been involved in shaping this model since day one," said Associate Professor Mary Jo Dolasinski, director of the School of Hospitality and Sports Business. "They have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic about working with us to develop talent pipelines."

Students will also have room to explore. Juan Mendez, director of the Marriott Center for Student Development and Engagement, who is leading the hospitality pilot, said the program lets students switch roles after their first year. "A student who initially chooses to work at a hotel, for instance, might discover a passion for restaurants," Mendez said. "Switching fields is not always easy in the work world. We designed this program to encourage that kind of exploration while still continuously developing career skills."

The School of Hospitality and Sports Business pilot will provide critical insights that will inform the phased rollout of the co-op framework across other departments within the Driehaus College of Business, establishing a scalable, university-aligned and redefined standard for experiential learning. 

Ultimately, the Driehaus Co-op Program will be the foundation for a new model of education, one that is cutting-edge, conscientious and aligned with DePaul’s mission to support the development of its students. By building professional experience into the degree itself, the university is helping students flourish in a dynamic market and a rapidly changing world.