The Early Career Impact of the Co-op Commitment in Hospitality Curricula

The purpose of this exploratory research was to quantitatively compare the early professional outcomes of hospitality management alumni from three cooperative education models in post-secondary education. Survey design was used for this comparative, descriptive research. This quantitative survey was sent to 469 potential respondents in the fall of 2006. The overall final response rate was 33% ( N = 155). Industry preparedness, starting and current salaries, industry retention, and career satisfaction were explored for statistical significance among the three experiential models.