The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe the learning outcomes of the cooperative-education experience from an Information Technology student's perspective at a large Fortune 500 manufacturing/sales company located in the Midwest United States. Open-ended interview questions were developed based on the four-component model of cooperative education, which includes career development, academic/achievement development, professional/work-skills development, and personal development during the co-op experience. Students reported positive changes in knowledge, communication, work experience, and skills/abilities across all four developmental components. Students entered the co-op experience with classroom knowledge related to IT; however, having the opportunity to gain practical knowledge or "hands on" knowledge provided the opportunity to meld theoretical and practical knowledge together. Students learned the importance of verbal and written communication across the organization. The co-op provided an opportunity to accumulate significant work experience, which plays a critical role in the hiring process. The opportunities to develop skills/abilities needed in the workforce also provided co-op students with a competitive advantage. Study results support the inclusion of personal development in the four-component model of co-op education developed by Parks et al. in 2008 although the construct needs refinement. Results suggest that higher education and employers should continue to develop cooperative education programs and improve ways of measuring students' learning outcomes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]