ECE Responsibilities & FAQs

Completing an Enriched Career Experience is an accomplishment that sets you up for future career success. We count on students to fulfill specific responsibilities that will benefit them before, during and after they finish an ECE. These responsibilities include:

• Following the requirements for academic credit as per a Rider faculty member
• Meeting with your career coach multiple times over the course of the ECE
• Participating in a Professional Development Workshop
• Obtaining an offer letter from your ECE host employer
• Providing a Work Hours Form verified by your host employer
• Completing a reflection assignment for Engaged Learning credit

The best time to participate in an ECE is during your sophomore, junior and/or senior year. Prior to participating in an ECE, you should complete either an academic credit career focused class or a professional development workshop offered by Career Development and Success.

Students interested in participating in an ECE should complete either a career planning course (for-credit) in their school/college or a professional development workshop offered by the Center for Career Development and Success (CDS). Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the many resources and programs that CDS provides including professional development workshops, alumni panels and events, employer recruiting and career fairs.

An ECE is a 100+ hour, intentional, high-impact, experiential opportunity that can be completed during a semester or in the summer.

An ECE can be an internship, co-op, student teaching, fieldwork, guided research, scholarship, career focused opportunities in the arts and media, distinct creative endeavors (such as working on a performance), an on-campus student employment internship, shadowing experience or a combination of micro-internships.

Yes, ECE opportunities in the following categories can count toward your Engaged Learning credits: 

• Internships, co-ops, student teaching and fieldwork
• Guided research and scholarship
• Arts, media and creativity

We strongly encourage all students to take advantage of participating in an ECE as it is one of the best ways to prepare for your future whether you are considering employment or graduate or professional school. An ECE provides students the chance to work in their professional area of interest to gain practical, relevant, hands-on experience however, completing an ECE is not required to graduate.

The career coach in your school/college works with you to obtain an ECE. Career coaches help students identify ECE opportunities that align with their academic, professional and personal goals. Your career coach meets with you individually before, during and after you participate in an ECE. They can review your resume, do mock interviewing, assist in developing a Career Action Plan, and are available for individual career coaching and weekly drop-in hours.

Students can make an appointment with their career coach on Handshake by clicking on “Career Center” and then “Appointments”.

Handshake is Rider’s online career management platform which is only available to Rider students and alumni. As a new student enrolled at Rider, you are automatically registered in Handshake. To access your account, simply log on with your Rider email and click on forgot password. You will receive an email prompting you to create a new password. Utilize this unique password to access your Handshake account and add additional information to complete your profile.

No, an ECE is a separate, career related, optional opportunity that aligns with distinct categories within the Engaged Learning Program. Engaged Learning is a structured program that is the backbone of a Rider education, and students are required to complete at least two Engaged Learning experiences as part of their graduation requirements. An ECE is an experience that falls within the following Engaged Learning categories: internships, co-ops; student teaching and fieldwork; guided research and scholarship and arts, media and creativity. During an ECE, you will be responsible for completing various requirements in order to receive Engaged Learning credit.

To obtain academic or co-curricular credit for an ECE, students must complete the Engaged Learning requirements. We also recommend students complete a career-focused class or professional development workshop offered by Career Development and Success. Other ECE responsibilities should be reviewed with your career coach. 

We welcome all employers to contact Career Development and Success at [email protected] to discuss becoming a host organization for an ECE. With 100+ majors and minors at Rider, we are always building new ECE opportunities. There are several logistical requirements for an ECE which we are happy to talk through during a meeting.