See Presidential Policy Memorandum 27 at https://policies.vt.edu/assets/PPM%2027.pdf

All students are expected to make reasonable academic progress towards a degree while participating in a Graduate Cooperative Education Program. The responsibility for monitoring students' academic progress is shared by their department and the Graduate School.

A Graduate School manages the graduate co-op program on behalf of the university.

The department or degree conferring unit must be involved in negotiating a co-op agreement. 

All graduate cooperative programs must be approved by the department or degree conferring unit.

As consistent with these specifications, departmental policies with regard to registration, course load, course number, course credit, program of study, and advising will remain the province of the cooperating department.

Nothing will be included in the agreement that will intrude upon the privileged relation between the faculty advisor/major professor and his/her student.

All students involved in graduate cooperative programs will be enrolled in the zero-credit course "Graduate Cooperative Education Program," GRAD 5944 (master's students); GRAD 5944P (part-time/short-term master's); or GRAD 7944 (doctoral students); GRAD 7944P (part-time/short-term doctoral).

See additional details at  https://graduateschool.vt.edu/student-services/GradCoop.html.