See Presidential Policy Memorandum 27 at http://www.policies.vt.edu/policymemos/PPM27.pdf

All students are expected to be making 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.

Someone in the Graduate School shall be appointed to represent the University in matters related to the Graduate Cooperative Education Program. This person shall sign all graduate co-op agreements between the participating firm and the University. [Note: Contact an immigration advisor at the Graduate School.]

The department or degree conferring unit shall be the prime unit in negotiating all graduate co-op agreements. The rights and needs of the University will be protected in all agreements by review of the agreement by the University's representative.

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 shall be enrolled in the one-credit course "Graduate Cooperative Education Program," GRAD 5944 (master's students) or GRAD 7944 (doctoral students), and pay the appropriate fee while on co-op assignments.

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