Cooperative education, the combination of periods of on-campus classroom instruction with periods of off-campus experience, is particularly well suited to the needs of minority students in higher education. At a traditional four-year college, minority students are inclined to confine their associations to their own members, both on campus and at home. Such students, therefore, never become a part of a nonminority world. Colleges offering cooperative study lead minority students into off-campus assignments which involve them in new situations and new environments essential to their development as professional personnel. Cooperative education offers the minority student a chance for gainful employment--perhaps his first chance. This helps remove the fear that he will be unable to find employment after graduation. Through cooperative jobs, many youths are introduced to work experience and job responsibilities for the first time. Coop employers furthermore tend to show greater patience and understanding with student employees. Through cooperative education, the minority student has the opportunity to find employment in large corporations, in government offices, and in scientific and technological firms--places where most minority students would never consider seeking employment. (Author/JM)