Co-op

What is the Co-op Program?

The Co-op (cooperative education) program at Northeastern is an educational program where our students alternate between periods of academic study on campus with periods of paid employment in positions that are related to their academic, career, or personal interests. The Northeastern Co-op program is consistently ranked as one of the top programs of its kind in the nation.

This combination of academic study and real-world work experience produces an overall learning experience that is greater than the sum of its parts. The co-op program lets students see how their coursework can help them solve engineering problems, and conversely, how experience on the job can help them develop the critical thinking skills for the classroom.

The Chemical Engineering Department regularly has at least 90% of its interested students placed in Co-op positions. Students work in all types of chemical engineering jobs, including pure research, process engineering, and laboratory work. Our students are employed by over 40 companies in and around the northeast United States, and opportunities exist even farther a field for the adventurous student.

Some of our top employers of Co-op students are:

• 1366 Technologies
• Arsenal Medical
• Bristol-Meyers Squibb
• Dow Chemical Company
• DuPont
• Genzyme Corporation
• GVD Corporation
• Metalor Technologies
• Nano-C
• Nuvera Fuel Cells
• Pellion Technologies
• Selecta Biosciences
• Shaw, Stone and Webster
• Waters Corporation
• Xtalic Corporation

Co-op Program FAQ’s
Co-op Student Experiences

Additionally, students can choose to Co-op in a faculty member’s laboratory, either here at Northeastern or at another university. Having a co-op in a faculty research laboratory can be especially helpful for our students who are considering the pursuit of a graduate degree in chemical engineering, where undergraduate research experience is a highly valued skill.
The Co-op program in chemical engineering where the classroom is only the beginning.

Click here to be directed to the College of Engineering Cooperative Education webpage for more information on co-op.