Students
Introduction to Cooperative Education
Graduating seniors at Northeastern routinely respond to employment advertisements that read "previous experience required," and you may, too. Thanks to Co-op, when you go out into the working world as a graduate, you may already have completed up to a year and a half of professional work.
Northeastern's Co-op program, founded nearly a century ago, is among the largest and most innovative in the United States. The Co-op Program offers students opportunities to:
- Clarify short and long term personal, educational, and career goals;
- Gain experience in up to three different Co-op positions before graduation;
- Integrate what is studied in classes with what is experienced when working;
- Enhance understanding and appreciation for the "world at work";
- Develop job finding, job survival, and career advancement skills; and
- Establish on-going relationships with role models and mentors as they develop a professional identity
How Co-op Works For You
As a Co-op Student, you will be assigned to a specific Co-op Faculty Coordinator. Your Coordinator will work with you from your freshman or sophomore year through your graduation year as a bridge between classroom studies and career goals, collaborating with faculty and co-op employers to match your interests, talents and objectives to the most appropriate Co-op positions.
Before participating in the Co-op program, you will take a one credit Professional Development for Co-op course, in which your Co-op Faculty Coordinator will help you develop your resume, provide training to sharpen your interviewing skills, and prepare you for the challenges of the professional workplace. As your academic and career interests evolve, your Faculty Coordinator will help to guide you toward co-op experiences that help you achieve your personal and career goals.
Reflection is a vital part of your co-op experience. When you return to the classroom from Co-op, you will be expected to engage in reflection activities to help you process your work experience.