Co-op in the College of Arts and Sciences

Because the liberal arts are grounded so strongly in theoretical and historical perspectives, co-op at Northeastern is a valuable avenue to develop a real-world understanding of your academic studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Just as your course work will help you gain a broad, critical perspective on new ideas, worldviews, and cultures, co-op will offer you opportunities to see how this new knowledge works in action, in the law office, the research laboratory, the art museum, or advertising agency.

Students in the college also value co-op as a great way to discover what they love to do on the way to choosing a career path. And whether that path leads you directly to work or to graduate studies, you’ll be better prepared to succeed in the life you choose. You’ll also be well positioned to take full advantage of the highly interdisciplinary nature of co-op at Northeastern, because many of our co-op opportunities are based more on basic abilities, such as critical thinking and clear communication, than on specific professional skills.

Our 16 co-op coordinators and co-op faculty members are integrated into the college, providing you with plenty of support for your job search, during co-op, and afterwards as you reflect on how the experience dovetailed with your classroom learning. In Arts and Sciences, you’ll enjoy an extra layer of support to help you maximize your co-op experience: the Center for Experiential Education & Academic Advising (CEA), which strengthens our experiential learning opportunities, including co-op, and fosters their integration with your classroom studies.

However, as is true of the co-op program throughout the University, you will need to compete for top co-op positions in the arts and sciences, just as you will for full-time positions after graduation. That is part of the value of co-op in preparing you to succeed as a professional in the real world.

Special programs—the Community Service Learning Project, the Washington, D.C. Program, and the Walt Disney World College Program—supplement co-op in the College of Arts and Sciences. To learn more about these and other aspects of our cooperative education program, please visit the College of Arts and Sciences Web site.