t h e u n i v e r s i t yCooperative Education
Introduction International Cooperative Education Co-op Policies Introduction
Cooperative education is based on the principle that what students learn in the workplace is a valuable complement to what they learn in the classroom. For some programs, cooperative education is a degree requirement. The University assists in providing relevant cooperative education experiences and attempts to integrate these experiences into the students' total academic program. The success of the program, however, ultimately depends on student interest and commitment and the cooperation of educators and employers.
Studies show that reinforcing classroom learning with job responsibilities increases a student's motivation and self-confidence. Greater interest in academic work develops when students are able to see the link between co-op experiences and classroom study. Co-op students have opportunities to evaluate career decisions early in their college years, while gaining meaningful work experience before graduation and establishing valuable professional contacts and references. Students also earn experiential learning credit by satisfactorily completing the required components of the cooperative education learning process, and the salaries students earn in cooperative education experiences may help defray a portion of the costs of their education.
Cooperative education curricula leading to the baccalaureate degree generally require five years at Northeastern University. Programs typically consist of a freshman year of three consecutive quarters of full-time study followed by four upperclass years in which students alternate periods of classroom study with cooperative education experiences. The colleges of Engineering, Business Administration, and Computer Science also offer a four-year co-op option. Responsibility for all phases of the co-op program rests with cooperative education faculty who assist students in deriving maximum benefits from their education at Northeastern. In general, co-op experiences become increasingly challenging and career-specific as students continue their education and acquire greater skills.
Students are not limited to paid employment during a cooperative period. They may wish to pursue a wide variety of experiential learning activities such as traveling abroad, doing volunteer work, or taking specialized courses at another institution.
International Cooperative Education
The Department of International Cooperative Education offers a variety of services to international students as well as to U.S. citizens. Through the International Exchange Program, undergraduates may be placed abroad for their cooperative work experience. Placements abroad are currently available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel for students who have the appropriate background and experience. International students may receive assistance on matters relating to their co-op employment, such as Social Security and tax information, as well as on issues involving the verification of their immigration and co-op status. A special course, Working in the U.S., is offered to international students to help prepare them for co-op. Additionally, new opportunities may enable some international students to return to their home countries, especially those located in the Pacific Rim region, to work on co-op for American and national companies.
Co-op Policies
Academic standards. To qualify academically for co-op, students must maintain the annual quality-point average required by their college for progress in their academic programs. Should students fail to make appropriate academic progress in their programs, they will not be permitted to participate in co-op. If they have deficiencies in course work or scholastic average, they should arrange a remedial schedule with their academic adviser and co-op faculty member. Freshmen with academic deficiencies may be assigned to a special sophomore-year program without co-op and placed on academic probation.
Co-op registration. Each academic quarter prior to a period when students plan to be on co-op, they must register for co-op either by telephone or by filling out the "I Am Here" form when they register for their academic course work. Please note that students assigned to a co-op division who have not formally registered for co-op or contacted the Co-op department are subject to withdrawal from the University by the registrar. Any withdrawal could affect eligibility for financial aid for a full academic year.
Credit for co-op. Students who fully and successfully participate in cooperative education receive four quarter hours of Experiential Learning Credit (ELC) for each co-op experience. Specific program requirements will vary; students should contact their co-op faculty member for information relating to their major. Grades of Satisfactory (S), Unsatisfactory (U), and Incomplete (X) may be assigned. Although ELC is not added to the academic credit hours required for graduation, the students' transcripts will reflect their grade for each co-op term. Awarding this credit indicates the value of the co-op learning experience. Students do not pay tuition for co-op.