Cooperative Education
An innovative approach to education that integrates professional industry experience into the academic curriculum
Experiential learning, anchored by our world-renowned cooperative education program, is the heart of a Northeastern education. Starting in 1909, the College of Engineering was the first school at Northeastern to offer the co-op program. Today the university is ranked No. 1 in internships/co-ops by U.S. News and World Report.
Co-op gives BS, MS, and PhD students an opportunity to work within their profession for four, six, or eight-month periods as part of their academic curriculum, giving them real-world experience and a competitive edge after graduation. Co-op positions are also available locally and globally and for industry and research positions.
Co-op is also of high value to employers, providing them access to talented and innovative students to meet their workforce needs and business objectives.
Co-op Quick Facts
Co-op Hires (AY2024)
Employer Partners (AY2022-24)
Countries with Co-op Hires (AY2022-2024)
States with Co-op Hires (AY2022-2024)
Received Full-Time Job Offer from a Co-op Employer After Graduation - Class of 2022
Undergraduate Students
Graduate Students
We Are No. 1 in Cooperative Education
Cooperative education provides students real-world experience employed in their field of interest for six months as part of the academic curriculum. See how these students are applying what they learn in the classroom while on the job and gaining a competitive edge upon graduation, including full time job offers.
Bioengineering at the Speed of Covid
Ella Strzegowski (Bioengineering E’23) embarked on a co-op at Moderna in the fall of 2021, just as the company was applying for its biologics license and COVID-19’s Omicron variant was tearing through the population. Her experience placed her at the epicenter of covid-related research even as the virus—and the world’s response to it—changed by the day.
Building Confidence through Experience
Archil Lelashvili (MS in Information Systems) came to Northeastern from the nation of Georgia. Pursuing a co-op experience as a software engineer at Boston-based Quickbase, he learned to “translate ideas into code,” gaining insights from the senior software engineers around him while working with the same suite of tools.
Out of This World Experiences
Mechanical Engineering student Paige Butler shares how her involvement in the student group Students for the Exploration and Development of Space landed her two co-ops at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and subsequently, a full-time position following graduation. Learn how Northeastern University’s cooperative education program helps undergraduate students explore their passions while providing unparalleled opportunities for career advancement.
Sample Co-op Employer Partners
- Abbott
- Abiomed
- Boston Scientific
- Johnson and Johnson
- Lyndra
- MIT Lincoln Labs
- Draper Labs
- Medtronic
- SeLux
- Smith and Nephew
- Sunovion
- Traverso Labs
- A123 Systems
- 1366 Technologies
- 24M
- Acorda Therapeutics
- Ambri
- Arsenal Medical
- Ashland
- Biogen Idec
- Bristol-Meyers Squibb
- CONTINUUS
- Dow Chemical Company
- DuPont
- Eink
- Entegris
- GVD Corporation
- Henkel Loctite
- Infinium
- Metalor Technologies
- Morphic Therapeutics
- Nano-C
- Nuvera Fuel Cells
- Pellion Technologies
- Pfizer
- Sanofi Genzyme
- Selecta Biosciences
- Shaw, Stone and Webster
- Takeda
- Technip
- TEL
- Waters Corporation
- Xtalic Corporation
- Barletta Engineering Corp
- CDM, Inc.
- DN Tanks, Inc.
- Environmental Partners Group, LLC
- J.L. Marshall & Sons, Inc.
- McKenzie Engineering Group, Inc.
- Natgun Corporation
- Parsons Brinkerhoff
- PB Power
- Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc.
- Suffolk Construction
- Tetra Tech Rizzo
- Turner Construction Company
- Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
- Advanced Micro Devices
- Amazon Robotics
- Analog Devices
- Apple
- Bose
- Boston Engineering
- Boston Red Sox
- Cisco
- Draper
- Hasbro
- IBM
- Intel
- iRobot
- Jacobs Engineering Group
- Lockheed Martin
- Medtronic
- MIT Lincoln Lab
- Motorola Solutions
- Raytheon
- SimpliSafe
- SpaceX
- Starry
- Tesla
- WHOOP
- Amazon Robotics
- Analogic Corporation
- Becton Dickinson
- Bose Corporation
- Boston Scientific Corporation
- Foster-Miller
- General Electric
- The Gillette Company
- Insulet
- MIT Lincoln Laboratory
- Pollak – A Stoneridge Company
- Pratt & Whitney
- Raytheon
- SharkNinja
- Tesla
- United Parcel Service
- Amazon
- Apple
- Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital
- BMW
- Boehringer Ingelheim
- Dassault Systemes Americas Corporation
- Dell EMC
- Fidelity
- Goldman Sachs
- Mass General Hospital
- MathWorks
- Nokia
- Peapod Digital Labs
- Retail Business Services
- Tesla
Co-op Team for Undergraduate and Graduate Departmental Degrees
Supporting programs in the following departments:
Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Co-op Team for Multidisciplinary Masters Degrees
Supporting the following programs:
Cyber-Physical Systems, Data Architecture and Management, Information Systems, Information Systems-Bridge, Software Engineering Systems, Telecommunication Networks
Have more questions? Refer to our Co-op Frequently Asked Questions page on SharePoint.
Events
Student Experiences
Designing the Future of Aerospace Engineering
Khushi Shah, E’25 and MS’26, mechanical engineering, realized her love for designing and building in high school. Since studying at Northeastern, she has been able to fuel her passions with two amazing co-op experiences in the aerospace industry and a life-changing study abroad trip to Panama.
Advancing Skills in Pharmaceutical Engineering
Aniketh Tathachar, MS’25, pharmaceutical engineering, became highly interested in the pharmaceutical industry after completing his first internship. Through Northeastern’s pharmaceutical engineering master’s program, Tathachar has expanded his knowledge of the industry and developed the skills necessary for a successful career.
Improving Manufacturing with Innovative AI Solutions
Ajith Srikanth, MS’26, advanced & intelligent manufacturing, at his co-op with Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, worked on developing and designing innovative AI solutions to improve the manufacturing process.
Integrating Data Analytics and Bioengineering to Enhance Lives
Isabella Ribeiro, E’25, bioengineering, MS’26, data analytics engineering, has always appreciated the analytical thinking and critical thinking skills that come with studying engineering. Her second co-op experience showed her how the analytical and critical thinking skills she values could be applied in the biotech industry, where she’s now passionate about using data and computation to enhance quality of life.