
Co-op for Employers
Northeastern University’s cooperative education program is ranked No. 1 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. It is a leading model of experiential learning benefiting employers and students. 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 program, giving them real-world experience. Co-op also provides employers access to talented and innovative students to meet their workforce needs and business objectives.
- A simple, cost-effective way to meet hiring needs.
- Flexible co-op terms allow students to work on long-term projects and make significant contributions to the workplace.
- The ability to schedule co-op students back to back for full-time coverage and hire additional students in peak times.
- Potential pipeline for future full-time hires with up to 18 months of experience and industry leaders.
- Our students bring a wealth of diverse perspectives and multicultural experiences from their global backgrounds to the classroom and to the workplace, and provide thoughts from different angles to provide more innovative solutions.
When you become an employer partner of Northeastern University, you work with a dedicated Co-op Coordinator to assist you throughout the co-op process. This expert faculty member works within the structured program to support you and students throughout the co-op process.
The Co-op Coordinator can help you to:
- Align employer needs with candidate pools and university timelines
- Identify qualified candidates
- Facilitate a successful co-op experience for students and employers
- Address any issues or concerns while a student is on co-op
Quick Facts
College of Engineering Programs
Northeastern’s co-op program is for both undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in BS, MS, and PhD degrees in over 60 engineering programs.
View All Degree Programs Contact Departmental Co-op Team Contact MGEN Co-op Team
Co-op Hiring Timeline
For you, the employer, the program offers a gateway to enthusiastic employees with developing skills and talents, as well as potential relationships with future colleagues. The University provides two primary co-op cycles per year, spring (January – June) and fall (July – December). 4-month (UG and Grad) and 8-month (Grad only) options are available as well.
Co-op students are prepared to work both on-site throughout the United States and globally, as well as remotely, according to the employer’s needs.
More Employer Information
COE co-op students are in high demand with many job options. In today’s highly competitive job market, you want to attract the students who best fit the job and your organization—and it all starts with the job description. Here are a few tips:
- Define your business needs and identify how the co-op student will contribute to your organization.
- Consider projects, timelines, planning, processes, required skill sets, communications, and management. Develop key responsibilities and rank them in order of priority.
- Be as comprehensive as possible when describing the job, and ensure that its responsibilities are both important and achievable.
Northeastern offers a streamlined tool to match Northeastern partners and learners with co-op, internship openings, and full-time and part-time employment opportunities. More than a million employers have leveraged Symplicity to post jobs, find top talent, and manage on-campus recruiting, and we are proud to be a part of the Symplicity family.
Submitting a new co-op or internship position (or reposting a current one) is easy, and it’s all done through NUworks—Northeastern’s one-stop-shop for job postings. Just follow the instructions on NUworks to complete the online form, and remember to select “Engineering Department” or “Engineering-MGEN” from the college dropdown menu. If you know your primary co-op contact, select the appropriate department, and then choose your contact. If you do not already have a co-op contact, you will be contacted by a COE co-op coordinator. Either way, your position will get posted.
Employers
Co-ops, full-time, part-time jobs, and internships can all be posted in NUworks.
If you have any questions about posting your position, please contact your Co-op Coordinator.
Process for Hiring a Northeastern University Co-op Student
Hiring Process | What Employer Partner Does | What Northeastern Does |
---|---|---|
Create job description | Finalize the job description | Helps you draft a job description that will attract applicants (see template below) |
Post job description | Send contact name and email, job title and finalized job description | Creates employer account in NUworks, post job, publicize job to students |
Promote the role | Choose how you want to engage with Northeastern students: host a session with a student club, sponsor an activity, attend Talent Connect or other recruiting events/job fairs | Connects you to the qualified students, reserves on-campus space, promotes the event |
Interview candidates | Select and interview candidates | Helps you access resumes in NUworks, filtering by specific criteria. Secures on-campus space for in-person interviews. Provides advice on best practices for scheduling interviews and making offers. |
Make an offer | Reach out directly to students to make an offer (please note, all acceptances, whether verbal or in writing, are considered binding and students are not allowed to renege) | Co-op advisors meet with students to review and highlight the benefits of the offer. |
On-board
Supervise/mentor Evaluate |
On-board student, assign a mentor/supervisor, provide goals and objectives, evaluate student throughout the co-op. | Co-op advisors are available before, during, or after the co-op to help you address goal setting questions, best practices, or performance concerns. |
Job Description Template:
Your Northeastern co-op connection is happy to help you finalize your job description after you put together a draft using the guidance below.
Company Overview | A brief overview of the company, and its mission/goals. |
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Team Description | Describe the specific team where the co-op will work. Describe the team culture, i.e. whether it includes Northeastern alumni, monthly lunches, after-work get togethers. |
Job Description | Start with an overall description of the position. You may include specific projects or products the student will work on. |
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities | This is often a bulleted list of the skills you are looking for in a candidate. Consider both technical and soft skills. |
Qualifications | Provide a bulleted list that may include education (e.g., majors, degree level) and preferred/required skills or experience. If you require a certain level of previous experience in a particular domain area, this is a good place to include that. |
Other | You may want to include other details about the company/job in your description. For example:
|
Wage | While not required, posting a wage (or wage range) helps students adjust their expectations when applying to your role. |
Please view the Cooperative Education and Career Development Employer Handbook, which describes the role employers play in the co-op process. Students are your employees, exclusively, during the co-op period. They are full-time, temporary workers, and we request that they be treated in the same manner as other full-time staff.
When Hiring a Co-op Student, Consider the Following Responsibilities:
- Per federal law, the student should be hired as an employee, not as a contractor.
- Throughout the co-op, ensure ample work is given related to the job accepted.
- Help the student develop learning outcomes at the beginning of the co-op.
- Provide mentorship and training to the student throughout the co-op.
- Notify your Co-op Coordinator of any concerns as they arise.
- Complete a student evaluation at the end of the co-op.
For additional information on best practices for training, enhancing the co-op experience, learning outcomes, student evaluations, and addressing student issues please refer to Best Practices for a Successful Co-op or contact your Co-op Coordinator.
When you become an employer partner of Northeastern University, you work with a dedicated Co-op Coordinator to assist you throughout the co-op process. This expert faculty member works within the structured program to support you and students throughout the co-op process.
Your Co-op Coordinator(s) can help you to:
- Align employer needs with candidate pools and university timelines
- Identify qualified candidates
- Facilitate a successful co-op experience for students and employers
- Address any issues or concerns while a student is on co-op
In addition to placing students in co-ops across the U.S., students are able to participate in co-ops across the globe. The College of Engineering has a dedicated Global Co-op team to work with our global employer partners in order to help navigate the process of sourcing and hiring a student from Northeastern. This also includes partnering with U.S. multinational employers with global positions at their locations abroad.
Tips for Global Employers:
- Students speak fluent English but are not required to speak the language of the country (unless stated in the job description)
- Scholarship funds are available to students to help with travel costs
- International travel support team members are available to work with students
- Students are compensated similarly to local interns
- Assistance with housing is appreciated by not required
For additional information about global co-ops, please contact the Global Engineering team.
- Do I need to make a long-term commitment with the University to become a co-op employer?
Co-op does not require a long-term commitment. You decide every six months whether your organization will continue to hire co-op students. - Are students unenrolled from Northeastern while on co-op and must an employer provide benefits?
Students continue to be recognized as full-time students while on co-op and only require company benefits if state legislation requires it. Students should be considered temporary, full-time (or part-time in some cases) workers, but not independent contractors. - Is there a fee for employers participating in the co-op program?
No! - Is there an obligation to hire a student after a job description is posted?
While we hope that you will hire, posting a co-op position does not obligate you to hire a student. We understand that staffing needs and financial resources may change. - How do I make an offer to a student?
You should reach out to the student directly with the terms of the offer. Please note that we request that students be given 2-3 business days to make a decision. It is helpful to include wage, start date, end date, position title, and any benefits in the offer. - What are typical hourly wages?
As with any new hire, your organization is free to determine appropriate compensation for co-op positions. There is a fair amount of variability based on a range of factors, including student’s level of skill and experience, type of position, industry and type of company, or distance from campus. Refer to the average hourly wage for College of Engineering students. - Is it difficult to hire an international student and do I need to sponsor their student visa?
There are no additional fees or employer paperwork required to hire an international student and you do not need to sponsor their visa. The Office of Global Services (OGS) at Northeastern University coordinates all student documentation to ensure compliance with federal employment regulations. - What if I can’t hire an international student?
If you are only legally allowed to hire U.S. Citizens/permanent residents due to federal regulations (ITAR etc.), please contact your Co-op Coordinator so the proper documentation can be added to the job description in NUworks. If you are not legally bound to hiring only U.S. Citizens/permanent residents, your Co-op Coordinator cannot screen for visa status. - How much do students get paid?
Companies determine the salaries for co-op positions. If you are trying to benchmark or remain competitive, please contact your Co-op Coordinator as they will be able to give you the appropriate information for your job. - Who do I contact if an issue arises while a student is on co-op?
Your Co-op Coordinator will assist you with any concerns related to the co-op process or a co-op student. We encourage you to reach out if problems arise. - Can students take classes while on co-op?
Students hired into a full-time co-op are committed to working full-time. However, we allow undergraduate students to take a class while on co-op if it fits with their work schedule. We ask students to speak to their co-op job manager before enrolling in a course. In some situations, students can take evening classes, but if a class falls during the workday it is at the manager’s discretion to approve whether the student can take the class and adjust his or her work hours to make up the time. Masters-level students are expected to seek approval from their advisor if they want to take a class while on a full -time co-op.
Employers may also hire students, typically at the graduate level, into part-time co-ops. In this case, the student will be required to enroll in one course concurrently if they wiish to maintain their status as a full time student.