Graduate Co-op
Offering cooperative education for over 100 years and ranked No. 1 in internships/co-ops by US News and World Report, Northeastern is a leader in experiential learning and is one of only a few that offer a cooperative education program for graduate students. Cooperative education at the graduate level is not just a way for students to gain real world experience, but it is also a way to challenge, network, expand and fine-tune their knowledge within their respective industry, and foster career development, while helping to finance their education. Northeastern also offers comprehensive career support for students.
The goals of cooperative education are to:
- Apply knowledge and skills in new, authentic contexts.
- Develop new knowledge and skills.
- Integrate and use the deepened knowledge and skills in your academic programs.
- Reflect on and articulate how you used your knowledge and skills, how you gained new knowledge and skills, and how “theory and practice” work together.
The Graduate School of Engineering placed nearly 1,000 students (primarily international students) with some of the most sought after technical skills in positions in the U.S. and globally during the 2022 academic year. Co-op is part of the fabric of our academic program and we have a dedicated co-op team, including a global co-op team, that prepares students for the cooperative education experience through resume building, developing interview skills and guiding professional development. Co-op positions are available nationally and globally.
How Co-op Works
Students start with a required co-op course that prepares them to succeed in their co-op experiences. Graduate masters and PhD students may complete one co-op in the course of their degree program.
Northeastern provides a broad-based network of support that helps students prepare for and get the most from co-op, including an academic advisor, a co-op coordinator and if applicable, a global co-op coordinator. Your co-op coordinator will guide you through the co-op process and help to identify various positions that best match your skills and career interests. After you’ve completed your co-op assignment, you will be asked to reflect upon your experience and explain how it integrates with your classroom studies. The reflection process may include a variety of options such as one-on-one meetings with your co-op coordinator, writing assignments/or presentations, and online reflections throughout your co-op.
| A&P Group Abiomed Akamai Technologies Alcatel-Lucent Amazon.com, Inc. Amazon Robotics Apple Ashland Bose Corporation Boston Scientific Brightcove Cisco Systems Dell EMC | Draper EMC Corporation Ericsson Inc Faith & Gould Fikst Hasbro Intuit iRobot Johnson & Johnson Mathworks Max Planck | Microsoft NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Nuvera NxStage Oracle Corporation PayPal Sikubora Stryker Tesla Virgin Pulse Wayfair |
If you are an employer and would like to learn more about the engineering co-op program, visit our Employer page.
Student Information
The information below is meant as a guide to help COE graduate students understand the co-op process. COE graduate students are able to participate in one co-op throughout their time at the University. If you have specific questions related to co-op please contact your specific department using the email addresses below.
- Bioengineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
- Multidisciplinary Graduate Engineering (MGEN)
| First semester | Review the applicable Graduate Co-op website(s): MS students, PhD students, PlusOne students |
| Focus on course work to meet GPA requirement of 3.2 | |
| Visit the Career Studio to gain feedback on resume | |
Enroll in ENCP 6000 or 6100, according to major (if class is full wait until following semester).
| |
| Begin networking by attending employer events, career fairs, club meetings, etc. Do not apply for any co-op/intern roles as you are not yet eligible. | |
| International Students: | |
| Ensure you have an active i-20 and review OGS website for CPT information | |
| Practice English and retake language assessment to achieve required language score, if necessary (see appropriate eligibility requirements based on major). – MIE only, enroll in if interested | |
| Second semester | Enroll in ENCP 6000 or 6100 if not yet complete, or apply for a waiver |
| Maintain required GPA of 3.2 | |
| Complete Intent to Co-op/Search to declare your intentions, watch email with invitation – due first Friday of each semester | |
| Once approved, you will be assigned a co-op coordinator and you will be given access to NUworks. Carefully review and sign Co-op Agreement to gain access (instructions will be provided) | |
| Only after receiving approval, start applying for jobs | |
| If you do not meet eligibility, continue to work on the elements you need to improve to reach eligibility. Contact the relevant departments if you have specific questions. | |
| Third semester | Participate in your one co-op opportunity, if successful in your first search |
| Enroll in ENCP 6000 or 6100 if not yet complete, or apply for a waiver (see instructions above for more information) | |
| Maintain required GPA of 3.2 | |
| Complete Intent to Co-op/Search, if unsuccessful in first search or have not yet been approved to search | |
| Once approved, you will be assigned a co-op coordinator and you will be given access to NUworks. Carefully review and sign Co-op Agreement to gain access (instructions will be provided) | |
| Only after receiving approval, start applying for jobs | |
| If you do not meet eligibility, continue to work on the elements you need to improve to reach eligibility. Contact the relevant departments if you have specific questions. | |
| Fourth semester | Participate in your one co-op opportunity or finish degree requirements |
| Fifth semester | Finish degree requirements for those who went on co-op in fourth semester |
Please review either the Master’s Co-op or PhD Co-op and Internships page for more information about the cooperative education program.
Departmental graduate co-op students are those enrolled in degree programs offered by the following departments:
- Bioengineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Questions and Contact Information
- View a list of Departmental Co-op Coordinators and Staff.
Learn More
- For more details visit the co-op page for each department: Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
Multidisciplinary Master’s graduate co-op students are those enrolled in the following programs:
- Cyber-Physical Systems
- Data Architecture and Management
- Information Systems
- Software Engineering Systems
- Telecommunication Networks
Questions and Contact Information
Learn More
- Visit the Multidisciplinary Master’s Co-op web page for more program details.
Graduate Co-op Spotlights
Mastering Full Stack Development
Jinal Mamaniya is a Full Stack Developer with 7+ years of hands-on experience designing, developing, implementing, and testing applications and solutions using a variety of front-end and back-end technologies. Her previous experiences and interest in the Information Systems field pushed her to Northeastern University. Her goals on arrival were to leverage her broad development experience […]
Community of Support in the MSIS-Bridge Program
Prior to enrolling in the MS in Information Systems-Bridge (MSIS-Bridge) program, Bhavin Bhatia was working in India as an HR administrator in corporate functions. He always wanted to pursue his master’s degree and the field of computer science. He is now on co-op at Siemen’s working in software testing.