I remember this being announced recently, but I can’t find any official information about it except for this severely broken and probably orphaned page:
http://www.northeastern.edu/faq/4year.html
Is this option still available?
From a purely financial standpoint, I would think that CCIS students could make more in that 5th year with full time jobs than in coop positions taking place with less education under their belt.
Yes, the option is available and has always been available. My daughter will do 4 years with 2 coops - it just worked out that way for her - between AP credits and wanting to take summer classes - she doesn’t need another term to complete all her requirements. One of my daughter’s deciding factors was that she felt her first coop had been so strong that she did not need three to have a great resume when she graduates.
With the exception of some very strict programs (like engineering) where the semesters are laid out for you, you can be pretty flexible with what you do - number of coops, number of summer sessions etc. You also don’t have to decide the minute you start - you can let your college plan evolve over time.
One of my daughter’s friends (computer major) figured out that with 3 coops over 5 years and free tuition (NMF scholarship they don’t offer anymore) - the 3 coops would completely cover room and board for all his time (including time spent on coop).
Remember for 5 years and 3 coops you have 10 fall/spring semesters where only 7 are academic (so you need 2 summer sessions). For 4 years and 2 coops you have 8 fall/spring semesters where only 6 are academic (so you may need up to 4 summer sessions to get everything in) - which is why most students do not opt for that option.
You have a lot of flexibility in how you arrange your program. I started out planning to do 4 years and 1-2 co-ops and ended up with 5 years and 3 co-ops. I’ve had friends do everything in between. Doing 4 years and 2 co-ops means only space for 7 semesters of classes, so it’s a lot easier to do with AP/IB/dual credit coming in.
By staying for 5 years in something like CCIS, you have a chance to get a variety of co-ops to find what you like and also make connections with a variety of companies. A lot of employers in engineering/CS see co-op as a trial run for future full-time employment, so that can be a great foot in the door for great jobs as well.
Thanks @nanotechnology this is good to know. Frankly I am really surprised NEU does this, it is the only school on my Daughter’s list that does (besides UMass). But I guess it makes sense given the time constraints added by co-op.