One of the things Northeastern is most known for is its co-op program. While there is a lot of good information on Northeastern’s website, this is meant to be a more student / accessible version of that information, plus more that may not be there.
https://www.northeastern.edu/coop/what-is-cooperative-education/
What is co-op?
Northeastern requires all students to engage in “experiential learning”, which basically means to practically apply your studies in some way. This can be done in four ways: co-op, research, global experience, or service learning. While many students do multiple of these and co-op is not explicitly required, a vast majority (95% or more) of Northeastern students participate in co-op. Typically students do 2-3 co-op’s while at Northeastern.
A co-op is a break from classes to work in a (typically paid) full-time job in your field. Northeastern co-op’s are 6 months typically but can be 4 or 8 months as well. Co-op’s allow students to gain experience in their field, try out different career paths, create connections within their industry, and often make a decent amount of money in the process.
How do I get a co-op?
Northeastern is built around the program and provides many resources for the process. Each student has a co-op advisor in addition to their academic advisor. Before a first co-op, all students take a major specific co-op prep class to help them with everything from creating a resume to interviewing to how to present yourself on co-op. Northeastern also offers [top-ranked career services](Best Colleges for Career Services | The Princeton Review) to help through every step.
Students apply to co-ops through an internal database but can also apply using other resources. Students then interview and are given offers which they can compare (if they have multiple) and then accept. Co-op’s are not assigned but are just like any job search process generally, but with many support systems and connections in place through the program.
Are co-op’s paid?
Most co-op’s are paid, some (high end) as much as $30 or more an hour. The average hourly rate is around $18 (still need to find the source on this but I believe this was as of 2017) but is highly dependent on major and industry. Engineering, CS, and Business tend to pay the best while there are more unpaid positions in the arts for example. For unpaid co-ops, Northeastern offers a stipend scholarship that can help with offsetting costs. International co-op’s tend to pay less generally for various economic reasons.
Where can I co-op?
You can co-op anywhere in the world! Most tend to stay in the US, but there are co-op’s all over.
There is an epicenter in Boston but most major US cities have a good number of co-op students each semester. SF, Seattle, LA, New York, Chicago, and DC are all very common spots that have Northeastern students every semester. Northeastern offers leased housing in NYC, Chicago, DC, SF, and Mountain View and an office to help with housing for non-local co-ops in general. If you co-op in Boston, you can still use Northeastern housing while on co-op.
How do co-op’s fit into my schedule?
Northeastern works on a year-round academic calendar with year-round class offerings. Co-op’s are typically done on “Spring" (January-June) or “Fall” (July-December) cycle, meaning you do co-op’s during those months after your first 3-4 semesters of classes. To make up for “missed” classes, summer sessions (2 months long, half the classes, basically a half semester) can be taken as needed. Summer courses are very common for Northeastern and have decent offerings as a result, though still not as much as Fall/Spring.
Good sample schedules: https://careers.northeastern.edu/student-co-op/co-op-options/
Any Northeastern major can be done in 4 years with 2 co-op’s using summer sessions, but this schedule offers little breaks. One of the most common patterns is 5 years with 3 co-ops. There are many options for patterns of attendance, and students can graduate midyear if they desire as well. Co-op and academic advisors can help with planning this process.
If you’re curious about all the possible patterns, a complete list is linked below. Your co-op and academic advisors are there to help you choose what pattern works best for you. You can also change your pattern of attendance at any point.
https://registrar.northeastern.edu/app/uploads/ref-udc-poa-ugd.pdf
How does aid/scholarship work when I am on co-op?
When you go on co-op you are still a full-time student but all aid and scholarship is paused (except for federal loans/grants). You do not pay tuition while you are on co-op. A good rule of thumb is that co-op pay will cover living costs during that time, though some will make more depending on the major/position.
Will this affect me socially?
Co-op means that students are often transitioning between co-op and classes. A good portion of co-op’s are in Boston but co-op’s are all over the world as well.
When you co-op in Boston you are still welcome to use Northeastern housing and facilities, and socially it will be quite similar.
When you co-op outside of Boston, Northeastern helps facilitate housing as well as connecting co-op students with events in other major cities. While you may be leaving some friends in Boston, co-op’s abroad can also be an opportunity to expand social circles and bring those friends back to campus after co-op.
Northeastern is also designed so that if you do choose to leave Boston, social and practical logistics are aligned with your co-op. For example, clubs work on a semester basis rather than a yearly one. Housing is also assigned in semester blocks, not by year.
What’s the difference between a co-op and an internship?
The time difference between co-op and internships can play a significant role in the quality and quantity of work, as training time takes up significantly less time proportionally as a result. The extended period of time also tends to mean that companies invest more in a co-op student than they may for an intern, also meaning a higher chance of a full-time offer. At Northeastern, over 50% of students have a full-time job offer from a previous co-op when they graduate.
The difference in timing can also mean less competition in the application process. While intern positions will be competing with colleges all over the US, there are significantly fewer students looking for co-ops.
Do other schools have co-op?
Many schools offer co-op programs, but many are very small and will not offer the resources that a co-op focused school will, professionally or in terms of social effects. Many places also only offer co-op for engineering or other specific majors while Northeastern offers co-op to all majors. Still, there are other schools with large central co-op programs such as U of Cincinnati, Drexel, RIT, Georgia Tech, and Waterloo (Canada). If the co-op model generally is of interest to you, some/all of these other schools may be good to look at! Note that these models can vary slightly in terms of requirements, time on co-op, majors allowed to go on co-op, and the number of co-ops suggested/allowed depending on the school.
I can tell you that personally as a student I have absolutely loved the co-op model. Many emphasize co-op pay, particularly for well-paying majors, but the advantages of co-op are far more than that. Co-op is an opportunity to have confidence in your career choice, find out what you like and sometimes more importantly what you don’t like. It’s not uncommon to go out on co-op to find out you don’t like the industry version of your major and change your major entirely before going out on co-op again. To have that flexibility and certainty in your career by graduation is incredibly powerful, and the resources offered by the program aid in that tremendously.
If you have any questions or things not covered, please reply and I will work that information into this post if applicable!
