What universities have the best co-op programs for computer science?

I’ve been doing some college research, and I can’t seem to find a solid list of colleges that offer good co-op programs for computer science, particularly in the northeast or mid-west regions of the United States. So, would anyone be willing to give me a list of colleges so that I can further my college research?

Northeastern University
University of Waterloo (Canada)

Cincinnati, Drexel, and Northeastern build their curricula around co-ops, but many other colleges offer optional co-ops. But you may have to check if a formal co-op program is offered for each college individually.

Note that even without a formal co-op program, a college may have withdrawal and readmission policies that effectively allow a student to make his/her own co-op.

Waterloo and Northeastern are the two schools that are very focused on co-op and also known for CS. Georgia Tech, Purdue, and RIT are three schools with CS/Engineering co-ops and are known for CS. RPI and WPI are both practically focused programs with career support offered in similar ways as co-op schools. Drexel and Cincinnati are co-op focused and offer sufficient CS.

For CS these days, you should be doing internships if you don’t do co-op, and while co-op can be helpful it’s certainly not required these days given the boom of the tech industry. Most good CS schools will offer plenty of options for internships via simply recruiting, so while it’s good to look for co-op focused schools, I wouldn’t limit yourself to them.

I would note that while one can do co-ops at many schools, even those which don’t officially offer them, doing them at one where it is uncommon/rare can have negative social effects if one plans to do multiple co-ops or ones not in the local area. When it’s a common part of a school, the school’s culture also is typically adapted to it in many ways. The support system also is helpful at the more established/larger co-op programs.

Happy to answer any questions as a Northeastern CS student with many schools mentioned on my college list back when I applied :slight_smile:

For the record, of those listed and for the combination criteria of CS and co-op, I would personally recommend Northeastern and Waterloo the highest, followed by GT, and notables for RIT and WPI.