COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM (CO-OP)

The Stevens Cooperative Education Program for Undergraduate Students is a five-year, competitive program that combines classroom education with practical real-world work experience. A co-op experience allows students to alternate semesters of academic study with semesters of full-time paid professional work in a job related to the student’s academic program of study.

Benefits to students

  • Gain valuable work experience in a job related to your degree before graduation.

  • Earn a full-time hourly salary during each work semester.

  • Establish and broaden a network of professional contacts in a career field and industry.

  • Receive exclusive invitations to Co-op recruiting events.

  • Work with a team of academic advisors and career center professionals.

  • Serve as a Co-op Peer Mentor for new students in your senior year.

Eligible undergraduate degree programs

Biomedical Engineering

Engineering Management

Chemical Engineering

Engineering with a concentration in Naval Engineering

Civil Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Computer Engineering

Industrial & Systems Engineering

Computer Science

Mechanical Engineering

Cybersecurity

Software Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Preparing to participate in the Co-op Program

First-year undergraduate students enrolled in one of the eligible undergraduate degree programs are required to complete the following steps to gain admittance into the Co-op Program.  

Academic Courses

  • Successfully complete and pass all first-year academic coursework, including two required math courses, MA125 and MA126, by the end of the Spring semester of the first year. Summer courses taken after the first year are not considered. 

  • Earn a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. 

Cooperative Education Courses

  • First-year students interested in applying to participate in the Co-op Program must pass COOP 100: Introduction to Cooperative Education in the Spring semester of their first year. COOP 100 is a zero-credit Pass/Fail course and is only offered in the spring. Students must register for the COOP 100 course during spring registration in accordance with the Office of the Registrars Spring registration timeline. 

  • Students will learn about the Co-op Program and all program requirements. Students will be required to complete various assignments to pass the COOP 100 course, including meeting with their Academic Advisor to create an Academic Plan that includes their expected co-op job search semesters, co-op work semesters, and academic coursework for their degree program. 

Applying to the Co-op Program

As a part of the COOP 100 course assignments, students will be invited to submit an application to participate in the Co-op Program at the conclusion of the course. 

Getting Admitted to the Co-op Program

Students who meet all the criteria listed above and pass COOP 100: Introduction to Cooperative Education will be admitted into the Co-op Program by May 31.

International Students

International students are required to meet with the Office for International Students and Scholar Services (ISSS) to complete all steps required to obtain Curricular Practical Training (CPT) work authorization. CPT is work authorization granted to eligible F-1 visa students so they may work while a student.  

Transfer Students

Transfer students are not eligible to participate in the Co-op Program. We strongly encourage transfer students to schedule a virtual or in-person career coaching appointment with the Stevens Career Center on Handshake to discuss options for exploring and applying to summer internships. 

Questions?

Please contact the Career Center at [email protected] with any questions.