In Northeastern's signature collaborative ecosystem, students undertake six-month work experiences with businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Boston, the United States, and around the world.
In the co-op model, students are constantly preparing, acting and reflecting. This cycle begins with a one-unit experiential education preparation course in which a co-op coordinator guides students in career exploration, job searching, networking, interviewing and other lifelong professional skills. Students then take their skills and experience from campus learning spaces, apply them to their work environments, and then bring that knowledge and those skills back to the classroom and other student experiences.
Integrating Co-op with Academic Planning
Northeastern students begin by working with their academic advisors to plan how co-op best fits their Northeastern pathway. After completing their experiential education course they alternate between full-time academic classes and full-time co-op semesters. Students usually work in pairs semester assignments. The exact start and end dates are determined by the employer in cooperation with the co-op coordinator.
- Spring cooperative: beginning of January until the last day of June
- Autumn cooperation: beginning of July until the last day of December
Through the co-op, graduate students gain work experience and apply their knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts. Students participating in the co-op also participate in a co-curricular, interdisciplinary experiential integration course. Graduate students have participated in co-ops at the Boston Planning & Development Agency, various government agencies for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the MBTA, and more. For more about co-op in our graduate programs, read this article.
For general questions about the graduate associate search process, please contact csshcoop@northeastern.edu.
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