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Every year employers come to Ithaca, NY to interview and hire Co-op students from among the College of Engineering’s talented and creative undergraduates. At Cornell University, an interdisciplinary environment that fosters creativity and innovation, they find the students they are looking for. Employers who hire students from the Cornell Engineering Cooperative Education Program gain more than outstanding apprentices—they have a chance to observe and groom prospective employees. Cornell Engineering students are self-reliant, ready, confident of their abilities, and eager to learn. In the short-term, these students can breathe new life into an existing project. In the long-term, these students gain the experience they need to bring even more skill and confidence to the table as employees after graduation.
Cornell University’s Engineering Cooperative Education Program provides educational opportunities to integrate students’ academic and career interests with paid, productive work experiences at cooperating organizations throughout the world. A unique feature of Cornell’s Co-op program is that participating students are available for full-time employment after four years of study, a full year earlier than co-op students at most other universities. Our Co-op students are required to complete 28 weeks of work, ideally with the same employer. Co-op students work full-time during their junior year of college for one semester, usually fall, and one summer. Some students have flexible schedules, so you can discuss your scheduling needs with them to determine the optimal work terms. Employers are expected to assign work with the students’ educational goals and background in mind. Because Co-op is an academic program, students work with their mentors to develop individual learning outcomes that are reviewed at the end of each work term. Cornell staff and faculty members visit Co-op work sites to ensure that both students and employers are profiting from the experience. Students earn a notation on their transcript upon completion of the program. Which Students Participate in Co-op? Juniors who have a minimum 2.7 GPA from all 13 engineering disciplines: Electrical and Computer Engineering Information Science, Systems, and Technology Materials Science and Engineering *As well as BEE students from College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and CS Students from the College of Arts and Sciences. What Employers have to say about Cornell Co-op
David Biedermann Procter & Gamble Typical Co-op Recruiting Timeline November
Those who accept the invitation make reservations online for preferred recruiting dates and post job descriptions shortly thereafter. January
February
March
May-August Students stay on campus and complete the first semester of their junior year. September-January Students work on-site with their Co-op employers. January-May Students return to campus to complete their junior year of college. May-August Students return to complete their Co-op assignments, and then return to campus in August to complete their senior year of college. Alternative work time-lines are possible as long as they consist of one semester and one summer for a minimum of 28 weeks. (fall/summer or spring/summer) Co-op Students work for many different employers. The companies range from small entrepreneurial start-ups to large manufacturing firms, as well as several government agencies. Although the vast majority of employers are located in the continental United States, companies as far away as Japan, Singapore, and Belgium have hired Cornell students. For more details, please see the list of recent Co-op employers for each major. Networking Reception-These are held Wednesday evenings on campus during Co-op recruiting weeks and take the place of information sessions.This is a chance to chat informally with Co-op students about your organization and the projects they could be working on. Most employers have us hold a few interview slots on their schedule for students they meet at a networking reception and want to interview the following day. Some also find it helpful to have former Cornell Co-op students from their organization come to the reception to share their experiences and help answer questions. How much are Co-op students paid? This varies by industry and location.For a list of monetary salaries click here. Housing and relocation allowances also affect salaries. Employers cover the cost of transportation to/from the work site at the start and end of each work term. About 25% of Co-op employers subsidize housing for students. Can a Co-op Student work 7 months in a row? Yes, some students are able to work January-August or June-December.Students are not able to work a seven month length that occurs between September and May. Please see the typical student work timeline. You may want to consult with the Co-op Coordinator to discuss possibilities.Individual work terms should be arranged directly with the student(s). How does the offer process work? Co-op offers are submitted directly to our office and not to the students. On a set date in early March we distribute all offers to the students and ask that they accept and decline through our office. Once the offer acceptance deadline has passed in late March, we follow-up via e-mail to notify employers of acceptances. Tips for Co-op Employers - successful strategies used by current Co-op employers to ensure a positive Co-op experience for everyone involved. Number of students interested in Co-op this year (by major) Co-op: Taking the real world for a test drive - Cornell Chronicle (12/5/2006)
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“Cornell Co-op program students become great Microsoft employees. They leave school with a solid academic foundation and real-world project experience. This combination of academic and industry experience allows them to contribute and learn quickly in a fast-paced environment. Microsoft applauds Cornell for recognizing the importance of complementing course work with relevant practical experience. They are providing their students a real advantage in the marketplace.”
“Dan’s performance has been more at the level of a pre-doctoral student than that of an undergraduate. He was given the arduous task of resurrecting a testing apparatus, the shoulder table, essential to a broad range of sports medicine and biomechanics research projects. Dan took the initiative to learn the anatomy and biomechanics of the shoulder, to survey and organize the somewhat sparse documentations, to document the limitations of the table, and to present me with a detailed plan and timeline for his redesign. His plan was innovative-complete the design requirements during his fall semester with us, so that our machine shop could make the necessary parts, having them ready for his return this summer to complete the improvements. Dan’s leadership in driving this project has been outstanding.”
“Whitney has been supporting a CF6 engine hardware cooling analysis where she had to extract data from customer supplied mission profiles, coordinate with engineering performance to determine the engine cycle conditions at these points, and then work with the fuel systems group to conduct an oil cooling analysis, the results of which she presented at a technical review. Overall, Whitney is sharp, intelligent, and very professional; she asks a lot of good questions and is valued by all the mechanical systems engineers with whom she is working. Without question, Whitney is within the top two of the entire Co-op population who have worked on this group assignment over the past few years.”
