Engineering Co-operative Education Experience (Co-op)

Student Eligibility: to participate in a co-operative education experience, a student must

• be an undergraduate
• have completed at least two semesters by the start of the work term
• be affiliated with an engineering major by the start of the work term
• be in good academic standing with their engineering major and College at start of work term
• have undergraduate coursework remaining following the work experience
• have a signed co-operative education agreement (this form will be provided by ECC with acceptance agreement forms, and must be signed by employer representative and student)

Co-operative Education Experience Criteria: the work experience must be:

• Engineering-related work
• Paid
• Full-time (37.5+ hours/week)
• The duration of a fall or spring semester
• Occur during a fall or spring semester

Contact the Engineering Career Center staff before accepting a co-op position to confirm that you and the work experience are eligible.

Many co-op positions are posted in Handshake. You should join our list serv and include your résumé in any available résumé books we make available for co-op in Handshake. In general, employers post co-op positions year-round. Typically, employers hiring for the spring semester will recruit through early and mid-fall. Employers hiring for the fall semester typically recruit through the spring semester. In both cases, there are often last minute opportunities as companies solidify their business needs. A small number of employers recruit a year in advance. You are encouraged to utilize additional resources as you search for co-op jobs, and we can discuss these with you at information sessions and in advising meetings.

If you would like to receive periodic co-op job list emails you may send a plain text message with the single word, 'join' in the subject line (leave the body of the message blank) to engr-coop-jobs-l-request@cornell.edu.

You are able to consider other options, such as research and summer internships, as you explore and apply to co-op opportunities.

International students benefit from cooperative education experiences by utilizing Curricular Practical Training (CPT) rather than Optional Practical Training (OPT). 

Look for job postings in which the Work Authorization Requirements field states, "US work authorization is required but the employer is accepting OPT/CPT candidates," or "US work authorization is required but the employer is willing to sponsor candidates."

If you are an international student who is unfamiliar with work authorization requirements in the US, the Office of Global Learning offers regular workshops on the topic.
 

Co-op is an undergraduate career exploration tool and experience where students put into practice what they have learned in class, then return return to Cornell and apply what they learned during the work experience toward their education. 

While on co-op, students are required to submit the following:

• Early Work Term Modules (first two weeks of co-op work term):
  • Contact Information Form
  • Student/Employer Expectations Agreement
  • Learning Outcomes (i.e. setting learning goals for the work term)
• Mid-Term Assessment (about six week into the semester work term)
• End-of-Term Reflection Activities:
  • Work Experience Evaluation
  • Learning Outcomes Evaluation
  • Job Summary
  • Assessment of Performance
• Workshops for Success: Workshops for Success (WFS) are designed to prepare you for your co-op experience in a professional workplace. In order to successfully meet co-op requirements, you must complete four Workshops for Success- ideally before the start of your co-op, and no later than the end of the work term. Topics relate to the NACE Career Readiness Competencies.

After accepting an approved co-op position with the Engineering Career Center, students are added to a Canvas course for the co-op work term(s), where the assignments can be accessed.

In 2018-2019, the average co-op salary was $4,198/month and the median was $3,900/month. More financial and salary information is available.

In a survey of Class of 2019 co-op students, about half of the survey respondents reported receiving some sort of compensation for housing. Some employers offer subsidized housing or housing stipends to assist students with the relocation.

Co-op students utilize a variety of options to secure housing. Some include:

• Rental agencies
• Local college on-campus housing (more availability in the summer)
• Local college Facebook sublet groups
• Web searches for sublets or short-term leases
• Air BnB
• Live at home
• Spring 2021: On-Campus Housing (see below)

Obviously, the live at home option works best for someone who does a co-op job search focused on a specific geographic region. 

Recruiters typically can provide guidance regarding housing options in their community.

Given the variety of employer locations, our office is unable to advise you regarding housing options. However, if a former co-op student has worked at a location, we can put you in touch with each other. We have copies of work summaries completed by former co-op students that you may review. Reaching out to Cornellians in specific locations has also been useful for students.

Spring 2021: On-Campus Housing* For students with an existing contract for on-campus housing who officially enroll in the co-op program and secure a remote co-op, the Housing and Residence Life office can permit continuing the housing contract for Spring 2021. If you have a contract with Housing and Residence Life, will be working remotely, and continuing to stay in your on-campus housing during your co-op, you must notify ECC when you accept your offer for co-op.

Otherwise, if you have an on-campus housing contract, the housing office will release you from your on-campus housing contract when you notify them. For a fall co-op, the housing office recommends that you notify them by July 1; for a spring co-op, notify them by Dec. 1.

*If you have not yet secured a co-op but are applying for positions that require relocation, the Housing and Residence Life office encourages you to consider removing all of your belongings when you leave at Thanksgiving Break. In a scenario where you accept a Spring 2021 co-op over winter break but your belongings are still in your room, it will be very difficult for you to re-enter the halls during the break period, especially with the updated (and perhaps updating) travel protocols and testing requirements. The Housing and Residence Life office can't cancel a housing assignment when a student has belongings in the room as the student is still occupying the room.

If you and a friend have different semesters away from campus due to co-op or study abroad, it's a great strategy to share an off-campus apartment for the opposite terms.

Due to COVID-19, we will approve remote work experiences. 

Since students on co-op are registered in absentia during their fall or spring co-op, it is not possible to simultaneously be enrolled in any Cornell classes- even online or asynchronous courses. Some co-op students in the past have received pre-approval for transfer credit for 1-2 classes taken part time from another university while on co-op. Contact Engineering Advising for more information about transfer credit. Since you will be a full-time employee while participating in co-op, it is important to focus on your work experience and ensure that the transfer courses do not distract or take time away from your work. It is also critical to not enroll in more than 11 transfer credits during the fall or spring semester term as being registered in 12+ credits would make you a full-time student at another institution and have potential financial aid implications.

When you are registered in absentia through the Co-op office, it is as a fully registered student who is working a full-time position. You can not do a part-time co-op and be registered in absentia. Part-time positions are not eligible to participate in co-operative education experiences through our office. If you have a part-time position, you might explore either a leave of absence or talking with an academic advisor about how to manage your course load and part-time work.

On-Campus Housing: During your co-op work term, call the Housing Office in RPCC (607-255-5368) to apply for on-campus housing for when you return. You will then be placed on a waiting list for on-campus housing that becomes available.

Sublet: Some students lease an apartment for the entire academic year (usually June-June), and sublet the apartment for the time that they will be away. Other students choose to sublet someone else’s apartment for the semester they will be on-campus. 

Off-Campus Housing:

• Off-Campus Living
• Facebook sublet groups for Cornell students
• https://www.sublet.com/
• www.craigslist.com

Use due diligence in evaluating options virtually. Be very careful about simply sending money to strangers online. Don’t forget to return to the site periodically to see if anyone has responded to your message, as some sites give people the option to either respond to the message within the forum, or to e-mail you directly.