Co-op is an opportunity for you to advance your knowledge and skills in the context of industry, government, and society. Through a co-operative education experience, you will be empowered to create a career plan that will enable you to make well-informed choices for lifelong career success.
Co-op is an educational experience that enables you to:
You apply classroom knowledge to work situations, converting theory to practice, while learning information and gaining skills to enhance future coursework.
Student Eligibility- to participate in a co-operative education experience, a student must:
The work experience must be:
If you're interested in a 2021-2022 work experience, join the Co-op list serv.
Send a plain text email message to: engr-coop-jobs-l-request@cornell.edu. In the Subject line of the message, type the single word: join. Leave the body of the message blank.Make sure you have completed the On-Campus Recruiting tutorial, have set up your Handshake account, have updated and had your résumé reviewed, and have completed a practice interview.
We will periodically send you announcements about available co-ops and connecting with interested employers. The majority of the jobs listed in these messages will be posted in Handshake-to locate the jobs posted in Handshake, you can search on job title or employer in the Handshake system. Should we become aware of other positions which are not posted in Handshake, we will list them separately in the message.
When applying to jobs in Handshake, be sure to follow the application instructions carefully. For some jobs, you will be redirected to an outside URL for application....this may be instead of, OR, in addition to applying through the Handshake system.
You should regularly search Handshake, company websites, and career websites for positions of interest as well.
Talk with your advisor or Major Coordinator about your academic plans to understand the best timing for you to take a semester off to work based on your course progress. In many cases, taking a semester off to work will result in a delayed graduation.
To facilitate the discussion with your Major Coordinator, and for formal approval, you will need a Request to Participate in Co-op form; send a message to engr_coop@cornell.edu to request the form. When sending the message, it is helpful to know your school year, major, and whether you currently have a co-op offer or are exploring co-op as an option.
Some majors may offer summer coursework that you may take to accommodate taking a semester off and still graduating within four years. Discuss available summer coursework with your major department.
When you receive a job offer from an employer, contact the Engineering Career Center to discuss the offer. If you decide to accept it, you will need to complete Co-op Acceptance paperwork with the Engineering Career Center to be officially enrolled in a co-operative education experience for a fall or spring semester.
Then you will work a fall or spring semester (or both depending on your academic plans and employer needs). While you are working, you are enrolled "in absentia" and do not pay tuition for the semester. There is only a $15.00 fee to be enrolled in absentia.
Finally, you will return to campus and complete your remaining coursework.
The due dates to apply to participate in a Fall 2021* co-operative education experience are below. As the forms require approvals from others, you must plan ahead.
Due to a number of administrative tasks to ensure you are properly registered in absentia and not billed fall tuition charges, these dates should be followed. If you can not meet these due dates, you should alternatively consider requesting a voluntary leave with your department.
June 1 - submit completed Request to Participate form (requires major department approval)
June 16 - submit completed Acceptance forms (requires employer approval)
International students must plan well in advance to ensure adequate time to obtain US work authorization paperwork before your intended start date. Contact International Services immediately to discuss whether you have adequate time to complete the necessary paperwork for your participation.
Due to COVID-19, we reserve the right to change these dates if the university academic calendar changes.
Co-operative education experiences are typically longer than a summer internship. As on-boarding and training can take a few weeks depending on the organization, longer work terms create the opportunity for students to experience more substantive projects. Students report finding added satisfaction in the more involved projects and learning more about the industry.
Employers appreciate longer work terms because students are able to work on projects more independently after training. On a résumé, the longer work terms reflect a higher level of responsibility and greater industry experience.
Students who are interested exploring co-op are encouraged to contact the Engineering Career Center for more information at engr_coop@cornell.edu.
All students participating in co-op are required to complete an on-campus recruiting (OCR) tutorial. Please go to the Cornell Career Services website to locate and complete the tutorial.
Employers can find out more at our Industry Partners page.
Being able to work at a heart valve startup and learn about the culture that comes with that specific line of work was amazing. It has broadened my perceived options for my career.
