If you’re a new student (freshman or undergraduate transfer) in the College of Computer and Information Science, welcome! When you begin depends on several factors including your year/rank in school and your major. Because the Co-op Program must accommodate several hundred students per year, the program is rigorous and very structured.
- General criteria for the program
- Freshmen
- Transfers (from within Northeastern)
- Transfers (from outside Northeastern)
- Frequently Asked Questions
General Criteria You should begin by familiarizing yourself with basic information about co-op policies and procedures by reading the CCIS Co-op Manual and General Northeastern University Co-op Student Handbook.
Students should be in good academic standing in order to begin the co-op job search. This means:
- You cannot be on academic probation or dismissal.
- You must have a 2.0 GPA or higher.
- You must complete a co-op preparation course.
- You must be enrolled in classes at the time you begin seeking a co-op position.
- You must be a full-time student.
In addition, students must be “cleared” by their co-op coordinator before they can accept or begin working a co-op position. For more information about the clearance process, see the CCIS Co-op Manual.
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Freshmen
All freshmen are required to take CS U221 in the Fall semester and CS U222 in the Spring semester (Computer Science Overview 1 and 2) during their freshman year. You will be automatically assigned to these during registration, in most cases.
The Overview courses are designed to help you acclimate to life at Northeastern University and to introduce you to the cooperative education program. By the end of CS U222, you should have completed most of the necessary steps for co-op clearance. The Overview courses are an in-depth introduction to co-op and you should be able to get any questions about co-op answered there.
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Internal Transfer Students
If you’re transferring into CCIS from another college at Northeastern, you must first be fully accepted into the program before you can participate in the CCIS Co-op Program. Speak with a CCIS advisor about transfer requirements and procedures. Students who are “provisionally” admitted to CCIS cannot participate in co-op!
A minimum of two semesters must be completed in the College of Computer and Information Science before you can go on co-op. This allows us to verify that you can handle the rigorous CCIS academic curriculum and it gives you time to complete the freshman CS/IS coursework. Exceptions can sometimes be made if you have extenuating circumstances (e.g., if you’ve already taken Fundamentals of Computer Science 1 and 2 and earned a C or better in both).
International students on an F1 visa must attend school full-time for one academic year before going out on co-op.
If you have already been on co-op in your previous major, the co-op prep course credit you earned there will transfer into CCIS. Speak with your previous coordinator and your CCIS coordinator to make sure your co-op files are transferred.
Once you are accepted:
- Immediately come in to see your new CCIS co-op coordinator. Your coordinator will need to assess your readiness for co-op, help you plan when you’ll go on co-op, and assign you to a division.
- Take the CCIS co-op preparation course (CS U222 or 223), if you haven’t taken one in your previous college.
- Complete co-op clearance during the quarter before you wish to begin working.
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Transfers from Outside NU
If you’re transferring into Northeastern University and the College of Computer and Information Science from another university, you must first be accepted into the university and the college before you can participate in the CCIS Co-op Program. Students who are “provisionally” admitted to CCIS cannot participate in co-op!
A minimum of two semesters must be completed in the College of Computer and Information Science before you can go on co-op. This allows us to verify that you can handle the rigorous CCIS academic curriculum and it gives you time to complete the freshman CS/IS coursework. Exceptions can sometimes be made if you have extenuating circumstances (e.g., if you’ve already taken Fundamentals of Computer Science 1 and 2 and earned a C or better in both).
International students on an F1 visa must attend school full-time for one academic year before going out on co-op.
Once you are accepted:
- Immediately come in to see your new CCIS co-op coordinator. Your coordinator will need to assess your readiness for co-op, help you plan when you’ll go on co-op, and assign you to a division.
- Take the CCIS co-op preparation course (CS U222 if you begin school in Spring, or U223 if you begin in Fall).
- Complete co-op clearance during the quarter before you wish to begin working.
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Is co-op mandatory in CCIS?
Northeastern University is unique because students have the opportunity to gain a year or more of full-time professional-level experience in their chosen profession before graduation. We are aware that many students come to Northeastern with pre-existing experience and we are aware that many of you have professional-level skills even before you begin co-op. However, we believe, as does the university, that cooperative education not only enriches the traditional college academic experience but it is essential for the development of a well-rounded professional. Co-op allows students to receive higher starting salaries upon graduation and often results in students graduating with a job waiting for them.
Almost all students in the college participate in co-op and find it to be an extremely worthwhile experience. Although cooperative education is not a requirement for graduation, it is strongly encouraged in the College of Computer and Information Science. Most undergraduates in the college participate in 3 co-op experiences of 6 months in length during their academic career. The faculty of the college believes that co-op strengthens the knowledge learned in the classroom by immersion in the practical problems that utilize that knowlege. We see that students experience significant personal and professional growth, evidenced by their self-confidence, initiative, and technical skills. Students who are considering attending Northeastern and the College of Computer and Information Science should think hard about their educational priorities.
For more on the Northeastern philosophy on cooperative education, visit the Cooperative Education Department homepage.
Who is my co-op coordinator, and how do I reach him or her?
Please see our Co-op Faculty page.
If I’ve done full-time professional work before beginning the co-op program, can I get retroactive co-op credit for it?
No. Part of the value of co-op is that it coincides with the CCIS academic curriculum, allowing you to draw on recent work experience in order to better understand your coursework (or vice versa). Past experience is good in that it will help you to gain higher-level (and better-paying) co-op jobs, but in order to get credit for work experience it must be done under the supervision and approval of your co-op coordinator.
Am I guaranteed a job?
The CCIS Co-op Program is designed to prepare you for real world job searching and employment. In the real world, getting a job depends on your skill, experience, and professionalism. External factors such as job market conditions and competition can also be the deciding factors in how your job search goes.
The CCIS Co-op Faculty have taken steps to circumvent some of these factors, by:
- requiring students to achieve a minimum level of professionalism before the job search begins;
- working individually with students to help them improve their job-search skills and employability; and
- forming relationships with employers in order to develop new job opportunities and improve the quality of existing ones.
Despite these measures, however, we cannot force employers to hire you. In tight job markets students with weaker skills or grades may have difficulty obtaining co-op positions. The co-op faculty will work closely with these students and with potential employers to try to find a good job match. In general, so long as these students are persistent in their job search and diligent in working with their coordinator, they will find a job before graduation.
