You’ve been in the College of Computer and Information Science for a while now and you know it’s time to start thinking about co-op. What do you do?
- General criteria for the program
- Before your first co-op
- Changing assignments
- Returning to a previous co-op
- Coming back to school after a co-op
- Graduating seniors
Don’t forget to familiarize 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.
Remember that students must be in good academic standing in order to go out on co-op. This means you: Cannot be on academic probation or dismissal.
- Must have a 2.0 QPA or higher.
- Must complete several basic freshman-year courses, such as Fundamentals of Computer Science 1 and 2.
- Must be enrolled in classes at the time you begin seeking a co-op position.
- Must be a full-time student.
In addition, each student must be “cleared” by their co-op coordinator before he or she can accept or begin working a new co-op position. For more information about the clearance process, see the CCIS Co-op Manual.
You must be cleared for co-op in order to begin job-searching using the co-op database, or to accept a job obtained on your own. The clearance process ensures that all students:
- have an up-to-date and professional-quality resume (and/or cover letter) ready to send out to potential employers
- meet academic and professional standards for participating in the co-op program
- international students meet visa and immigration requirements for participating in co-op
- discuss career goals and employment options with the co-op faculty
- will be able to meet co-op requirements and still graduate on time
For details on co-op clearance, see the CCIS Co-op Manual.
After you complete your six month co-op cycle and return to campus for reflection, the co-op process begins again.
If you decide you would like to work at a different company for your next co-op, attend the Seeking New Assignment meeting, complete Final Clearance, and you will then have access to COOL.
Returning to your previous co-op employer?
Before you accept a position with your previous co-op employer, be sure that this new position will be one of professional growth. If you have decided to return to the same co-op employer for your next co-op cycle, please be sure to alert your manager and HR of that company, in addition to informing your Co-op Faculty Coordinator. This can be done in person or via email. You do not need to attend the Seeking New Assignment portion of the meeting and do not need to complete clearance. Additionally, confirm that this position is still in fact available for the next co-op period.
Unsure of whether or not to return to your previous co-op employer?
A date will be set each semester, and announced during the Seeking New Assignment meeting, regarding when you need to make a final decision about whether or not to return to your previous co-op employer. By this date, you will have to inform both your manager/HR and your Co-op Faculty Coordinator. We highly recommend that you meet with your Co-op Faculty Coordinator prior to this date to weigh out the pros and cons.
You should attend Seeking New Assignment and complete Final Clearance ASAP in order to view the jobs available on COOL. You will typically have one weekend to view positions before a decision must be made. This is out of fairness to our co-op employers and will prevent positions from not being filled due to students holding onto these offers too long into the semester.
If you are currently on co-op and are about to return to classes you must complete the following steps:
- Goal Setting (Assigned a few weeks into your co-op cycle and available through COOL)
- Student Evaluation (Available through COOL)
- Employer Evaluation (Log-in information sent directly to supervisor)
- Attend a Reflection Meeting
- Complete a Reflection Report (Available through COOL)
