Co-op employers
The NC State Cooperative Education Program (co-op) is structured to provide meaningful work experiences for students, through alternating semesters of full-time study and full-time work. As the largest co-op program in North Carolina, we have co-op arrangements with more than 600 companies or agencies.
The Co-op Program
- Is designed to fit employers, with undergraduate students working three full-time alternating semesters with the same co-op employer (graduate level students usually work only one or two semesters).
- Partners with public- and private-sector employers enable us to facilitate about 1,000 co-op work rotations each academic year.
- Provide students with meaningful full-time, PAID work experiences, in line with their career and academic goals.
Co-op students can fill an important role in your company – energetic, skilled workers eager to make a good impression and contacts in the real world.
Students have shown that recruitment efforts were more successful with co-op graduates, recruitment costs were lower and many co-op students offered permanent jobs accepted them.
As an employer participating in the Co-op Program, you’ll enjoy:
- Access to reliable, motivated, and skilled individuals whose career objectives are directly related to the job,
- The opportunity to evaluate students for employment upon graduation,
- Access to a diverse employee base,
- The opportunity to form a lasting partnership between your organization and NC State University.
The Co-op Program is an optional academic program. Co-op opportunities are multiple semesters of full-time work with the SAME employer. Students typically alternate semesters of full-time work with full-time study. Employers are required to complete a Co-op Employer Agreement in order to participate in the program.
Internships can be one semester, typically full-time over the summer months and/or part-time during the academic year.
If you think your organization is a potential fit for the Co-op Program, please contact Erin O’Neill at emoneill@ncsu.edu to set up a meeting. New employers will be required to complete a Co-op Employer Agreement in order to participate in the program.
The American Society for Engineering Education – Cooperative and Experiential Education Division (ASEE-CEED). This organization is composed of major schools and industry leaders in the international engineering cooperative education community. Attendance at the annual conference for College Industry and Education Collaboration would be beneficial to any employer involved or interested in cooperative education.
Cooperative Education & Internship Association (CEIA) – For over forty years, the Cooperative Education & Internship Association, Inc. has provided professional services to members in cooperative education programs in colleges, universities, and business/industry.