Northeastern University Internship and Co-op Programs: A Comprehensive Guide

Northeastern University distinguishes itself through its commitment to experiential learning, integrating classroom knowledge with real-world application. This approach is epitomized by its robust internship and co-op programs, offering students invaluable opportunities to gain practical experience, explore career paths, and develop a competitive edge in the job market. This article provides a detailed overview of Northeastern's internship and co-op offerings, including how to find them, what to expect, and how to stay safe during your job search.

Experiential Learning at Northeastern: A Cornerstone of Education

Experiential learning is available to all students, regardless of their modality (on-campus or online). "What really differentiates Northeastern is that we institutionalize these experiential learning experiences and give you a whole menu of options depending on your individual preferences." Northeastern’s signature program is co-op (short for “cooperative education”), and it has been a part of the NU experience for more than a century. Theories and skills learned in the classroom come to life and reveal important nuances when implemented in real-world situations. The opportunities are both external, including internships and co-ops, and internal, including in-class case studies and a client-based capstone.

Co-op: A Century of Experience

Co-op is synonymous with Northeastern for good reason. Northeastern has been a leader in cooperative education for 115 years, and no one does it like they do. During their co-op, students work full time for an organization related to their academic interests. Co-op terms run from January-June and from July-December. The semester before they begin their co-op, participants take a required “Experiential Integration” course that prepares them for their placement. Students can go on co-op beginning in their second term during their second year at Northeastern. For early career students who don’t have as much on-the-job experience or any experience at all, co-op gives them a strong introduction to the working world. The College of Social Sciences and Humanities has dedicated staff who connect students with co-op placements and advise them throughout the experience.

Finding a Co-op

Securing a co-op is competitive, but it’s a game-changer for maximizing your education. Northeastern has been supporting students through the co-op process for over a century, so you’ll have lots of resources and guidance. Take advantage of them! For undergrads, build your resume during your first year at Northeastern and throughout the summer-join clubs, work in a professor’s lab, or do a summer internship. Graduate students should work their network.

Co-op Compensation and Logistics

Typically, co-ops do pay students. In fact, the average pay is $20-plus an hour. Some research, service, arts, and nonprofit co-ops pay less. Know that Northeastern works with students to remove cost barriers wherever possible, and some stipends-from Northeastern and employers-are available. Northeastern also offers some scholarships for global co-ops and low-paying fields. You don’t pay tuition when you’re on co-op. Undergraduates only pay room and board if they live in a residence hall on campus while working. If you do a co-op outside Boston, you’ll secure your own housing, but Northeastern can help. Furnished apartments leased by the university are available for undergraduate co-op students in New York City, Chicago, and Portland, Maine (where Northeastern also has a campus).

Participating Companies

All sizes and all types of companies participate in co-op. Company sizes vary from under 100 employees to more than 100,000. The majority of jobs are at organizations with between 1,000 and 100,000 employees. Job types include business, healthcare, finance and accounting, research, engineering, marketing and communications, software development, art, media, and design. Those are fields, not industries-meaning you can land a finance position at a healthcare company, or a software job at an engineering firm. The options are many!

Internships: Exploring Career Paths

Internships offer students the opportunity to gain practical work and/or research experience relevant to their chosen fields. These opportunities are great ways to explore different roles, organizations, and sectors. Some students even choose to complete multiple internships so that they can see, for example, what it’s like to work at a small nonprofit compared to a large federal agency. Keep looking because they are posted daily. Start in October for big company internships, in January for others.

Finding Internship Opportunities

View the Employer Engagement and Career Design events calendar for coaching labs and employer-based programs that may help during your internship search. Need help? Visit the Career Studio to speak with someone from the Career Design team! Expand your search beyond companies. There are many non-profits organizations and government agencies. Forage is an online platform that offers students access to virtual experiential learning projects in partnership with top companies. Students can choose from various skill-building projects across different industries and disciplines.

Multicultural Advertising Intern Program

The Multicultural Advertising Intern Program is available at the SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: JAMES E. WEST FELLOWSHIP. It is available for minority graduate or undergraduate students in above-mentioned majors. It is also available for those underrepresented in the management of scientific and cultural organizations, administration or have completed their degree within the past four months. They are generally expected to have an overall GPA of 3.0 or its equivalent. The duration is 10 weeks during the summer. Between 30 and 40 are awarded each year. Undergraduate student interns are paid $250 a week.

Bridge to Calculus (BtC) Program

Interns will participate in Northeastern’s Bridge to Calculus (BtC) program to take and achieve in advanced math classes. The program is designed primarily for rising seniors and juniors to bridge the gap in calculus learning through a 6-week summer calculus course. Interns will receive daily instruction consisting of tests and quizzes to prepare students for college calculus.

SuccessLink Leader Positions

This summer, Northeastern C2C has three paid positions for Boston residents ages 19-24 to be SuccessLink leaders. SuccessLink Leaders support Northeastern’s summer jobs program for 14 to 18 year old youth employees and evaluation of the citywide SuccessLink program. You will assist with providing services for and mentorship to a group of younger peers, and educational, team building, and fun events. You will help Interns troubleshoot issues they are experiencing with their summer program, and a liaison with the C2C Summer Jobs team. SuccessLink Leaders will receive training in leadership development and professional skill building. The SuccessLink Leader position will last for 8 weeks beginning the week of June 23rd.

Capstone Projects: Applying Skills to Real-World Problems

Every graduate student in the MPP and MPA programs completes a capstone project. Teams of three to five students spend 15 weeks solving a problem for a real client. Under the supervision of a faculty member, they tackle an issue in the realm of urban and regional policy, social policy, or public or nonprofit sector management. They put their skills to work, applying research methods, analytics, statistics, as well as visualization, communication and presentation skills. At the end, they deliver their analysis directly to the client.

Benefit of Capstone

“I feel that I benefited from every course . . but one course clearly stood out: Capstone. We developed a survey to ask questions of CFOs in local municipalities to understand how they utilize federal grants and why some grants have unspent balances."

Resources for Career Development

Northeastern provides numerous resources to aid students in their career development:

Career Studio: Visit the Career Studio to speak with someone from the Career Design team for personalized guidance.
Employer Engagement and Career Design Events Calendar: Stay informed about coaching labs and employer-based programs.
Big Interview: Practice interviews online using your webcam. The platform features a “Build Answer” tool, which assists you in recalling and crafting suitable stories to respond to interview questions effectively. Big Interview also offers a ResumeAI feature that provides instant feedback and coaching on your resume writing. This tool evaluates your resume regarding readability, credibility, ATS (Applicant Tracking System) compatibility, and other crucial aspects.

Resume Building

A resume is typically a one-page marketing tool designed to get you an interview. Your goal is to use the space on the page to, at a glance, communicate your value and provide evidence of your capabilities. Your resume will summarize your education, experience, and accomplishments to present the skills that are relevant to your career objectives.

Safety and Security During Your Job Search and Internship

The great majority of employers are honest, but for those employers who are not, be aware of these security tips:

Never pay a recruiter or an employer for a job
Never supply bank account, social security number or credit card information
If the job sounds too good to be true, it probably is (examples, “no experience necessary” or “ earn money fast”)
When you are in doubt, ask a career counselor in the Department of Employer Engagement and Career Design or Google the company name with the word “scam.”

Intern Housing Safety

Safety and security is a top priority for Intern Housing participants. Maintaining a secure conference building depends on cooperation from the entire community. If you witness a fire, sound an alarm at the nearest pull station. Pull stations are located on each floor of every residence hall near the exits. The door of your room or apartment has a detailed evacuation route for fires and other building emergencies. At the sound of an alarm, move quickly and quietly to your closest exit, including the alarmed emergency exits. Close doors behind you as you leave. In an orderly fashion, follow the direction of conference staff, NUPD, or Fire Department officials and wait for further instructions. If possible, wear a coat and shoes and carry a towel to use in case of smoke. A number of residence halls at Northeastern utilize fire escapes as an alternative means of egress. Access to fire escapes is through dedicated windows. Fire escape windows must be kept clear. Do not dispose of cigarettes in wastebaskets. Do not overload electrical outlets or use prohibited devices. The alert system is intended to communicate pertinent information and, when appropriate, provide directions to those in the affected area(s). Summer conference participants may subscribe to this service to receive alerts by registering here. The Office of External Events and Conference Housing is committed to providing appropriate accommodations and resources to persons with disabilities, nursing mothers as well as individuals requiring certain medically-necessary provisions. Arrangements should have been made with your group’s coordinator and conference staff in advance of your arrival.

tags: #northeastern #university #internship #program