
Co-op & Experiential Learning
Combining rigorous academics with a variety of experiential learning opportunities
Northeastern’s approach to education combines rigorous academics with experiential learning anchored by our world-renowned cooperative education program. Experiential learning encompasses our co-op program as well as project-based learning, research, global experiences, service learning, and student organizations.
Cooperative Education
Cooperative Education (co-op) is an educational model providing undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to alternate between periods of academic study and full-time employment to gain hands-on, professional experience in their field of interest, and build personal connections and contacts. With hundreds of employer partners in Boston, across the country, and around the world, civil and environmental engineering co-op students graduate with not only a degree, but also invaluable connections and proven experience in their chosen field.
- Generally competitively paid, full-time positions where the student is integrated with an employer partner and working on real-world projects.
- Longer duration than a typical summer internship. Co-ops are six months in duration for undergraduate students, while graduate students have optional 4, 6, or 8-month opportunities.
- A dedicated team of co-op coordinators coach students through the co-op search process and support them through their co-op experience.
- Co-op coordinators maintain relationships with employer partners to provide students with robust co-op opportunities.
- Provides a holistic learning model including preparation (introduction to co-op course), work (full-time co-op employment), and reflection (interpreting the experience).
Student Clubs and Global Experiences

Engineers Without Borders
Engineering without Borders (EWB) is one organization at Northeastern that allows students to travel to countries such as Uganda and Honduras to address their need for potable water. Since 2004 this student group has designed and constructed water projects in six communities, directly affecting over 2,000 individuals. Northeastern’s experiential philosophy allows students to become real world engineers while they are still learning in the classroom.

Dialogue of Civilizations
One example of a Dialogue of Civilizations is Sustainable Waste Management: European Practices for Resource Recovery and Environmental Protection led by Teaching Professor Annalisa Onnis-Hayden. Students travel to Cagliari, Italy and immerse themselves in the Sardinian and Italian culture while sailing the Mediterranean Sea, and learning about the rich history and traditions, while enjoying the crystal-clear water, white sand, and the mountains of this special island.