With education’s growing emphasis on school-to-work programs, it is essential that prospective teachers experience the world for which they will be preparing their students.

Drexel is a leading pioneer in experiential education and one of the only educational institutions that places students in a six-month cooperative education (co-op) experience related to their area of interest. Students in the Bachelor of Science in Education program who are seeking certification in chemistry, for example, might co-op with a chemical firm.

Students generally participate in cooperating teacher or related co-ops during the fall and winter terms of their junior year and gain an invaluable opportunity to integrate their classroom work with practical experience before they graduate. The placement provides access to resources that can inform the student’s teaching and also provides summer job opportunities for the prospective teacher.

Drexel’s Plan of Cooperative Education is based on paid employment in practical, major-related positions connected to each student’s abilities and related area of interest.

Recent Co-op Experience Placements

• The Academy of Natural Sciences 
• The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia 
• The National Constitution Center 
• The Notebook 
• SMART Technologies 
• Independence Blue Cross 
• The Franklin Institute 
• The School District of Philadelphia 
• Ronald McDonald House 
• Barnes Foundation

Asking Co-Op Students: What Did You Learn From Your Cooperative Teaching Experience?

"I learned more about classroom management and how to build relationships with parents. I think the most satisfying part of my co-op experience was the fact that I got to work with some amazing students. I got to see their progression throughout the school year which is an amazing feeling. I also got to see how the roles of all the staff really helps make the school a community."

-Brieanna Caillot, BS in Elementary Education student on her Co-op at Inquiry Charter School in Philadelphia