Your Co-op Experience
By maximizing the number of your co-op opportunities, you will expand the scope of your education and become a more valuable asset to potential employers.
Our renowned cooperative education program — Drexel Co-op — allows you to take your education further by integrating full-time professional work experiences into your academic plan of study. Each co-op included in your schedule provides new opportunities to not only explore potential career paths and build a larger professional network but also gain additional experience and build a more impressive résumé before you graduate. We encourage Dragons to include as many co-ops as possible within their academic plan. You can even choose to participate in more specialized co-op opportunities, including International, Research, or Entrepreneurship Co-op.
Understanding Your Plan of Study
At Drexel, your academic plan of study is based on several factors, including your major, assigned co-op cycle, and the number of co-op opportunities you choose to pursue. These factors determine when you will take classes, participate in co-op, and have free terms for additional experiential learning opportunities or time off.
Choosing Your Co-op Option
After confirming your enrollment at Drexel, you can select the number of co-op opportunities you would like to pursue, based on the number available for your major. Your options may include:
- No Co-ops: Four-year plan
- One Co-op: Four-year plan
- Two Co-ops: Five-year plan
- Three Co-ops: Five-year plan
Once you make your selection, your college will establish your official plan of study.
Some plans of study may require taking classes over a summer session. For most students, completing degree requirements will involve eight semesters of full-time study. Tuition is charged for the courses in which students are enrolled, and there are no tuition charges for co-op experiences.
When Do Co-ops Take Place?
Students complete their co-op experiences during either the Summer B Session and Fall Semester (Blue Cycle) or Spring Semester and Summer A Session (Gold Cycle), depending on their assigned co-op cycle.
Sample Plans of Study
Below are four examples of the most common plans of study available at Drexel. For simplicity, these examples show only Blue Cycle co-op options. Your actual plan may vary based on your major, co-op cycle, and selected number of co-op opportunities.
| Fall | Spring | Summer A | Summer B | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Classes | Classes |
Vacation |
Co-op 1 |
| Year 2 | Co-op 1 | Classes |
Vacation |
Co-op 2 |
| Year 3 | Co-op 2 | Classes |
Vacation |
Co-op 3 |
| Year 4 | Co-op 3 | Classes | Classes | Classes |
| Year 5 | Classes | Classes |
| Fall | Spring | Summer A | Summer B | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Classes | Classes | Vacation | Vacation |
| Year 2 | Classes | Classes | Vacation | Co-op 1 |
| Year 3 | Co-op 1 | Classes | Vacation | Co-op 2 |
| Year 4 | Co-op 2 | Classes | Vacation | Vacation |
| Year 5 | Classes | Classes |
| Fall | Spring | Summer A | Summer B | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Classes | Classes | Vacation | Co-op 1 |
| Year 2 | Co-op 1 | Classes | Classes | Classes |
| Year 3 | Classes | Classes | Vacation | Vacation |
| Year 4 | Classes | Classes |
| Fall | Spring | Summer A | Summer B | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Classes | Classes | Vacation | Vacation |
| Year 2 | Classes | Classes | Vacation | Vacation |
| Year 3 | Classes | Classes | Vacation | Vacation |
| Year 4 | Classes | Classes |
The specific plan of study/co-op options offered for each major can be viewed on our undergraduate program listing.