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Co-ops for Physics Majors

Through Drexel's renowned cooperative education program, students embark on up to three, six-month periods of full-time employment, exploring their career options, strengthening their resumes and building a professional network in the process. Co-op is the “Ultimate Internship” and was introduced at Drexel in 1919 as one of the first models of its kind; the program has become integral to the University's educational experience.

The co-op program plays a vital part in the student learning experience. Most of our majors participate in research co-ops, both here and elsewhere, graduating with invaluable first-hand insight into their careers.

Learn more about Drexel Co-op

What Physics Students are saying about Co-op

Drexel Physics Student Emily Harkness

“My co-op experience has been fantastic! Through co-op, I've discovered a lot about my own ambitions while learning about what it's really like to do research. While it's often frustrating in the moment to deal with roadblocks in research, I realize looking back that I've accomplished so much in a short period of time. ”
- Emily Harkness, BS Physics '20

Read more about Emily

Drexel Physics Student James Minock

“My co-ops have been excellent experiences! I have learned much regarding nuclear and particle physics and even more about the general research experience. I loved being able to apply problem-solving in a practical setting and being a part of a team so interested in this field. These experiences confirmed for me that I want to spend the rest of my life involved with physics, and that I plan on moving forward to graduate school. ”
- James Minock, BS Physics '20

Read more about James

Drexel Physics Student Johannes Wagner “I’ve had a lot of extremely positive experiences with my co-ops, all of which were research based. I think what I like most with Drexel’s co-op system is the opportunity to try many different things. I did research with a different team for each of my co-ops and I think that gave me a very good overview of how particle physics research works on a broader scale. The research culture in physics is very welcoming and even though it might seem intimidating at first, people are always happy to help you out. I can definitely say that these experiences strengthened my aspiration to go to graduate school and pursue a PhD in the field!”
- Johannes Wagner, BS Physics '20

Read more about Johannes

Drexel Physics Student Eesha Das Gupta “My first co-op with Professor Karapetrov was very helpful in broadening my scope of physics research. The intersections between condensed matter physics, chemistry, and chemical and material science engineering gave me a broader perspective and helped me fine-tune my work interests.
My second co-op was at AmeriQuest Business Services in Cherry Hill, NJ as a programmer intern in IT, and it helped me identify industrial applications of a physics education. I am planning on going to grad school, but the co-op program helped me explore alternatives to research, in case I ever need to move to industry.!”
- Eesha Das Gupta, BS Physics '19

Read more about Eesha

Drexel Physics Student Riley Stanford “My biggest project while on co-op at Lockheed Martin took me two months to do; I had to find the problem and implement a fix in the code,” she says. "It was very much like untangling a pair of headphones you find in your pocket — you keep finding more and more problems — but it was very cool. The first day I got the fix working, I ran up and down the hall telling my cubemates. It left me feeling like I had learned something and made an impact at my co-op.”
- Riley Stanford, BS Physics '19

Read more about Riley

Drexel Physics Student Mark Giovnazzi

“The co-op program has treated me phenomenally, and I feel that I have gotten the most out of the program. I have done research in computational astronomy and astroparticle physics at Drexel, experimental cosmology at the University of Pennsylvania, and radar technologies and electronic warfare at Lockheed Martin. I learned not only about how physics research is structured, but also about the nature of research across other disciplines. Through my experiences, I have networked with graduate students, researchers, scientists and faculty from all over the world, many of whom have helped me tremendously as both a student and a person. ”
- Mark Giovinazzi, BS Physics (Astrophysics Concentration) '18

Read more about Mark


Recent Co-op Employers

  • Academy of Natural Sciences
  • Aeroflex Control Components, Inc.
  • Agilent Technologies
  • AmeriQuest Business Services
  • Analytical Graphics, Inc.
  • Applied Informatics Group (AIG)
  • Argonne National Laboratory
  • Army Research Laboratory
  • Bayada Home Health Care, Inc.
  • Benjamin's Desk
  • Bristol Myers Squibb Company
  • Certainteed Corporation
  • Charter High School for Architecture & Design
  • Columbia University Medical Center
  • Constitution High School
  • CoreLab Partners
  • Drexel University
  • Drugscan
  • DSG, Inc.
  • Exelon Corporation
  • Gemalto
  • Global Citizen
  • Haddon Township High School
  • Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
  • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
  • IBM
  • Independence Blue Cross
  • Innovative Defense Technologies
  • Intel Corporation
  • Kieran Timberlake
  • Lantium, Inc.
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Lupus Foundation of America- Philadelphia Tri State Chapter
  • Micro-Coax
  • Military Commitment - ROTC
  • Monitoring Analytics
  • National Board of Medical Examiners
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • National Radio Astronomy Obs.
  • NAVAIR
  • Pearson VUE
  • PEI Genesis
  • Penn State University
  • PFIT, Inc.
  • Philadelphia Water Department
  • PJM Interconnection, LLC
  • Princeton Plasma Physics
  • Princeton University
  • Protiro, Inc.
  • Sandia National Laboratories
  • SAP America
  • Sparks Exhibit and Environments
  • Susquehanna International Group, LLP
  • Temple University
  • U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
  • Universal Technical Resource Services Inc
  • Universidad de Murcia
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • weServe Program
  • Woodward McCoach Inc.

Contact

David Goldberg, PhD

David Goldberg, PhD
Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Studies in Physics
Professor
Disque Hall, 801
32 S. 32nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215.895.2715 | goldberg@drexel.edu

Prospective Students

Please email coas@drexel.edu or call us at 215.895.1805 with any questions you may have. We look forward to hearing from you!


Undergraduate Advising

Jennifer Rubin Weyant, Associate Director of Advising and Student Success, Drexel University College of Arts and Sciences

Jennifer Rubin Weyant

Associate Director of Training and Professional Development
3018 MacAlister Hall
215.895.1774 | jlr45@drexel.edu