Cooperative Education

Since 1919, Drexel’s cooperative education (co-op) program has positioned our students to succeed.

Preparing for a Changing World: The Future of Work

Drexel Co-op allows students gain up to 18 months of résumé-enhancing experience by exploring up to three different co-ops and test driving career options — all by the time they graduate. And when they return to the classroom, they are able to make an impact on instruction as they share their new industry insights with all those around them.

Through this innovative program, our Dragons are given the opportunity to test-drive potential careers as they take full-time positions with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit pioneers, innovative startups, government agencies, and other industry leaders. These experiences not only allow our students to apply their knowledge in real-world environments while learning alongside the leaders of their fields, but they also provide the chance to explore different paths and discover what they want to do (and don't want to do!) after graduation.

Shaping the Leaders of Tomorrow — Today

Serving as the cornerstone of experiential learning at Drexel, co-op enables students to gain up to 18 months of work experience and build an impressive résumé before they graduate that will set them apart from their peers. Each co-op experience is unique and serves to broaden the scope of a student's learning, allowing them to return to their classrooms with an enhanced contextual understanding and perspective they can share with their professors and classmates. Even better, the majority of undergraduate co-op experiences are full-time and paid, and those that are both carry a gross median six-month salary of over $22,000.

But, most importantly, co-op helps our Dragons to develop as leaders able to make real contributions to the organizations they work for. It gives them the chance to turn their ambition into action, to connect with and learn from new mentors, to develop relationships with influential companies and organizations, and to build professional networks composed of industry experts from around the globe. By taking advantage of everything co-op has to offer, our students graduate and enter the workforce as much more than aspiring learners — they do so as experienced professionals prepared to make an impact the moment they arrive.

Choose the Plan That's Right for You

Most majors and programs allow students to choose a Three Co-op Option (Five-Year Program) that will allow them to maximize the benefits provided by Drexel Co-op. A One Co-op Option (Four-Year Program) is also available.

Empowering New Leaders for a New Workforce

Halima Olapade (College of Computing & Informatics) fully utilized all of the Steinbright Career Development Center resources at her disposal, taking her on a journey across the U.S. and to Germany. Her dedication and hard work was rewarded with a job offer from Google.

Jenna Bechard (College of Engineering) discusses the value and variety of services at the Steinbright Career Development Center which prepare students for their job search before entering the workforce.

Philadelphia skyline with 'Drexel University' painted on a rail bridge in the foreground.

Shane Nelson (College of Arts and Sciences) speaks about his cooperative education experience, including Co-op 101 and working alongside industry professionals, and how it has prepared him to excel.

A Program Built to Yield Results

Co-op presents a chance to learn from a mentor, travel the world, or pursue a passion. This experiential approach to education nurtures driven graduates who are ready to make a real, dramatic impact in their field from day one — and their accomplishments are recognized and valued by all those around them. In fact, nearly half of all Drexel graduates receive a job offer from a company where they went on co-op, according to surveys of exiting seniors.

89%

Drexel undergraduate students enrolled in the co-op program.

91%

Co-op students that found their experience relevant to their career objectives.

48%

of co-op participants working full-time had received a job offer from a former co-op employer.

The gross median six-month salary for undergraduate co-op positions that are both full-time and paid. More than 80% of all co-op positions are paid by the employer. For more detailed information, visit the Steinbright Career Development Center's Salary Guide.

*Data from academic year 2023–2024 co-op data

Frequently Asked Questions about Cooperative Education

What if You Knew? Co-op at Drexel

By combining world-class academics with real-world experience, our cooperative education program empowers students to test-drive future career options and effectively work with the leaders of today as they develop into the leaders of tomorrow. View our special video featuring the 2022 Cooperative Education student award winners.

Alumni Testimonials

Kieran Billmann's co-op with Penn State Applied Research Labs set him on a path to his current career with the U.S. Navy at the Naval Air Warfare Center in New Jersey.

"The co-op program was amazing. You can tell they've been doing it for 100 years because it's very well-orchestrated and very well done. Everyone was there to help you. Everyone gave me tidbits of information for how to do better interviewing. So, when it actually came time to get a real job, I felt pretty comfortable with interviews because I had already had so many."

Kieran Billmann '11 and '15,
College of Engineering
Penn State Applied Research Labs

While on co-op with Philadelphia-based startup Lia Diagnostics, Riley Stanford created a patent-pending film for the firm's flushable pregnancy test, which is close to commercialization.

"It's definitely a project I'm proud to be involved with. What they are doing is good for the environment and good for women, and both are things that I care passionately about. The Drexel co-op system ultimately gave me the chance to see everything through and effect change for the company."

Riley Stanford '19,
College of Arts and Sciences
Lia Diagnostics

Brian Lofink is one of Philadelphia's most high-profile chefs and he says it likely wouldn't have happened without the opportunity to co-op for acclaimed chef and five-star restaurateur Georges Perrier of Le Bec Fin fame.

"Without working in that specific co-op, I'm not sure I would have lasted this long in the restaurant industry. It was such an intense period — immersive learning — that it set up my whole career. It catapulted me ahead of my peers because, by the time I left, I was 24 years old and had worked in one of the best restaurants in the city with one of the best chefs in the world."

Brian Lofink '03,
Food & Hospitality
Brasserie Perrier