Home > Students > Student Resources > Gain Experience

Engineering Co-op Program

Cooperative Education (Co-Op), a selective program for sophomore year students in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, combines academic study with almost eight months of paid, career-related professional experience.

Co-Op Eligibility and Application Process

Because of the rigorous academic schedule, only students with a GPA of 3.0 or better in the sophomore class are invited to participate. The official letters of invitation are sent home over the Winter Break. If you decide to participate, you enter the next phase of the process.

During the spring semester, sophomore year, Co-Op candidates interview with companies offering the Co-Op experience. Once you have received and accepted a Co-Op position, you attend Lehigh during the summer sessions to complete the first semester, junior year of course work. The first work rotation begins after summer classes conclude in mid-August and ends in the December/January timeframe. The Co-Op experience is completed with the second work rotation that begins the following May and lasts through August.

The following engineering departments currently participate in the Co-Op Program:

Civil Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Computer Engineering

Computer Science

Computer Science and Business

Electrical Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Industrial Engineering

Information & Systems Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Benefits of a Co-Op Experience

• You explore career opportunities and goals in a supportive, real-world environment.
• You work as a professional in your major field, blending theory with application.
• You clarify your career interests and begin to establish a professional network.
• You increase your chances of employment after graduation.
• You finish your degree in four years, not five, as in most other universities with Co-Op programs.
• You offset your school costs by earning prevailing wages.
• You earn six free-elective credits for the experience, three credits per rotation.
• During the fall work experience, you maintain full-time student status at Lehigh.

 

List of current and past Co-Op Employers

Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.
Sanofi Aventis
Binney & Smith
ExxonMobil
Florida Power & Light
Hensel Phelps
Hershey Foods
Honeywell
Ingersoll Rand

Intel
KCI Technologies
Lutron Electronics
Merck & Co., Inc.
Naval Surface Warfare Center
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Picatinny Arsenal

PPL
Remington & Vernick Engineering
Rohm & Haas
United Parcel Service
Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.

 

For more information, contact Career Services at (610) 758-6846 or careerservices@lehigh.edu