Tufts Co-op Program for Graduate Students
The Tufts University Graduate Cooperative Education Program offers full time engineering masters’ students the opportunity to gain relevant work experience in their field, formulate competitive resumes, and build professional connections in the industry. Graduate students can participate in a full-time co-op role after taking at least two full time semesters of courses and a minimum of 18 credits completed. With the theoretical principles, technical skills, and relevant competencies learned in the classroom, Tufts graduate students bring a competitive edge to any organization and the persistence in lifelong learning. Graduate students in the following areas can be considered for a co-op:
- Bioengineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biophotonics
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Cybersecurity & Public Policy
- Data Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Human Factors Engineering
- Human-Robot Interaction
- Innovation & Management
- Materials Science & Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Software Systems Development
Employers
Are you interested in hiring a Tufts graduate student for co-op? Here is what you can do:
- Share your job on Handshake! Handshake for Employers – Career Center | Tufts University
- Consider connecting with Tufts graduate students through one of our career events
- Attend our career fairs, coffee chats, workshops, on-campus/virtual interviews, and more!
- Please reach out to Sue Atkins, Associate Director, Employer Relations at susan.atkins@tufts.edu for more information on recruiting Tufts students or to Alicia Abdulrazzaq, Assistant Director of SOE Graduate Co-op Advising, at alicia.abdulrazzaq@tufts.edu to learn more about the program.
Student Information
Note: Co-op semesters are based on the semester the student will be working.
INFO SESSIONS
- Fall 2024: November 27th, 2023
- Spring 2025: April 24th, 2024
- Fall 2025: November 13th, 2024 and December 2nd, 2024 (Students only need to attend one session)
APPLICATION DEADLINES
- Fall 2024: December 22, 2023
- Spring 2025: June 14th, 2024
- Fall 2025: December 20th, 2024, 11:59pm EST
CO-OP HIRE DEADLINES
- Fall 2024: September 3rd, 2024 at 6:00PM EST
- Spring 2025: January 15th, 2025 at 6:00PM EST
- Fall 2025: September 2nd, 2025 at 6:00PM EST
CO-OP WORK DATES
- Fall 2024: July – December 20th, 2024
- Spring 2025: January 15th, 2025 – June 2025
- Fall 2025: July 2025 – December 18th, 2025
- *Work dates must cover the entirety of the academic semester and/or a portion of summer.
- Gain up to six months of full-time work experience, build your resume, and develop a competitive advantage for post-graduation employment
- Clarify short- and long-term personal, educational, and career goals.
- Hone interview and workplace skills with training from Tufts Career Center.
- Explore professional interests with supportive employer and university mentors.
- Build a network of engineering employers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs.
- Standout in the post-graduation job market as a collaborative problem-solver, effective communicator, and ethical engineer.
An eligible co-op must be: full time hours (35+ hours per week), paid, related to the student’s program of study, and span the entirety of one academic semester and may also include a portion of summer. Co-ops are typically 4-6 months in duration. A co-op cannot be related to performing research, grading, teaching, or writing a thesis.
Must be enrolled in a program that offers the Graduate Co-op Program (see the list of departments below). This program is not available to online programs, certificate programs, PhD programs, or Post Baccalaureate programs. Students enrolled in a combined Post-Bacc/MS program or Fifth-year MS programs are eligible to participate as long as they meet program requirements.
- Computer Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Tufts Gordon Institute
Must complete at least 2 full-time semesters as a fully-matriculated and enrolled Master’s student. Students must complete a minimum of 9 credits in their first semester to be considered and apply for program and must complete at least 18 credits towards their MS programs before beginning their co-op. Only newly matriculated students can apply for the program and attend the required info session before the end of their first semester.
a. Post-Bacc/MS students: No bachelor level classes for at least 2 full time semesters before beginning their co-op.
b. Fifth-Year MS students: Must be fully matriculated with a completed BS degree.
Must be in good academic standing, enrolled full-time, have had no previous extensions of time or reduced course load accommodations and have not enrolled in any undergraduate course as an MS student. Please review the SoE Graduate Student Handbook on criteria.
Must have at least one semester remaining in their MS programs after co-op opportunity .
If students have questions regarding eligibility, please contact Dean Panetta’s office at: enggradstudies@tufts.edu and review the SOE Graduate Student Handbook.
The Graduate Co-op Program follows a cohort model, where admitted co-op students are grouped based on the semester they intend to begin their co-op positions. During the preceding semester, students will engage in intentional, independent and cohort-shared experiences across all aspects of the Tufts Career Center Career Planning and Management Process including: self-assessment and discovery, strategic opportunity identification and targeting, custom marketing document creation and co-op search, relationship building practice and management, and modern interview and negotiation practice and preparation. For example, if a student is part of a Spring cohort, they will be participating in the career development process that previous Fall semester.
Consistent participation in curated professional development offerings, collaborative and supportive cohort working groups, and regularly scheduled meetings with the Graduate Co-op Adviser is expected, and often mandatory. The Career Center and the SoE Graduate School are sincerely invested in our admitted co-op program students’ development and execution plan and have built a system of impactful tools, resources, coaching expertise, and insights that are fundamental to not only securing an co-op but also managing all aspects of a career.
In preparation for a co-op search, students must participate in the required career development sessions offered by Tufts Career Center, which provide valuable skills needed to be successful in securing a co-op position that simultaneously aligns with individual needs and preference while also adhering to Tufts standards and ethical guidelines and employer expectation.
To be considered for enrollment in the Graduate Co-op Program, students must:
- Attend the REQUIRED Graduate Co-op Information Session. Info sessions are typically held at the end of the semester and are hosted by the Career Center and partnership with SoE. Eligible students will receive an announcement to their Tufts email on dates and details on the info session and can register for the event on Handshake. Attendance is tracked and monitored so the student can receive important information.
- Complete the Graduate Co-op Program Application. The application submission platform opens the day of the information session and only those with verified attendance will receive access to the application link. Interested students must apply before the application deadline which is consistently announced throughout the semester in multiple co-op promotional email messages to the Graduate SoE community as well as this information session. Please note: Applications will not be accepted after any established submission deadline.
After the student has completed the steps above, the Career Center will review applications in partnership with SoE to determine eligibility for the program. Students will receive an email to their Tufts email regarding their acceptance or declination from the program.
During the previous semester that a student plans to work at their co-op, they will be part of a cohort of students who will be engaging in a career development process. Once a student has received their acceptance into the program, the student then has received authorization to begin searching for co-op jobs, participating in interviews, and considering offers.
Students will receive details on the required workshops, events, and sessions from the Career Center. Accepted students must complete the following:
Monthly Meetings with the Graduate Co-op Advisor in the Career Center. Students will review program requirements, sign the Co-op Agreement Form with an academic advisor’s signature, and strategize on their co-op search in their first meeting. Students are required to attend regular and routine meetings with the Graduate Co-op Advisor. This person will be your career coach, advisor, advocate, and mentor for all aspects of the co-op planning and preparation process from the first personal introduction through the completion of the student’s co-op experience.
The Co-op Agreement Form outlines basic expectations and rules students must follow for a successful experience in the Graduate Co-op Program. Students will receive the agreement form upon acceptance to the program. If a student fails to meet the program’s participation expectations, it may result in removal from the program.
Attend the required workshops, events, and sessions.
It may take several months to secure a co-op, students should utilize the Career Center’s resources, meet with their Graduate Co-op Advisor regularly, and be consistently proactive in their job search.
To accept and start working at a co-op, a student must be accepted and enrolled in the Graduate Co-op Program and be enrolled in the appropriate cohort for the specific term they are planning to work. Once a student has accepted a co-op offer they must:
Report their co-op on Handshake through Experiences. The Graduate Co-op Advisor will review the co-op to make sure it meets co-op eligibility and an additional review is completed by the student’s co-op supervisor. Students will need an official offer letter from a company with:
- the start date and end date
- full-time employment status (35+ hours per week)
- salary information
- job description
- supervisor information
- location of the co-op
Co-op appointments must include summer/fall semesters or spring/summer semesters. No fall/spring (full academic year) co-ops are allowed at this time.
Register for the Graduate Co-op Course. Once a student has an approved co-op on Handshake, they will then receive permission to register for the Graduate Co-op Course from the Graduate Co-op Advisor. Students must register for the Graduate Co-op Course for the semester they will be working in the co-op. This is a zero credit, no cost course that is required for the co-op program. This provides an accommodation for the student to maintain full-time status and does not affect loan repayment, financial aid, or health care. Only students enrolled in the program and that have approved co-ops will be granted permission to register.
Co-op is considered full time employment therefore students should not hold any other jobs or enroll in classes during their co-op.
Students may only accept one co-op offer and must discontinue their co-op search once a position has been accepted.
To receive a passing grade (“S”) for the Graduate Co-op Course, students must:
- Fulfill all work obligations as outlined on their offer letter and Experiences submission.
- Work during the full duration of the co-op with no major breaks (for example, taking a month off).
- Complete the required Self Evaluation on Handshake.
- Supervisor must complete employer evaluation on Handshake.
Students who are dismissed from or resign from a co-op job for circumstances under their control will receive a U (unsatisfactory) grade for co-op work experience and will be ineligible for future co-op experiences. Failure of a student to succeed in their co-op will not affect their academic standing, but it may shorten their program completion time limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the Career Center does not place students in co-ops. It is the student’s responsibility to apply and find their own co-ops. However, the Career Center is here to provide support, guidance, and resources for the job search.
There is no additional charge for a student to be enrolled in the co-op program.
The Graduate Co-op Program is 0 credits. However, it will be noted on a transcript by an S or U that a student has participated in the co-op program either successfully or unsuccessfully.
Wages will vary depending on location, industry, any previous candidate experience, and is entirely up to the employer. Talk with the Career Center to learn more about negotiation strategies.
Yes — International students can participate if the organization supports Curricular Practical Training (CPT). The Tufts student is responsible for working with the Tufts International Center to obtain the necessary documentation. The employer must provide an offer letter to the student with the details of their co-op program to obtain CPT.
Only newly enrolled and fully matriculated MS students can apply for the co-op program. Typically, most students will work at a co-op at the start of their third semester at Tufts. If a student wants to change their co-op semester, they must speak with Alicia Abdulrazzaq; alicia.abdulrazzaq@tufts.edu.
At this time, full academic year co-ops are not allowed.
If a student is having challenges with finding a co-op, they should coordinate with the Career Center to go over their options. However, if a student is unsuccessful in searching for a co-op, they have one more chance to try again the next cycle. Enrolled students can complete a “Co-op Extension Request” form before the co-op deadline if they wish to continue their search. Students need to communicate with the Career Center and with their Academic Advisor if there are any change of plans.