Cooperative Education
Main Content
Program Features
Academic: Co-op is an academic program in which students earn credit for semesters of employment related to their majors.
Paid: Students get paid for their experiences - employers determine the rate of pay.
Alternating: Semesters of co-op are alternated with semesters of on-campus course work. One semester must be a spring or fall, the others can be summers.
Additional Perks: Students completing the Co-op Program get a certificate signed by the dean, eligibility to be nominated for Student of the Year, a transcript notation, networking on LinkedIn, and eligibility for English 202C by portfolio. Click here for details.
Eligibility
- Completion of at least 30 credits, 2.0 overall grade point average
- Enrollment in an Eberly College of Science major; all science majors at all Penn State locations are eligible
- Enrollment in science-oriented majors (ex. Toxicology, Animal Bioscience, Biobehavioral Health) in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and the College of Health and Human Development. Contact the Science Career and International Education Office if you have questions about your eligibility for co-op.
Co-op Employers
Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology: Centocor, GlaxoSmithKline, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Morphotek, VaxInnate, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Emerson Resources, Global Biological Supply Chain (J&J)
Government Agencies: National Institutes of Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, FBI
Non-Profit Organizations: Fox Chase Cancer Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Private Sector Organizations: IBM, Lutron Electronics, Lockheed Martin, U.S. Steel
This is only a sample of the employers who have participated in the Science Co-op Program. You can view the complete current list when you register with the program.
Application Instructions
- Click on Register Online link.
- Complete your on-line profile.
- Upload a draft of your resume (see this web site for samples)
- Schedule an appointment to meet with a staff member to review/approve your application materials.
- After application materials are approved, review postings and apply.
Co-op Forms
Cover Sheet Template
English 202C(p) Application/Requirements
Participation Agreement (Undergraduate, Graduate)
Self-Developed Co-op Form
Student Co-op Evaluation
Supervisor Evaluation (full semester evaluation, summer evaluation for students with July start date)
Work Report Requirements