Engineering Co-ops

Engineering co-op participants can earn academic credit by registering for ENGR 200 and completing asynchronous requirements during their fall or spring semester full-time work term (35+ hours/week).

About ENGR 200 Engineering Work Experience:

• Online asynchronous course managed by the CCPD engineering liaison
• Graded as pass/fail
• Requires a flat registration fee of $355.00
• Satisfies CPT requirements for international students interested in a co-op
• May be repeated up to two times for a maximum of 6 free elective credits
• Instructor approval is required to register for ENGR 200

Students enrolled in ENGR 200 are not eligible to register for additional coursework and are not charged regular tuition for the term. However, they remain actively enrolled at Lehigh, retain access to online and on-campus student services and facilities, and may choose to opt-in for on-campus housing, meal plans, and University health insurance.

Students who receive any grants, scholarships, awards, or financial aid must contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss an aid-distribution plan for the co-op semester.

To participate in a co-op program and enroll in ENGR 200, a student must:

• Be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at Lehigh University
• Be affiliated with an engineering major by the start of the work term (including Arts-Engineering, IDEAS, IBE and CSB)
• Have completed at least two semesters of coursework by the start of the work term (i.e, rising-sophomore or above)
• Be in good academic standing with the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering & Applied Science by the start of work term
• Have undergraduate coursework remaining after the co-op semester

1. If you're interested in pursuing a co-op and would like to receive academic credit, start by completing the following tasks:

   • Set up your Handshake account and complete your profile
   • Make your Handshake profile public to employers (privacy settings)
   • Develop your resume and enhance it in Career Lab
   • Complete a virtual mock interview on Big Interview
   • Schedule a meeting with the engineering career coach to discuss your application process and strategies

    

2. Begin searching and applying for co-op positions on Handshake and company websites.

    

3. Contact your academic advisor and schedule a meeting to discuss your interest in a co-op.

   • You will need to determine the best timing for you to take a semester off from your regular coursework for co-op based on your degree progression and course scheduling options.
   • In many cases, pausing your degree coursework to participate in co-op will result in extending your graduation timeline by one semester.
   • Some majors may offer summer coursework to accommodate taking a fall or spring semester off. Discuss available summer coursework with your major department.

    

4. When you receive a co-op offer from an employer, complete the Engineering Co-op Verification Form.

   • The CCPD will verify the student eligibility requirements and the length, format, responsibilities, expectations, and learning outcomes for the co-op experience.
   • Co-op positions identified through Handshake will be automatically approved.
   • Following verification, the student will receive registration clearance for ENGR 200 and be notified via email.

    

5. Engineering co-op participants will earn 3 free elective credits by successfully completing ENGR 200 Engineering Work Experience during the fall or spring work term.
   • Students must register themselves for ENGR 200 during the class registration period in the semester prior to their work term. 
   • There is a fee of $355.00 for registration in ENGR 200.
   • ENGR 200 may be repeated up to two times for a maximum of 6 free elective credits.

It is important to adhere to the following deadlines when planning to participate in a for-credit engineering co-op experience:

• Develop professional skills
• Clarify career interests
• Build a network of industry contacts
• Gain confidence
• Earn money
• Enhance career-readiness competencies

Career immersion programs like internships and co-ops allow students to bridge the gap between degree coursework and the working world. In addition to gaining industry insights and professional work experience, co-op participants develop essential career-readiness skills like time management, organization, adaptability, problem-solving and teamwork. Here’s what recent participants had to say about their experiences:

My co-op felt like a full-time engineering role. I was shipping secure software, picking up tickets from the backlog, and contributing to real products used by customers. At Chainguard, a unicorn startup working to make open source software safer, I helped deliver container images with zero known vulnerabilities. I learned how to navigate ambiguity, ask for help, and collaborate effectively on a remote team. The experience showed me that I want to build software with purpose—work that protects customers, supports the business, and contributes to something bigger than just code.

- Tina Pham (she/her): Computer Science and Business, Class of 2026