Engineering Co-Op & Internship Program Overview
Cooperative education programs (co-ops) and internships are immersive experiential learning opportunities that allow students to:
- bridge the gap between classroom and industry
- gain professional work experience
- build critical career-readiness competencies
The Engineering Co-op and Internship Program enables students in the Rossin College of Engineering & Applied Science and related interdisciplinary programs to earn academic credit for participating in these valuable experiential learning opportunities.
The definition of “co-op” and “internship” vary by organization, but co-ops ordinarily involve multiple work terms at the same company (e.g. summer + fall or spring) and require students to pause their degree coursework for a semester, whereas internships are typically one work term (most often in the summer) and do not interrupt student coursework.
At Lehigh, co-op and internship opportunities are available to engineering students through the Handshake platform. Students can login to their Handshake account, go to the “jobs” tab, and apply the internship and co-op filters to explore positions being offered by our employer and industry partners.
Internships and co-ops are individualized and student-driven, meaning that it is up to each student to determine a plan for participating in an experiential learning opportunity. Students interested in earning academic credit for an internship or co-op can register for the Engineering Co-op and Internship Program and receive 3 free elective credits for completing ENGR 200 Professional Work Experience, an online asynchronous course taught by the Center for Career & Professional Development. Students may submit the Internship & Co-Op Interest Form to receive ongoing and timely information from the CCPD about identifying, applying and interviewing for engineering positions, as well as important deadlines for enrollment in ENGR 200 Professional Work Experience.
Students specifically interested in co-op positions should meet with an academic advisor to discuss potential interruptions to their coursework and develop a plan for completing graduation requirements after co-op.
For more information, please contact Bill Burden at bill.burden@lehigh.edu
Engineering interns can earn 3 free elective credits by registering for ENGR 200 and completing course requirements during their internship experience. ENGR 200 Professional Work Experience is an online asynchronous course taught by the Center for Career & Professional Development and is graded as pass/fail. There is a fee of $355.00 associated with registration for ENGR 200. ENGR 200 may be repeated up to two times for a maximum of 6 free elective credits.
To be considered a full-time engineering internship at Lehigh University, the position must:
- focus on engineering-related work
- be paid
- require a minimum of 120 hours of work
Students can request registration clearance for ENGR 200 by completing the steps outlined below in the “Getting Started” section.
For more information, please contact Bill Burden at bill.burden@lehigh.edu
Engineering co-op participants can earn 3 free elective credits by registering for ENGR 200 and completing the necessary course requirements during their first co-op work term. ENGR 200 Professional Work Experience is an online asynchronous course taught by the Center for Career & Professional Development, is graded as pass/fail, and requires a registration fee of $355.00. ENGR 200 may be repeated up to two times for a maximum of 6 free elective credits.
Students who participate in a full-time co-op work term (35+ hours/wk) during a fall or spring semester do not complete their major coursework and are not charged tuition for the term. However, participants are still considered full-time Lehigh students and remain eligible for on-campus housing, meal plans, financial aid, and University health insurance through registration in ENGR 200.
Students interested in co-op must meet with an academic advisor or the Associate Dean’s office to discuss potential interruptions to their coursework and develop a plan for completing graduation requirements after co-op (i.e., through summer coursework or by completing an extra semester).
Students interested in co-op should follow the steps outlined below in the “Getting Started” section.
- Develop professional skills
- Clarify career interests
- Build a network of industry contacts
- Bridge the gap between classroom and industry
- Gain confidence
- Earn money
- Enhance your 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, student interns and 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:
“I found success in learning how to work in a corporate atmosphere and taking on responsibilities that I can be proud of. [The experience] helped me further myself in areas that there may not be classes for, such as how to effectively participate in meetings.”
- Cole Kuehmann ’22, SpaceX internship
"The co-op experience was a rewarding one. I have the opportunity to explore the various engineering roles my company had to offer and meaningfully contribute towards the company's overall mission statement."
- Shrivats Agarwal '20, B. Braun co-op
To participate in an internship or co-op program, a student must:
- be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at Lehigh University
- have completed at least two semesters of coursework by the start of the work term (i..e, be a rising-sophomore or above)
- be affiliated with an engineering major by the start of the work term (including Arts-Engineering, IDEAS, IBE and CSB)
- 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 following the internship or co-op
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If you're interested in participating in an engineering co-op or internship experience and would like to receive academic credit, start by completing the Co-op & Internship Interest Form and make sure you:
- set up your Handshake account and complete your profile
- make your Handshake profile public to employers (privacy settings)
- develop your resume in Career Lab
- complete a mock interview with a career coach or on The Big Interview.
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(For co-op students only) Contact your engineering academic advisor and schedule a meeting to discuss your interest in participating in a co-op. You will need to determine the best timing for you to take a semester off from major coursework for co-op based on your degree progression and course scheduling options.
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In many cases, pausing your degree coursework to participate in co-op will result in extending your graduation timeline by one semester.
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Some majors may offer summer coursework to accommodate taking a fall or spring semester off. Discuss available summer coursework with your major department.
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When you receive an internship or co-op offer from an employer, complete the Engineering Co-op & Internship Verification Form.
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The CCPD will verify the length, format, responsibilities, expectations, and learning outcomes for the internship or co-op experience.
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Positions identified through Handshake will be automatically approved.
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(For co-op students only) The student and their academic advisor must also provide e-signatures (via an email from Docusign) to certify that an academic plan has been developed for completing graduation requirements.
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Engineering interns and co-op participants will earn 3 free elective credits by successfully completing ENGR 200 Professional Work Experience.
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ENGR 200 is a 3-credit online course taught by the Center for Career & Professional Development and is graded as pass/fail.
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Students must register themselves for ENGR 200 during the class registration period in the semester prior to their work term.
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There is a fee of $355.00 for registration in ENGR 200.
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ENGR 200 may be repeated up to two times for a maximum of 6 free elective credits.
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It is important to adhere to the following deadlines when planning to participate in a for-credit engineering internship during the summer:
It is important to adhere to the following deadlines when planning to participate in a for-credit engineering co-op experience (i.e., pausing academic coursework for a semester to complete a co-op work term):
