Robbin Beauchamp, Assistant Provost
Wentworth Hall, Room 101
(617) 989-4101
coopsandcareers@wit.edu

Wentworth's Center for Cooperative Education and Career Development (Co-ops & Careers) offers undergraduate and graduate students and alumni of degree programs a full range of career preparation advising, manages the Cooperative Education program, and provides numerous opportunities to network with employers. 

Advising

Co-ops & Careers staff help undergraduate and graduate students and alumni, at any point in their college or post-college experience, develop career readiness skills following the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Career Competencies.

Cooperative Education (Co-op)

All full-time undergraduate day students must complete two cooperative education semesters to earn their degree, typically one in each of the junior and senior years, with exceptions for a few majors. Students are responsible for implementing a successful co-op job search, with the support of their Co-op & Career Advisor. Students must adhere to the co-op requirements outlined in the Terms & Conditions, a form signed by the student prior to their first co-op. Within specified deadlines, students must register in Leopardweb for COOP3500 or COOP4500 and also gain approval for their Report of Hire form on WITworks, Wentworth's on-line career management system.  Enrollment in a mandatory co-op course (COOP3500 and COOP4500 for undergraduates and COOP6500 for some graduate students) maintains full-time student status. Enrollment status may be impacted if students do not obtain a co-op, meet the co-op requirements, and/or adhere to published deadlines. Students are strongly discouraged from taking classes during their co-op semester.  With approval from their academic dean and Co-op & Career Advisor, in rare circumstances, a student may take up to 8 credits. The co-op overload form is required. 

Transfer students must complete at least one semester of classes and meet academic standing requirements at Wentworth before becoming eligible to participate in the Cooperative Education program. 

Students must be in good academic standing to enroll in a co-op, with a GPA of 2.0. Students not meeting this standard by the end of the semester immediately preceding their co-op term will not be eligible for co-op. Students with a GPA below 2.0 and who are registered for co-op will be dropped from their co-op enrollment.  Wentworth Institute of Technology reserves the right to inform any employer of a change in a student’s enrollment status if registered for or on co-op at the time. Students with a GPA of 1.9-1.99 may seek approval to register for co-op.

Students must meet the co-op requirements as outlined in the Terms & Conditions and complete the co-op as detailed in their approved Report of Hire form. Once approved, the Report of Hire form must not be altered by the student. The Co-op & Career Advisor conducts a review and determines the grade of either Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U). This grade is recorded on the students' academic transcript with no credit assigned and no GPA impact. 

Occasionally, students enter Wentworth with substantial work experience in their major field. With the approval of the Director of Cooperative Education, this work experience may be substituted for one of the Cooperative Education requirements. Students must submit an Industry Professional Credit (IPC) petition to the Co-ops & Careers Office to be considered.  Only one Industry Professional Credit can be granted per student.

Two semesters of non-mandatory co-op education are also offered. The first is COOP3000, usually registered for in the summer prior to junior year for students who have completed their prerequisites for junior year classes and are in good academic standing. The other, COOP5000, is for students who have successfully completed their two required semesters of co-op and obtained permission from their academic unit and Co-op & Career Advisor.  Registration for COOP3000 and COOP5000 will impact a student's full-time status, financial aid, and housing.  Students are urged to speak with their Financial Aid Advisors to understand the impact enrollment in COOP3000 or COOP5000 will have on their enrollment status.

Co-op Schedule 

The required Co-op semesters for each program are outlined in the program details specific to each major.  Graduate students enrolled in the 2-year or 3-year MARC program are required to enroll in COOP6500 

Introduction to Cooperative Education

Intro to Co-op is a course that teaches students the foundational skills necessary to search for and complete a co-op. These skills can be used throughout a student's professional career. Topics include but are not limited to resumes, job searching, interviewing, and how to be successful on co-op. (0 credit)

COOP2500 provides students with the skills and knowledge needed to successfully obtain and keep a co-op position. Students learn about résumé and cover letter development, job search strategies, interviewing skills, professionalism on the job, networking, and how to successfully register for their co-op semesters and report their co-op on WITworks. Students typically take Intro to Co-op at least one semester prior to their first co-op. Student-athletes and international students are encouraged to take course two semesters prior to their first co-op. This is a graded (S/U) non-credit course and students register on LeopardWeb.  Effective fall 2024, this course is required to successfully complete prior to registering for COOP3500.

Career Tools

Through WITworks, Co-op & Career Fairs and Receptions, and specialized recruiting events, students and employers can connect for co-op and full-time job opportunities.  

The ASPIRE@Wentworth program is offered to students who find social interactions, such as interviewing, to be a significant challenge. Co-ops & Careers has partnered with the Massachusetts General Hospital's ASPIRE program to provide personal job coaches to students who need intensive assistance before and during the interviews and during co-op. ASPIRE@Wentworth meets with each student to help them assess the level of assistance they need and provide practice interviewing. To learn more about the program, students can contact their Co-op & Career Advisor. Students need no formal diagnosis to participate in ASPIRE@Wentworth.

Students participate in a variety of professional activities throughout their time at Wentworth. At WITwear, students can borrow professional attire for free, with options available for all genders. All items have been donated by staff, faculty, students, alumni, and employer partners and are dry cleaned after every use. Contact the Dean of Students Office to access WITwear.

The Co-ops & Careers staff provide many additional resources to assist students in their co-op search and career development. There are printed resources available in our office and throughout campus, online resources on the Co-ops & Careers website, and the WITSHappening Blog. Numerous resources can be located on the website.

Graduate School Planning

Co-ops & Careers assists students and alumni in obtaining information on graduate/professional schools and preparing for the graduate/professional school application process. You can find resources for graduate school planning under "Resources" on our website.