At Widener, your inside track to a successful career will be paved with outside-the-classroom, real-world experiences – the kind that will set you apart from the crowd.
Co-op is full-time, paid work experience relevant to your major. Our co-op program has a wide network of employers across the Philadelphia region and beyond, so you can work for some top organizations. Some students have gone as far as California for their co-op experience. And many employers extend full-time job offers to co-op students after graduation.
You can choose to participate in 4- or 8-month co-op cycles. Engineering and business majors can choose a combination of both to gain up to 12 months of work experience. Computer science majors can select either a 4-month or 8-month co-op. You have the flexibility to create your own co-op schedule. The table below offers a suggested schedule, depending on the academic year you choose to work:
| Summer | Fall | Spring | |
| Freshman | Study | Study | |
| Sophomore | Study | Work | Study |
| Junior | Study | Study | Work |
| Senior | Work | Study | Study |
While on co-op you do not pay tuition. You can choose to live on campus, at home, or even travel for co-op.
We offer a summer-long professional development series before your first co-op that teaches everything from industry-level Excel training to perfecting those all-important oral and written communication skills.
For more than 30 years, our students have partnered with employers as part of our flexible, supportive co-op program. Widener students are career-ready and well-prepared to make meaningful contributions to any organization. And our professional staff provides support for employers and students throughout the co-op process.
It’s never too early to start getting real-world work experience. As a Widener student, we encourage you to get an internship as early as freshman year. And when it comes to finding one, we’ve got you covered. Internships are coordinated through academic departments, and your professors, career advisors, and others on campus have an extensive network of local, regional, and national partners to help you find and secure a position that fits your professional aspirations.
And there are tons of internship opportunities being this close to Philadelphia. Just ask Danielle Cardona '18, a communication studies major who had five internships in broadcasting, which helped her land her first job with the Philadelphia Eagles.
To being able to start here, go toward my internships, and then take everything and put it toward a big NFL team, has been phenomenal. — Danielle Cardona ’18
Worried you'll have to decide between a career-building experience you're passionate about and one that earns an income? College of Arts & Sciences students interested in pursuing an internship are encouraged to apply for financial assistance through the Experience MORE! program.
If selected as an awardee, you’ll receive a stipend to subsidize your work at an unpaid or underpaid internship, meaning you can get both the experience and the paycheck. You’ll also get help honing your cover letter, nailing your interview, and landing an internship that will set you apart with real-world work experience.
Whether you’re looking to land a summer position at a local arts nonprofit or a congressional internship offering a stipend that stretches you too thin, get in touch to learn how you can Experience MORE! for your work.
For more than 50 years, co-ops at Widener offer the unique experience for students to get hands-on, paid experience while still graduating on time.
The university’s connections to the Philadelphia Eagles run deep, as numerous students and alumni have worked for the franchise.
Students often turn down or turn away from unpaid internships in their fields because of economic considerations. A new, donor-funded program is designed to help overcome the financial barrier.
Hear from our students about their co-ops and internships.
Being able to have these internships and experiences outside of the classroom makes me feel happy because not only am I able to build connections, but I’m getting experience and understanding with the career that I want.
One thing that Widener did so well was teach me how to adapt to different programming languages and user systems. I definitely was prepared to take on that challenge.
It’s really important to me to be involved in setting an image, especially for first-generation students or people who are shy or minority students on campus. I want to use my voice.
Widener is definitely like a home away from home. I spend a lot of time here, so I’ve gotten used to the environment. It’s very comfortable and everyone here is really nice.
There’s so much overlap with my majors. They’re interdisciplinary so they allow me to explore my passions, but I love the different perspectives they all bring.
I think that knowledge about sex education and human sexuality genuinely saves lives, so you shouldn’t try to hide it from people.
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