Co-Ops & Internships

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.

Education into Action

Our acclaimed co-op program and emphasis on internships will transform your powerful Widener education into action, helping you gain the experiences, connections, and career-building moments that will benefit you for a lifetime.

Co-Op: Work for a Year, Graduate on Time

Our signature co-op program, coordinated through our Office of Career Design and Development, provides business, engineering, and computer science students with real-world work experience before graduation.

Co-op is offered in both a 4-month and 8-month format. Depending on your program, you can choose to do both, thus gaining up to one year of paid work experience with a top company. And the best part, you can still graduate on time, within four years.

My opportunity at Comcast would not have been possible without Widener’s co-op program. This experience has not only helped me build numerous connections within the company, but it has also helped me understand what corporate life is all about. The co-op program helps differentiate yourself from other applicants when applying for a job as employers see that you have experience, especially from a tech giant company like Comcast. — Mathew Thomas '21, accounting

Internships

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

Measured. Results.

Explore Our Co-Op Program

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.

Employer's Guide to Co-Op

For more than 30 years, our students have partnered with employers like you as part of our flexible, supportive co-op program. Widener students are career-ready and well-prepared to make meaningful contributions to your organization. And our professional staff provides support for employers and students throughout the co-op process.

Hire Widener

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Pride Perspectives

Hear from our students about their co-ops and internships.

Every study abroad trip, every internship opportunity, every volunteer event, every class is contributing to me not only being a better person, but better in business. The world of business today requires us to be globally active.

Jessica Feoli

Jessica's Story

For me, the opportunities at Widener to start this, join that, do this, allowed me to grow tremendously as a person. That’s what turned me into who I am.

Cajua Robinson

Cajua's Story

To have people like that in your corner is amazing. They helped me gain the confidence to go into the field and to be on my ‘A’ game.

Samirah Thompson

Samirah's Story

I love all aspects of robotics and I’m learning a lot about what I want to do in my career from this experience.

Taylor Kohnow

Taylor's Story

Widener helped me realize my track. The faculty in the psychology department provide a safety net and make it their job to find you a place in the field.