Co-op Program
The University of Delaware’s Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering Cooperative Education program is directly tied to the department’s mission to ensure the “education of our students to their fullest potential.”
The Co-op program provides an educational opportunity that integrates a student’s academic and career interests with paid, productive work experience at cooperating organizations locally, nationally and globally.
Students in the Construction Engineering & Management major must complete a cooperative education work experience that is a required component of their degree.
During the Co-op experience, participating students:
- Apply the theories taught in the classroom to practical work situations
- Gain knowledge and skills that will enhance their future coursework
- Prepare themselves for successful careers in the engineering profession
Program Details
Motivation and Objectives
- Integrates a student’s academic and career interests
- Offers students the opportunity to clarify their academic focus and test their career interests and goals, while still completing their degree in four years
- Enables the department to more closely partner with employers
- Enables employers to identify potential future employees
Co-op Schedules
Two standard options to achieve this are:
- Continuous: Students work for 26 consecutive weeks, typically completed Summer – Fall
- Discontinuous: Students work for 26 weeks in separate segments, typically 2 Summers and/or Winter Sessions
How Students Find Co-op Opportunities
Students who participate in the program, are encouraged to utilize Handshake to begin the process of searching for a position and to go through the Career Center on Canvas to educate themselves on the search process and getting their resume and interviewing skills ready. Modules 3, 4, 5, and 6 are particularly relevant. Students who complete these steps, utilize the resources available, and conduct a strategic search with the help of staff typically find a position.
In addition to the numerous partner organizations from the local and mid-Atlantic region recruiting co-op students through “on-campus recruiting,” there are hundreds, maybe thousands of potential Co-op employers. Students interested in working for an employer not represented through “on-campus recruiting,” are encouraged to initiate an independent job search for a co-op position, in addition to on-campus recruiting. This search should be during the fall semester of junior year.
Amanda LaRosa worked for AECOM.
She is surveying a 36” sewer pipe as part of a team mapping underground utilities.
Employer Partner Program Information
Interested in recruiting UD students? UD’s Career Center encourages organizations to post available opportunities in Handshake, our online recruiting platform used by students and alumni.
Questions? Contact UD’s Career Center at hireahen@udel.edu.
Employers
AECOM
Allan Myers
ARCO
Atlantic Contracting and Material Co., Inc.
Atlantic Traffic & Design Engineers
AVA Group
Baker, Ingram & Associates
Bancroft Construction
Becker Morgan Group
BPGS Construction
Carlson, Barbee & Gibson, Inc.
Century Engineering
City of Newark Public Works and Water Resources
Clark Construction Group, LLC
Corrado Construction Company
Crosscheck Inspections
D.S Thaler & Assoc. LLC
DeFoe Corp.
Delaware Department of Transportation
Delaware River and Bay Authority
Donald E. Reisinger, Inc.
DPR Construction
Eastern Shore Natural Gas
EDiS Company
EWMA: Environmental Consulting and Remediation
Falmouth Engineering, Inc.
Geo-Technology Associates, Inc.
Gilbane, Inc.
Gilmore & Associates, Inc.
Greenlane Contractors
GPI/Greenman-Pedersen
Hallen
Halmar International
Harkins Builders
Howard I. Shapiro & Associates
HSC Builders & Construction Managers
Hunter Roberts Construction Group
IKO Industries
Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson
Karins and Associates
KCI Technologies
Landmark Science & Engineering
M. Davis & Sons, Inc.
MacIntosh Engineers
MAS Building & Bridge
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
McCormick Taylor
Nason Construction
National Grid: Natural Gas & Electricity
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Pennoni
PULLMAN
RAF Services
RETTEW
RK&K Civil Engineering
Rodgers Consulting
Roman E&G Corp.
Ryan Homes
Simpson & Brown
Skanska
Suburban Consulting Engineers,
SMMA
T&M Associates
Tectonic
The LiRo Group
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Toll Brothers
Turner Construction Company
UD Planning & Project Delivery
Urban LTD.
USA Dynamics
Verdantas
Wawa
Whitney Bailey Cox & Magnani, LLC
Whitman, Requardt and Associates, LLC
WILMAPCO
Wohlsen Construction
WSP
100%
Percentage of students who would recommend this program to their classmates.
75%
Average annual percentage of students who get offered full-time positions with their co-op partner.
$19
Students earn an average of $19.00/hour at their co-op in addition to earning academic credit.
“I could not be happier with my co-op experiences. Each employee I worked with treated me as an equal, which gave me confidence in my work and allowed me to gain better understanding of the industry. My boss was extremely helpful during my co-op. He almost always had work planned for me to do so that I was not wasting time. He often tried to send me to different sites to gain a wide range of experience. My co-op would not nearly have been as beneficial if it was not for him.”
“My co-op experience molded my career goals, allowing insight into the industry and what I truly want to do.”
“Now, I am comfortable working on the job sites and am confident in my ability to manage a site.”
“I have refined my interests, learned closely about remedial engineering, and fallen in love with it.”
“It helped me to decide to go into engineering consulting, and also showed me the business side of engineering. My co-op experience also showed me how important communication is to being successful.”
”I have learned about working for an environmental consulting company, which in turn helped me solidify the route I want to take in Environmental Engineering – academia or consulting.”
“This co-op allowed me to narrow down my interests in preparation for my future career. During my internship, I learned many skills and professional terms. I gained valuable contacts that I will be sure to reach out to in the future if I need any professional advice.”
Interested in Joining?
Contact the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
P: (302) 831-2442
E: ccee-info@udel.edu