Engineering Majors
Participating in a co-op can be a game changer for future engineers as they gain insight into industry standards, emerging technologies, and professional practices.
The experiential aspect of a co-op allows students to explore their engineering discipline in the real world resulting in more informed career choices. At Clemson, Co-op bridges the gap between education and employment, equipping engineering majors with the confidence and competence to succeed in their future careers.
When should an automotive engineering major enroll in the co-op placement process? Automotive engineering students are eligible to join the Co-op Program once they have completed the ME 2050 (Statics for Mechanical Engineers) course with a grade of C or better. If you are currently enrolled in ME 2050, you must complete it first and enroll the following semester. On average, AE students enroll in the co-op matching process in the second semester of their sophomore year, however junior year is also common.
How can I get started: Email the automotive engineering co-op advisor in the first week of the semester to join the current matching process or anytime in the semester be added to the waitlist for the following semester.
How many interviews am I likely to have in the placement process? Automotive engineering students usually complete 6-8 in-person interviews at the Co-op Interview Days event. Companies do not get to pre-select the students they will interview.
What kinds of companies host this major? AE co-op students can work in various departments across the automotive industry.
More questions? Contact the co-op advisor for your major!
When should a Biomedical major enroll in the program and begin the co-op placement process? The ideal time is the second semester of your sophomore year.
How can I get started? Contact the biomedical co-op advisor for enrollment instructions the semester before you wish to start the process.
How many interviews am I likely to have in the placement process? Biomed students usually complete 3-5 in-person interviews at the Co-op Interview Days event. Companies do not get to pre-select the students they will interview.
What kinds of companies host this major? Pharmaceuticals, medical devices, materials
More questions? Contact the co-op advisor for your major!
When should a chemical engineering major enroll in the program and begin the co-op placement process? Chemical Engineering students must have passed all courses through their first semester of sophomore year before they can enter the co-op program. Students usually enroll in the spring of their sophomore year or the fall of their junior year.
How can I get started? Contact the chemical engineering co-op advisor for enrollment instructions on the first day of your 2nd semester sophomore year.
How many interviews am I likely to have in the placement process? ChemE students usually complete 6-8 in-person interviews at the Co-op Interview Days event. Companies do not get to pre-select the students they will interview.
What kinds of companies host this major? Chemical, pharmaceutical, medical, consumer products, packaging, energy/power, automotive, materials, and sustainability
More questions? Contact the co-op advisor for your major!
“I’ve developed many new skills at ORTEC. I learned how to read process and instrument diagrams on my 3rd day! None of my college classes could do that, let alone one day. But beyond that, I learned a lot. Writing procedures, investigating mishaps, recording data and presenting it to management, tracking data and trends practically, sizing vessels, and tracking reactor cycles and waste amounts based on batch records. Just an immense and expensive list of different things. I’ve learned how to find the information I need; it might be a better way to read a batch sheet and track the data relevant to the current task or how to read a diagram and translate that diagram to the real-world reactor train.”
“During this rotation, I had a lot more long-term projects than short-term projects. One of these projects was analyzing one of the recent campaigns. During this campaign, a difference in raw material caused us a lot of trouble in production. This project was a continuation of the work I had done in my second rotation, but this time I had to develop a specification to distinguish the bad raw material from the good raw material. This allowed me to analyze historical data and use statistics to develop a specification that would ensure that no bad raw material would be accepted or an adjustment to the process could be planned for the bad material. After I had created the new specifications, I put together a presentation that was sent to the R&D team and the supplier. This will hopefully save the plant hundreds of thousands in production costs for future campaigns.”
When should a civil engineering major enroll in the program and begin the co-op placement process? The best time to come through is when you are in your sophomore or junior year of your civil engineering coursework.
How can I get started? Contact the civil engineering co-op advisor for enrollment instructions the semester before you wish to start the process.
How many interviews am I likely to have in the placement process? Civil engineering students usually complete 8-10 in-person interviews at the Co-op Interview Days event. Companies do not get to pre-select the students they will interview.
What kinds of companies host this major? Structural design, general contracting, utility infrastructure (water, gas, electric), transportation, and sustainability
More questions? Contact the co-op advisor for your major!
When should a computer engineering major enroll in the program and begin the co-op placement process? The best time to come through is when you are in your sophomore or junior year of your ECE coursework.
How can I get started: Email the electrical and computer engineering co-op advisor in the first week of the semester to join the current matching process or anytime in the semester be added to the waitlist for the following semester.
How many interviews am I likely to have in the placement process? ? Computer engineering students usually complete 5-8 in-person interviews at the Co-op Interview Days event. Companies do not get to pre-select the students they will interview.
What kinds of companies host this major? CompE co-ops can gain experience across various industries such as: aerospace, automotive, consumer and industrial manufacturing, defense, electronics, IT and cybersecurity, and robotics.
More questions? Contact the co-op advisor for your major!
When should an electrical engineering major enroll in the co-op placement process? The best time to come through is when you are in your sophomore or junior year of your ECE coursework.
How can I get started: Email the electrical and computer engineering co-op advisor in the first week of the semester to join the current matching process or anytime in the semester be added to the waitlist for the following semester.
How many interviews am I likely to have in the placement process? EE students usually complete 8-10 in-person interviews at the Co-op Interview Days event. Companies do not get to pre-select the students they will interview.
What kinds of companies host this major? EEs have a wide variety of industries to consider from energy generation and transmission to robotics and electronics to consumer and industrial manufacturing to aerospace and automotive.
More questions? Contact the co-op advisor for your major!
When should an environmental or biosystems engineering major enroll in the program and begin the co-op placement process? The best time to come through is when you are in your sophomore or junior year of your engineering coursework.
How can I get started? Contact the environmental and biosystems engineering co-op advisor for enrollment instructions the semester before you wish to start the process.
How many interviews am I likely to have in the placement process? EnvE/BioSys students usually complete 4-6 in-person interviews at the Co-op Interview Days event. Companies do not get to pre-select the students they will interview.
What kinds of companies host this major? Utilities, energy/power, general contractors, water resources, automotive, and chemical companies
More questions? Contact the co-op advisor for your major!
When should an industrial engineering major enroll in the program and begin the co-op placement process? Industrial engineering students can join the Co-op Program as soon as the first semester of their sophomore year after completing Freshman Engineering and declaring their major as industrial engineering. Sometimes, IE students prefer to wait and get a few classes from their major under their belts, so they may choose to join the Co-op Program as second-semester sophomores or first-semester juniors.
How can I get started? Contact the industrial engineering co-op advisor for enrollment instructions the semester before you wish to start the process.
How many interviews am I likely to have in the placement process? IE students usually complete 8-10 in-person interviews at the Co-op Interview Days event. Companies do not get to pre-select the students they will interview.
What kinds of companies host this major? Industrial engineering students have obtained co-op assignments with a wide range of industries. Co-op students work with companies from healthcare, automotive, consumer products, lighting, aerospace, and construction with wide-ranging roles such as supply chain and logistics, manufacturing engineering, quality, and operations.
More questions? Contact the co-op advisor for your major!
When should a materials science and engineering major enroll in the program and begin the co-op placement process? The ideal time to participate is the second semester of your sophomore year.
How can I get started? Contact the MSE co-op advisor for enrollment instructions the semester before you wish to start the process.
How many interviews am I likely to have in the placement process? MSE students usually complete 5-8 in-person interviews at the Co-op Interview Days event. Companies do not get to pre-select the students they will interview.
What kinds of companies host this major? Chemical, automotive, aerospace, and materials companies
More questions? Contact the co-op advisor for your major!
In previous rotations, I usually would do the data collection or analysis and pass it up to one of my full-time coworkers. Now, I either do the whole project or assist with it along the way. We’ve recently been asked by some other companies to show the difference between two silver plating methods, and I’ve made the whole thing and will continue to alter it as needed but it will still be just me making the changes, which I appreciate. Doing the multiple rotations has allowed me to get much deeper into a professional job, allowing me to make more sophisticated work relationships and connections. I do not consider myself to be an extroverted person, so this position has helped the collaboration aspect of work a lot. As I’ve gotten to know my coworkers better and talk to other workers in the factory, I’ve been much more comfortable about reaching out for help or suggestions than ever. I also have found my analytical skills to be much better, since I know what to look for without being told to now that I’ve worked on so many projects.
When should a mechanical engineering major enroll in the co-op placement process? Mechanical engineering students are eligible to join the Co-op Program once they have completed the ME 2050 (Statics for Mechanical Engineers) course with a grade of C or better. If you are currently enrolled in ME 2050, you must complete it first and enroll the following semester. On average, ME students enroll in the co-op matching process in the second semester of their sophomore year, however junior year is also common.
How can I get started: Email the mechanical engineering co-op advisor in the first week of the semester to join the current matching process or anytime in the semester be added to the waitlist for the following semester.
How many interviews am I likely to have in the placement process? Mechanical engineering students usually complete 6-10 in-person interviews at the Co-op Interview Days event. Companies do not get to pre-select the students they will interview.
What kinds of companies host this major? ME co-op students can work in various industries, from healthcare, automotive, and construction to aerospace, consumer products, and power generation.
More questions? Contact the co-op advisor for your major!
