Career Development: Before graduation, ideally beginning in sophomore year, students should expand their education beyond the classroom by participating in a paid summer internship, co-op, or part-time job related to their engineering major. The Engineering Co-op & Career Services Office provides a variety of services, listed below, to equip students to conduct an effective job search.

Workshops and Individual Career Advising: To prepare students for a successful job search, the Engineering Co-op & Career Services offers a variety of career development workshops as well as individual career advising on topics including resumes, interviews, and salary negotiation. Students may sign up for workshops online or stop by for an individual career advising session.

Careers4Engineers Employment Database: Through the Careers4Engineers database, students may apply for engineering internship, co-op, and part-time job opportunities, find employer contact information, and sign up for on-campus interviews. Students must visit the Engineering Co-op & Career Services Office to activate a Careers4Engineers account, which is available free of charge.

Career Fairs: The University of Maryland hosts a large career fair each fall and spring semester to provide a forum for students to network with employers and discuss internship and co-op opportunities. The Fall Career Fair is typically held in early October, and the Spring Career Fair is in February or March. Detailed information is available at the above link.

Networking Events: During the fall and spring semesters, students have the opportunity to network with engineering employers through employer-led information sessions, workshops, and other networking events. These events are advertised to students through a weekly Career Engineer e-newsletter and are posted in the eLink database.

Cooperative Education (Co-op) Program: The Engineering Co-op Program allows students to gain one or more semesters of full-time engineering work experience prior to graduation. While participation in the program may slightly delay a student’s graduation, co-op participants gain a more intensive work experience than summer interns and often have more full-time job offers upon graduation at higher starting salaries than students without equivalent work experience. Interested students should pursue a co-op position using the resources described above and may enroll in the Co-op Program upon accepting a co-op job offer. Students enrolled in the Co-op Program will register for a zero-credit course that allows them to maintain their student status at the University of Maryland.

Engineering Study Abroad: Sophomore year is a good time for students to begin planning to study abroad for a semester or a year. A variety of engineering study abroad programs are available and students can earn credit toward their degree. This is also a good time to investigate short-term engineering programs such as summer and winter term study abroad programs.

Student Organizations: Please see the Freshmen year explanation for more information on student organizations.