Rowan University's Engineering Co-op Program Doubles Placement Rate

Rowan University's College of Engineering says its co-op program placed more than 500 students in paid industry positions this academic year, roughly double the placement total from three years ago, after the school added a dozen new manufacturing and pharmaceutical partners across South Jersey.

The co-op model, which alternates semesters of classroom study with full-time paid work terms, has become a signature feature of Rowan's engineering school. University officials say the expansion was driven largely by demand from South Jersey employers who have struggled to recruit engineering talent willing to relocate from North Jersey or Philadelphia.

"Companies down here kept telling us the same thing — they can't get engineers to move to Glassboro or Vineland, so they need to grow their own," said Rowan College of Engineering Dean Anthony Lowman. "The co-op program is our answer to that. Students train with these companies for a year and a half before they graduate, so by the time we hand them a diploma, the employer already knows exactly what they're getting."

Students in the program typically complete three six-month work rotations before graduating, earning wages that the university says average close to $22 an hour. Rowan reports that roughly 70 percent of co-op participants receive a full-time job offer from one of their placement employers before graduation.

The university plans to add eight additional co-op partners next year, with a particular focus on advanced manufacturing firms in the Route 55 corridor.