MIT announces Co-op Planning Committee
The committee will assess the feasibility of MIT’s first-ever co-op program
On Thursday, April 23, an email sent by Provost Anantha Chandrakasan, Chancellor Melissa Nobles, and Executive Vice President and Treasurer Glen Shor announced the formation of the MIT Co-op Planning Committee. The committee will determine if MIT has the potential to establish its first ever undergraduate co-op program. The initiatives would allow students to intern with industry, government, and non-profit organizations over several months; typically, students take a semester off to work in a co-op.
A co-op program already exists in the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and MIT Leaders for Global Operations offers a similar program in which students participate in a six month internship spanning the summer and an academic semester. However, this potential co-op program would be the first of its kind at the Institute.
Aeronautics and Astronautics Associate Department Head and Apollo Program Professor Olivier de Weck chairs the committee, whose members hail from different fields and offices, including the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Office of the Registrar, S3, and Housing and Residential Services. Two undergraduates, Anoushka Tamhane ’28 and Akua Yeboah ’27, are also members.
If the committee decides to proceed, MIT would join several other Massachusetts colleges with co-op programs, including Boston University, UMass Amherst, UMass Lowell, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Northeastern.
The move reflects a broader trend towards collegiate experiential learning. Earlier this month, three state universities — Bridgewater State University, Framingham State University and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design — received $20,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to launch and expand co-op programs.
MIT leadership will receive the committee’s report summarizing the potential co-op program’s logistical and financial feasibility by Sept. 30, 2026. If they provide an affirmative recommendation, the committee will also outline a phased implementation plan.