The Drexel Co-op

Drexel Co-op provides a number of outstanding opportunities in various areas of Computing. Providing undergraduate students with up to 18 months of professional experience before graduation, Drexel Co-op is one of the most extensive and well-respected co-op programs in the nation. Students work for more than 1,500 companies in 39 states and 11 foreign countries. An average paid six-month co-op salary is $14,005.

• Profile: Margaret Horner

  Margaret Horner, an MIS major, completed her third co-op with SAP America, Inc., which is the largest enterprise business software company globally. Margaret commented that “initially, I was working with the Business Operations group, which handles staffing and contracting of the Premium Maintenance engagements.  Shortly thereafter, I was moved to Business Development which is responsible for sales of SAP's Premium Maintenance services.   Currently, I am involved in development and implementation of business processes, procedures, and tools that assist the sales force in presenting our services to the customer and then to rapidly and effectively process sales requests for SAP's services.   During my tenure, I have been given additional responsibilities related to the four Premium Maintenance services.  These include partial responsibility for the structuring of actual service offerings which has direct impact on their delivery and cost. In doing so, I've acquired skills that have made me a valuable member of the Business Development teams.   My experience has been both challenging and rewarding and has opened up many doors for me with respect to my future. I plan to pursue a position with SAP America, Inc. upon graduation.”

• Profile: Dennis Mongello

  In the summer of 2006, iSchool senior Dennis Mongello was a Drexel Cooperative Education pioneer.  An Information Systems major, Dennis was a Project Manager in the Messaging and Collaborative Services department.  His job was to integrate new features into clients’ current Microsoft communications services.  One of his projects was the addition of a new service to Energizer’s out-of-office function on Outlook.  Dennis led a team through the process from start to finish.  First, he evaluated the need and proposed a solution.  Then he assembled the feature, tested it internally, and guided the client through the installation process.  “I think it’s a great place to start your career because you get a lot of experience.” Now Dennis is back in completing his master’s degree, and his work on the west coast has paved the way for more Drexel students, such as the eight iSchool students currently on co-op at Microsoft.

• Profile: Shahab Ahmad

  Shahab Ahmad is a BS/MS student majoring in Computer Engineering (CE) within Drexel’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. As an undergraduate student at Drexel, Shahab worked with Unisys Corporation as an Intern Software Engineer.  At Unisys, he participated in the development of the Unisys Autonomic Server Management Software Server Sentinel.  “Working at Unisys was a very rewarding experience because I was given a chance to work on mission critical products used by numerous Fortune 500 companies.” For Shahab’s second internship, he worked with Smart Business Consulting as a Business Technology Consultant.  Working as a consultant, he worked closely with multiple clients and senior managers in developing customized Asset Management Systems. Shahab is currently working with Intel Corporation as part of the Digital Enterprise Group (DEG), where he’s focusing on developing Intel’s compatibility validation database to streamline platform validation testing for the next generation microprocessors.   “An internship with Intel allows you to explore new possibilities, make an impact, and challenge your creativity.  You are working on next generation microprocessors and micro-architectures that the rest of world is anxious to see”

• Profile: Binosh Samuel

  As a Business Administration major with concentrations in Management Information Systems (MIS), Marketing, and Finance, Binosh Samuel did two of his co-ops at SAP in Newtown Square, PA. During his latest co-op he worked in the Field Services Knowledge Management Team, where he was the Project Manager for the Regional Performance Test. His objective was to test the performance of the Field Services Workspace on the Corporate Portal, within different regions and countries. It was a world wide test which included 73 countries. He was responsible to create, organize, communicate and analyze the test. He did this by leading a team in creating a “test script” and a “how to guide”; where consultants form each country recorded the time it took them to navigate through each steps and a help guide which assisted them on how to run the test respectively. “My experience at SAP has improved my management, communication and leadership skills and I am very pleased with my co-op experience.” Binosh has accepted a part time offer at SAP as he completes his bachelor’s degree at Drexel University.

• Profile: Kevin Lynch

  Kevin Lynch, a Computer Science major, did one co-op at an Intel laboratory in Massachusetts. He helped his group to verify and validate components of a new, 8-core Itanium 2 processor, and verify a simulator for communications. This work was part of a larger project researching methods for detecting "reverse engineering" tools and virtual machines on a system, with applications for code development and security.

• Profile: Cosmin Nicolaescu

  Cosmin Nicolaescu has been an integral part of the Computer Science department over the past several years. As part of his studies majoring in Computer Science, Cosmin has done a co-op at Microsoft in Redmond, WA. Along the way, he tested pre-released commercial software and became TSP certified. Cosmin has also served as a System Administrator for the department's computing resources, having taken charge of (among other things) migrating the CS servers to a new SANs setup and establishing auto-monitoring features within the server network.

• Profile: Shivani Saini

  Shivani Saini, a Computer Science major, chose a co-op at Siemens Medical Solutions in Malvern, PA. This co-op involved working in the extremely interesting intersection of computing and medical applications, where Shivani's work focused on applications for Critical Care and Oncology. She also helped to develop third-party applications to enhance user experience with the company's existing software. Because of her outstanding performance during the co-op, Shivani received the Excellence Award from Siemans for her contributions.