Department of Chemistry

541 Mark Jefferson Science Complex

Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197

734.487.0106

Co-op, Internships and Summer Research Programs

What is Co-op?

Cooperative Education allows you to integrate what you're learning with professional experience. While working with an employer, you will also earn course credit. Our primary objective is your professional development. Career Services Center staff and academic departments work closely with employers to develop work assignments related to your program. All of this adds up to you earning money, experience and college credit at the same time. Once you are eligible, submit your application materials.

Co-op Details

How to apply for co-op:  

Application instructions and other co-op forms can be found on the University Advising and Career Development website or by following this link and scrolling down to Cooperative Education Forms..

Am I Eligible:

The following requirements are standard for co-op eligibility:

  • Completion of 55 semester hours (COB and CHHS allow second semester sophomores in selected majors)
  • Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA for most majors (students on academic probation are not eligible)
  • Faculty sponsor recommendation (form included in application packet)

The Chemistry co-op adviser is Dr. Emal.

Additional information about co-op can be found on the career development center website.

External Sites which Periodically Post Co-op or Intern Positions

  • The American Chemical Society hosts the "Get Experience" web exchange allows undergrads to search for research experiences, internships, co-ops, and other chemistry-related opportunities. 
  • NSF International (which has a facility in Ann Arbor) has a very nice website where they post open positions, including chemistry intern positions. If you click on "search for jobs" and then select "Ann Arbor, MI, US" and then click on the search box, you can see a list of positions that are open locally.
  • Cayman Chemical (with its main facility in Ann Arbor) has a very nice website where they post open positions, including chemistry intern positions. If you click on "view all job opportunities" you can see what positions are available. **Caymen Chemical currently has internship positions available for the summer of 2024. (posted February 12, 2024)
  • Lycera, a biopharmaceutical company located in Ann Arbor, is always looking for students interested in pursuing internships with them. Their website provides information about the company and the internship application process.
  • The US Government posts full-time, part-time and intern positions. You can narrow the search to chemistry positions by choosing the job category to be "physical science" and then for the occupational series, select "chemistry". Of course, you can search other areas as your interest and experience dictates.
  • The Michigan State Police (MSP) will occasionally have unpaid intern positions available for college students planning careers in forensic science. Information about being a MSP forensic scientist is available at their website. The application procedure for an internship can be found on the careers page of the MSP website.
  • Wacker Chemical Corporation currently has some paid internship positions available (posted February 12, 2024).

Summer Research Programs

These are typically 10–12 week summer paid research positions for undergraduate students. Information about these programs typically becomes available in December with application deadlines sometime between February 1 and mid-March each year.

One important source of summer internships is the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students at numerous universities throughout the U.S. Participants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals or permanent residents of the United States. Students do not apply to NSF to participate in REU activities. Students apply directly to REU Sites or to NSF-funded investigators who receive REU Supplements. For more information, or to search the directory of active REU Sites, go to the NSF website.

The American Chemical Society's "Get Experience" web exchange has links to REU sites and other summer research experiences (as well as internships, co-ops and other chemistry-related opportunities).

For those with interests in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) has compiled a list of summer program links.

For those with interests in the Health Professions

The Rochester Institute of Technology has compiled an extensive list of co-op/internships and summer research opportunities in biomedical research and for pre-med students.

For those with interests in the Health Fields and will be graduating before summer

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Postbac IRTA program (CRTA, Cancer Research Training Award, in the National Cancer Institute) provides recent college graduates who are planning to apply to graduate or professional (medical/dental/pharmacy) school an opportunity to spend one or two years performing full-time research at the NIH. Their website has information about stipends, deadlines and program locations (which include Detroit).

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