College of EngineeringDepartment of Industrial and Systems EngineeringAcademicsUndergraduateCurrent StudentsCo-op and Internship
Co-op and Internship
Approximately 70 percent of our graduates hold either co-op positions or internships during their college years. The co-op (or formally the Cooperative Education) program is more formalized at Auburn and most students who qualify are able to be placed in positions related to their major. Internships are mostly held during the summer while students are not taking courses; in contrast, co-op students alternate work semesters with school semesters year round. In general, internships are between the employer and student and are not provided, vetted, nor regulated by AU. Finding an internship can be challenging but provides excellent work experience for a student.
There are three primary ways that students in our department may attempt to obtain internships. Use all three ways; they are not in any specific order:
1. Our alumni and other contacts send internship announcements to the department and we (either Dr. Daniel Silva, Dr. LuAnn Sims Carpenter, or Branden Farmer) forward these to all students on the department electronic mailing list (
2. Visit the Careers section of the department's INSY Undergrad Students Canvas page.
3. Visit the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering's Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations.
4. Tell everyone you know and tell your parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and friends to tell everyone they know that you are an industrial engineering student looking for an internship. Many students obtain internships through word of mouth or personal referrals in this way. Also, if you know of a specific company you want to work with, go online to their website and see if they have positions open for internships. You may also go in person if possible to the physical hiring location and submit your resume. If you want to know the names of companies in a particular area that might have internships, go to the chamber of commerce website(s) for the area. For example, the websites for the chambers of commerce for this area (Lee and Chambers County) are:
a. Auburn, AL: www.auburnchamber.com
b. Opelika, AL: www.opelikachamber.com
c. Greater Valley Area (LaFayette, Lanett, Valley, West Point, GA.): http://www.greatervalleyarea.com
On a recent visit to the city of Auburn’s chamber website, 20 industries are listed (possible employers of interns): 2a USA, Advanced Fluid Systems, Aptar C SP Technologies, Arkal Automotive USA, Auburn Center for Developing Industries, Briggs & Stratton, CNJ, GE Aviation, ID Plastics, Integrated Solutions for Systems (IS4S), Nashville Wire Products Manufacturing Company, RAPA - Rausch & Pausch, RegalRexnord, SCA, Seohan Auto USA Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Walmart Distribution Center, Winkelmann Flowform Technology.
