The College of Engineering at Northeastern University has recently and rapidly expanded its graduate programs and seen a dramatic growth in numbers of students. Our University has a distinct history of undergraduate experiential learning that integrates theoretical knowledge and professional experience, making cooperative education (co-op) an essential element of its objectives. The graduate co-operative education program was initiated eight years ago and has experienced great and rapid growth. As part of effort to create a strategic vision for the future, the Co-operative Education Team undertook a dramatic re-evaluation of the graduate programming that included a review of recent research and literature regarding the skills, knowledge, and attributes required for success in the 21~(st) century workplace. One discovery was a lack of assessment data used in the planning and decision making processes. Another identified challenge was a lack of research targeting the international student demographic, which is the majority for the multidisciplinary masters programs at our institution. The primary finding, however, was a need for a complete redesign of the "Introduction to Cooperative Education" course. This paper documents the discovery process and includes a summary of the literature and research, feedback from industry partners, and observed trends in U.S. employment sectors that impact the changing needs of the engineering profession. The course name was changed from " Introduction to Cooperative Education" to "Career Management for Engineers" to reflect this new focus. Along with a new name, came new objectives and learning outcomes. The revisions transformed the one-credit course from being a short-term focused "nuts and bolts" skill building class, to a long-term focused, comprehensive career management resource. The authors share their experience with selecting new materials, creating lesson objectives, assignments, resources, and developing lesson outlines that all map to the new course objectives and learning outcomes. This paper includes examples of the course study guide, sample educational lessons, assignments and plans for assessment, as well as suggestions for continued improvement.
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