The Healey-Driscoll administration on Nov. 6 announced $60,000 in grants to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Worcester State University to develop paid cooperative education programs, according to a state press release. The programs are expected to launch in the 2027-2028 academic year.
UMass Dartmouth plans co-ops in allied health and health care, with employers across the South Coast. Worcester State plans co-ops in municipal and cultural affairs, chemistry and biotechnology, and early childhood education. The release does not say how the $60,000 is divided between the two campuses.
The release describes co-ops as full-time, paid work experiences lasting four to eight months that relate to a student's field of study. At UMass Lowell, which it calls the leading co-op program among Massachusetts public universities, students completing six-month co-ops earn an average of $20,714.
The grants come through the Massachusetts Cooperative Education Initiative, a partnership between the Department of Higher Education's Innovation Hub and UMass Lowell. Earlier this year the initiative awarded $210,000 in "First Mover" grants to Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Bridgewater State University and Framingham State University. With the two new grantees, five public campuses participate. Interim Commissioner of Higher Education Jose Luis Santos described the change as an expansion from three to five campuses.
UMass Dartmouth and Worcester State will spend the next year designing their pilots, including academic programs, employer partnerships, student recruitment and plans to sustain the programs. They will also join statewide peer learning led with UMass Lowell, which provides technical assistance and coaching to participating campuses.
The Innovation Hub launched in 2025 with a $2.1 million grant from the Axim Collaborative, the release says. It did not list employer partners for either campus or give a target number of student placements.
