Scheduling

Drexel's academic calendar has shaped itself around the co-op program, with quarters similar to the quarters used in the business world. Students choose different degree programs based on their majors and the length of the programs they intend to take. Students interested in co-op are randomly assigned a "cycle," defining what part of the year they will be on co-op; the two possible cycles are "Fall-Winter" and "Spring-Summer". All of the degree programs offer the same amount of class experience, but they differ in their involvement with the internship program.

For students not interested in co-op, Drexel offers a typical 4-year curriculum, with Fall, Winter, and Spring terms devoted to class, and Summer as vacation.
Drexel also has an option for a 4-year degree with co-op, in which the Summer breaks of the Sophomore and Junior year are replaced with class, and either the Fall and Winter or Spring and Summer of the junior year is spent on co-op, depending on the student's cycle.
For those interested in even more co-op experience, Drexel's 5-year program offers the equivalent of a 4-year degree plus 18 months of internship experience. In the 5-year program the middle three years (called the Sophomore, Pre-Junior, and Junior years) are spent alternating between co-op and college classes, depending on the student's assigned cycle.
A more detailed description of the co-op scheduling system, with charts, is available at Drexel's co-op website.