Though the 1960s had few adaptations for co-ops at Northeastern, the development that did take place included significant changes like the increase in opportunities for women and an greater number of students going on co-op. In the 60s, Northeastern was less focused on meaningful opportunities and reflection, and more focused on employment rates and student’s being able to obtain a job. One important event in 1961 was a one time discussion entitled: “Co-op Employers Dinner” to discuss the future of co-ops with the current companies that employed students at Northeastern. There were some new co-op programs introduced in the 60s, adding to the already very popular engineering program co-ops. For example, the Bouvé College of Health Sciences introduced a few new programs like introduced the Nursing program co-op, a combined education and nursing program co-op, as well as new co-op opportunities from the pharmacy college. The nursing program co-op paid $1,600 per year, which at the time covered ⅔ of a student’s college expenses. This was still a smaller salary than other co-ops, such as an engineering co-op. An educational pamphlet describing the co-op program from the 1960s stated, “Of course, if you lean towards engineering and business, opportunities for women in these fields are ever increasing.” Another educational pamphlet from this decade said that over 1,200 companies were employing 5,600 students from Northeastern. There was not much that we gathered about writing on co-op, or any reflection that any students did after their time on co-op.

The archival materials contain various pieces of quantitative and qualitative information that paint a picture of what the co-op experience in the 1960s looked like. For example, two pamphlets both titled “Co-opportunities at Northeastern”, one released in 1965 and the other in 1967 document the growth of the program. Information from these pamphlets indicate that the number of co-op students expanded by 3,000 in between those years, probably due to the increase in programs. Additionally, in the co-op promotional booklets, the opportunities for liberal arts majors are described as being mainly at newspapers, libraries, publishing companies, and even banks. However, the 1967 “Co-opportunities” warns liberal arts students that their salaries will likely be less than engineering co-ops. In general, by this time co-op was clearly a major part of Northeastern institutionally. A promotional publication titled “A Guide to Northeastern University” mentions co-op in its very first sentence, cementing the fact that co-op had become essential to the school’s identity. The importance of co-op is reflected in non-Northeastern items from this period, as well. NAM Reports hilariously praised Northeastern students for working, rather than getting caught up in the “collegiate beard-and-sandal set”, referencing the counterculture of the sixties. Similarly, a daily newspaper lauded Northeastern men’s work ethic, subtitling an article about co-op with “No Time for Panty Raids.”