What Networking Opportunities Does Northeastern Offer?

Networking is an essential tool in any industry. According to a 2020 LinkedIn survey, 73 percent of respondents found a job through their professional connections. Networking can also, however, expand your horizons beyond your day-to-day responsibilities. If going back to graduate school is part of your career plan, you’ll quickly find yourself surrounded by dozens of new opportunities to help you build your network.

As a graduate student, you’ll be surrounded by like-minded peers, professors invested in your success, and plenty of university-sponsored resources that can help you make valuable connections. Here’s what you can expect during your studies.

The Benefits of Networking in Graduate School

It’s easy to devote all of your attention to your classes and assignments while you’re back in school, but be sure to save some time for networking, too. Here are three important benefits of being an active member of your grad school network.

Access to New Ideas

Each person has their own perspective on industry trends and challenges. The more you’re able to connect with different people, the more you’ll be exposed to new ways of thinking. This can help you expand your own perspective and begin to see your field in unique ways, which can in turn give you a creative boost or problem-solving breakthrough.

Shared Education

Not all education needs to come from a formal mentor or class. Sometimes, your peers can offer you new facts, resources, and strategies that you may not have known about before. Growing your network increases your chances of discovering valuable information for your continued development.

Potential Partnerships

Whether you’re looking for a co-founder, mentor, investor, or research collaborator, networking is an excellent way to kick off your search. Even if one of your existing connections isn’t the right fit, they might know of someone else who fits the bill and make an introduction, doubling the power of your network.

What Networking Opportunities Does Northeastern Offer?

As a global university that prioritizes real-world experiences, Northeastern offers students nearly endless opportunities to get in touch with new people. Whether you’re learning online, studying at one of our 10 graduate campuses around the world, or out in the field as a co-op, here are the ways Northeastern facilitates industry connections for students.

Student Interest Groups

There are 71 student interest groups under the Graduate Student Government umbrella at Northeastern. Some, like the Economics Graduate Student Association, bring together students with similar academic and career interests. Others gather students with similar cultural backgrounds, like the Latin American Law Student Association or Korean Graduate Student Association. Further groups focus on various hobbies, from badminton to coding. No matter your interests, joining an organization that aligns with a particular facet of your identity can help you find peers who have something in common with you, making it all the easier to strike up a conversation.

On-campus Events

Each college and school at Northeastern—in addition to various departments, like the Department of Employer Engagement and Career Design—hosts a variety of in-person and online events designed to make networking easy. You can attend panels and lectures featuring industry leaders, conferences and career fairs, and program-specific info sessions to learn more about your industry and introduce yourself to potential employers and peers alike.

Experiential Learning and Employer Partners

Northeastern works with more than 3,500 employer partners worldwide to facilitate its experiential learning opportunities, which range from in-class projects through the Experiential Network (XN) and on-campus research to international co-ops. Since Northeastern’s inception, these resources have proven to be an invaluable way for professionals to gain real-world experience, make valuable industry connections, and explore a variety of employers.  

Alumni Network

Have you ever wanted to sit down with someone who’s been in your shoes before and ask for their advice? Northeastern’s vast alumni network lets you do exactly that. With more than 300,000 alumni in 186 countries, it’s easy to connect with a fellow Husky working in your field for guidance and support. Simply reach out through Northeastern’s alumni portal or attend an event hosted by one of 50 alumni chapters within the U.S. and abroad. It’s also likely that you’ll run into other NU grads while interviewing for jobs, chatting with conference attendees, or just enjoying your favorite activities, making for an instant connection.

Global Campuses

Since its founding in 1898, Northeastern has expanded to 14 global campuses, 10 of which host graduate students. Each represents an opportunity to immerse yourself in trends, partnerships, and innovations that can help you succeed in your field. and its unique needs. Entrepreneurs, for example, can find a wealth of resources and connections at the university’s Silicon Valley campus, while those interested in data science and artificial intelligence can study the London or Portland, Maine, campuses. The doors of each campus are always open, whether you’re a current student or alum, and can offer you a multitude of events and resources for networking.

No matter your interests, career goals, or academic field of study, networking is a valuable—and necessary—tool in your development as a scholar practitioner. Northeastern’s resources and connections make it easy for you to develop a network that pays dividends as soon as you begin your studies. Get in touch with an enrollment counselor for more information about starting your graduate school experience and supercharging your career through Northeastern’s network.

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