CPT and internship information

The Computer Engineering degree program allows students to complete a maximum of three semesters of internship as CPT. Please be aware that completing more than 12 months of internship revokes the use of OPT.

Catalog description of Internship (CEN 584): Work performed in an industrial setting that provides practical experience and adds value to the classroom and research learning processes.

Application processing can take 2-4 weeks between the department and ISSC, Please plan accordingly.  If you do not allow enough time for processing, you will be asked to adjust your start date.

CPT Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for CPT, you need to meet ISSC’s and the Computer Engineering degree’s eligibility requirements:

ISSC CEN
  • Be enrolled in your current degree program for a minimum of one academic year
  • Internship credit should be listed on your iPOS
  • You must receive academic credit for your internship
  • You must have a physical presence on campus during the spring or fall semester

For more information, please refer to the ISSC CPT website.
  • You must be a full time on campus F1 student
  • Your GPA must meet minimum requirements stated in the Handbook
  • You must have an approved iPOS on file with the appropriate CPT credits listed in the appropriate semester(s)
  • You must not have completed all of your required coursework or required credits
  • You must have a physical presence on campus during the spring or fall semester
  • Summer:  3.0 GPA required to do an in state or out of state, full or part time.
  • Fall/spring semesters: GPA between 3.0 – 3.24 may participate in a in state part time internship only. A campus presence is required.
  • Fall/spring semesters: GPA 3.25 or higher may participate in an in state or out of state internship, full or part time. A campus presence is required.

For more information, please refer to the appropriate student handbook
CEN CPT Policies
Student who wish to complete an internship need to be aware of several key pieces of information.

1. Internships cannot start before the semester or session students enroll in the CPT credit (CEN 584). For example, if you are interested in doing an internship in the summer semester, you cannot start working until the summer semester officially starts (1st day of classes).

Internship end dates can be the last day of classes and last until the day before classes start in the following semester (unless it is the student’s final semester- contact your academic advisor).   Refer to the Academic Calendar for dates.
2. Registration for internship must be done in the appropriate registration periods. Late registration is not permitted and there are no exceptions.
3. If you are an RA or a TA, you cannot do an internship while you are employed by the department.
4. If you are an MS Thesis or PHD student, your faculty mentor needs to approve of your internship and will need to sign the Registration Request form.
5. You cannot do CPT if you have completed all of your degree requirements. If you have completed all of your degree requirements and are about to graduate, you should apply for Pre-OPT instead of CPT. Please speak to your ISSC for more information.
6. After the internship period ends, a minimum two-page report is required before a grade and credit is given. Please see the CEN Graduate Student Handbook (MS or PhD) and the CEN CPT report cover page for instructions on what should be included in the report.
7. Renege Policy – It is unethical for students to continue to seek or consider other employment opportunities once an offer has been accepted.  You must stop looking once you accept an offer.

 

Instructions and Checklist

If you meet the eligibility criteria listed above, please follow these instructions:

1. Review CPT procedures on the ISSC website
2. Review CEN internship information in the CEN graduate student handbooks
3. Confirm Internship (CEN 584) is on iPOS for appropriate semester(s).
4.  Review and complete the required forms for your program (links below). Be sure to follow the instructions provided by your program.
5.

The department will review your documents

  • While in review the status will be pending. Do not contact your advisor while your documents are in review.
  • If we need additional documentation you will receive an email with a link to upload the document requested
  • If you need to correct your form(s) your override request will be denied, you will need to make corrections and initiate the override request again.
  • Once approved you will receive an email stating your request has been approved.  You will need to register for the internship (CEN 584) 1 credit

After Department Approval

 

After your internship is approved you will receive notification of approval from the department.

1.    Register for internship

2.    Request internship approval from ISSC using the ISSC CPT eform

·         You will need to upload documents to ISSC – they are stated on their CPT web page

·         Please note ISSC may request additional document(s)

a.                A letter from your faculty/chair – Thesis or Dissertation students

b.               A letter from the department – contact your academic advisor for this letter

Student will pick up new I-20 from ISSC when notified it is available
Required Post CPT Report

After the internship period ends, a minimum two-page report is required before a grade and credit is given. Please see the CEN Graduate Student Handbook (MS or PhD) and the CEN CPT report cover page for instructions on what should be included in the report. The final report should be submitted to the Industry supervisor for comments and approval, then to your faculty advisor for review and approval. The report and cover sheet should be uploaded to the Dropbox for Graduate Program Chair approval. The form and link are located in the Post CPT Report Submission area. Failure to receive this report will result in a failing grade, which will impact your GPA.

Before uploading the report to Dropbox students must save their report in this format: Affiliate ID number – CENCS/CENEE. (i.e. 1234567890 CENCS or 1234567890 CENEE).

  • Report Cover Sheet and Guidelines
  • Before uploading the Internship Report to Dropbox, you must save your report in this format: Your Affiliate ID number – CENCS/CENEE, i.e. 1234567890 CENCS or 1234567890 CENEE.

Upload your CEN CPT Report

*Please note if you are graduating the semester you are completing your internship your grade for the internship will not be posted until the report is turned in and approved by the Graduate Program Chair.

CEN-CS CPT Form

CEN-CS students should refer to the website below for instructions on submitting the required documents to their advisor for CPT. Be sure to follow all instructions carefully.

SCAI CPT Instructions

CEN-EE CPT Form

CEN-EE students need to fill out the Adobe Sign application below. You may use the PDF of the document to see what information you will need prior to initiating your request.

PDF to use when preparing your CPT Application (do not fill this out and email it to your advisor)

CEN-EE CEN 584 CPT Application Request (Adobe Sign to be completed by student)