Enrolled students on F-1 student visas who wish to participate in a required experience directly related to and required by their academic program must be authorized for “Curricular Practical Training” (CPT). CPT is employment which is an “integral” or required part of the curriculum for the student’s major field of study, e.g., an internship, practicum, or co-op.

NO. F-1 students are required to have some tie to campus and must take at least one (1) in-person credit hour in their final semester.

YES, since CS 598 is considered an in-person class in a non-final semester.

YES. For on-campus jobs, no more than 37.5 hours/week can be worked in summer. For off-campus jobs, typically no more than 40 hours/week can be worked in summer.

YES. There can be no more than 20 hours/week total (combined between paid/unpaid, on-/off-campus, in-person/remote positions) worked during a non-vacation semester.

YES. F-1 students need to register for at least 1 credit hour of CS 598 each time. Domestic students/U.S. citizens have the option of registering for CS 598 if they wish to earn credit for an internship but are not required to do so.

Keep in mind that no more than 3 combined credit hours of CS 598: Practical Work Experience and/or CS 697: Directed Readings can apply to an MS degree. When registering for CS 598, you may choose 1-3 credit hours.

YES. Keep in mind that no more than 3 combined credit hours of CS 598: Practical Work Experience and/or CS 697: Directed Readings can count towards an MS degree.

YES.

1. Obtain an offer letter on company letterhead with the following information:
   1. Detailed job responsibilities are clearly outlined.
   2. Start and end dates are listed and align as closely as possible with the semester's start and end dates.
   3. The pay rate and number of weekly work hours must be specified.
   4. If the internship is unpaid, this should be explicitly mentioned in the letter.
   5. If the internship is remote and not based locally, the letter should clearly state that it is a "remote" internship.
   6. Comprehensive contact information is included for the HR representative, including their phone number and email address on the company's domain.
2. Forward the email and the offer letter you received from the employer to the MS Program Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Once your offer letter is approved, typically within 1-2 business days, you’ll receive an email letting you know to register for CS 598 (for 1-3 credit hours, which can be adjusted by clicking “Change Class Options” on the Registration menu in BlazerNet).
3. F-1 Students: The Program Manager will attach to this email the department letter you need in order to submit the required ISSS Work Authorization Request form.

To earn credit for and pass your CS 598 course, you must ensure that the manager or advisor of the student intern sends a one-paragraph evaluation from their work email address directly to the MS Program Director at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. In this evaluation, they should describe the work performed by the student intern and assess how well the intern performed in their role.