CPT AND OPT

International Students

International students with an I-20 authorizing them to attend the University of Minnesota are eligible to work on the campus. International students transferring to the University of Minnesota must have their SEVIS record transferred and possess a University of Minnesota I-20 to be eligible to work on the campus. Off-campus employment is authorized under the terms of Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT). In both cases, students must seek the approval of the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) office as well as the School of Architecture.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

CPT is work authorization which allows a student to work in a job directly related to the student‘s major area of study before degree completion. Employment not required by the degree program or arranged through an approved co-op agreement must earn academic credit. The employment must be related to the student’s major field. Earning academic credit for the CPT authorization requires that a student register for a Directed Study course or a course in the established curriculum that requires the employment. Thesis credits cannot be used for CPT.

To initiate the CPT, the student must identify and secure the permission of a Faculty Advisor to lead a Directed Study course. Ideally, the topic and deliverables of the course will be related to the content of the student’s employment. To earn academic credit, the assignments of the course must be conducted outside of paid work hours and must satisfy University workload expectations (at least 3 hours of effort per credit hour per week x 15 weeks or equivalent). The student must also obtain a CPT application packet from the ISSS office: https://isss.umn.edu/fstudents/employment/cpt. The student must complete this packet, the Directed Study form, and have both signed by the DGS before submitting the CPT packet to ISSS.

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

OPT is work authorization which allows a student to work in a job directly related to the student’s major area of study either before or after degree completion. 12 months of OPT is available per degree level for students of any major as long as the subsequent degree is at a higher educational level. Additional OPT time is available for STEM-designated degrees, such as the M.S. degree. The student must obtain an OPT application packet from the ISSS office: https://isss.umn.edu/fstudents/employment/opt/apply. The student must complete this packet and have it signed by the DGS before submitting it to ISSS.