CPT 

• Students must have a GPA of 3.0 (3.25 for MAE PhD) and be in good academic standing at the time of application. Students on academic probation are not eligible. 

• Maintenance of F-1 status (full-time, on-campus) for a minimum of one academic year in your current degree program

• Students must have an approved iPOS on file on file before applying for CPT. Once approved students will add the appropriate 584 course to the iPOS in the Open Courses section. 

• Students must have a formal job offer letter from the company. 

  • The offer letter must include the following:

    • • Employment dates must align with the enrollment dates for a session (A, B, or C session) within a term.

        • The first day of employment cannot begin prior to the first day of the semester. 

        • Employment End Dates

          • For students graduating in the same semester as the internship: 

            • • Thesis and Dissertation Students

                • For students completing their dissertation or thesis, the CPT authorization end date will be the date of their defense. 

              • Non- Thesis Students

                • Graduating students: CPT authorization end date will be the last day of finals for the session they are enrolled.

          • Non-graduating students: CPT authorization end date will be the day before next semester begins.

      • Work location and hours.

        • • Summer internships: 

            • Students are eligible to work up to 40 hours (full-time) a week anywhere in the US.

          • Fall/Spring internships:

            • Students are eligible to work up to 20 hours per week (part-time) in the Phoenix/Tempe area if the internship is in-person or 100% remote. 

        • SEMTE will not approve out-of-state internships during the fall/spring semesters.

        • Note: 40 hours (full-time CPT) will only be allowed during the Spring or Fall semester if the student has only one class (+ internship) remaining and has a GPA of 3.5 or above. No other exceptions can be made. If a student qualifies for this, the internship must state in the offer letter that they will allow the student to attend all in-person requirements of the course. 

• Before accepting an internship offer, make sure that you consider all of the implications that go along with that acceptance. 

  • • If it is outside of the Phoenix/Tempe area, can you afford housing on the salary? 

    • Can you afford to relocate on the salary?

    • Can you easily commute to the work location? 

    • Is the job the best fit for your career goals?

• If you accept an offer, SEMTE expects students to honor an acceptance and immediately stop all employment seeking activities.  Never accept a job and turn it down if “something better” comes along. Not only is it inconsiderate and unprofessional, but it also reflects badly on Arizona State University and might negatively impact another ASU student’s opportunities with that employer. Also, employers communicate with each other, and you don’t want to get a bad reputation. 

  • • Renege: (verb) to fail to carry out a promise or commitment It is unethical for students to continue to seek or consider other employment opportunities once an offer has been accepted. 

• After you have given your decision, careful consideration and accepted an offer, stop looking. Inform other employers who have extended offers that you have accepted another position. Don’t accept further interview invitations or search further. Please refer to NACE’s “Playing Fair…Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Job Seeker” to become familiar with Principles for Professional Practice. 

• Students who accept an offer from an organization and later renege the offer will be prohibited from requesting future internship opportunities pending a meeting with the Associate Director.

Please allow 3-4 weeks for processing of your CPT application between the department and ISSC. This time frame does not include the time it may take for your internship supervisor (or faculty advisor, if applicable) to review and sign the documents.

1. Before applying, it is important to review all SEMTE CPT Policies and Eligibility criteria. 

2. To begin the application process, submit your official offer letter to your SEMTE Academic Advisor. Make sure that the start and end dates of the internship, as well as the location, are clearly stated in the letter. Once your offer letter is approved, you will receive instructions on how to complete the SEMTE CPT Application.

3. After you submit the application form, it will be sent for approval to your CPT internship supervisor. If you are a thesis or PhD student, it will also need to be approved by your faculty supervisor. Please note that this step may take some time. 

4. Once all parties have signed the application, it will be returned to advising for final SEMTE approval by the Program Chair. If your application is approved, you will be given an override to enroll in the internship course. You will then need to add the internship to the Open Courses section of your iPOS and submit the official CPT paperwork to ISSC.

Please be aware that the entire process can take several weeks, so it is important to plan accordingly and submit your application well in advance of your intended internship start date.

• The complete application process takes approximately 3-4 weeks.

• The processing time begins once a student submits the Adobe-Sign form, and is complete and accurate. If the form is returned for any reason, the processing timeframe will start over.

• To ensure a smooth and timely processing, it is recommended that students begin the application process as soon as they receive their offer letter. Waiting until the last minute may result in delays and complications.

• SEMTE will not accept CPT applications after the first day of classes for session B. Students are advised to plan accordingly and submit their applications within the given timeframe. 

These policies apply to all SEMTE students (Aerospace, Biological Design, Chemical, Mechanical, Materials Science, Robotics and Autonomous Systems (MAE), Data Science Analytics and Engineering (MAE and MSE), and Modern Energy Production and Sustainable Use). 

Students who wish to complete an internship need to be aware of several key pieces of information:

• Internship employment dates must align with the enrollment dates for a session (A, B, or C session) within a term.

  • The first day of employment cannot begin prior to the first day of the session. 

  • Employment End Dates

    • Thesis and Dissertation Students

      1. • For students completing their dissertation or thesis, the CPT authorization end date will be the date of their defense. 

    • Non- Thesis Students

      1. • Graduating students: CPT authorization end date will be the last day of finals for the session they are enrolled.

         • Non-graduating students: CPT authorization end date will be the day before next semester begins.

• Students completing CPT will enroll in 1 credit of 584 (MAE, MSE, or CHE) which must be listed on the Open Courses section of the iPOS. CPT will not apply towards your degree requirements.

• Students cannot complete an internship for academic credit while employed by the department as an RA, TA or GSA. This means students cannot be funded and complete an internship through CPT.

• Students completing an MS thesis or applied project or PhD students must have faculty advisor approval to complete an internship. The faculty advisor will be required to sign the 584 internship application.

• Students who have completed all degree requirements are not eligible for CPT. Anticipated graduation terms cannot be extended to accommodate your internship. Once degree requirements are completed, students should apply for OPT instead of CPT.

• If you use 12 months of full-time CPT, you will not be eligible for OPT.

• Work hours and location:

  • Summer internships: 

    • Students are eligible to work up to 40 hours (full-time) a week anywhere in the US

  • Fall/Spring internships:

    • Students are eligible to work up to 20 hours per week (part-time) in the Phoenix/Tempe area if the internship is in-person or 100% remote. SEMTE will not approve out-of-state internships. 

    • Note: 40 hours (full-time CPT) will be allowed during the Spring or Fall semester if the student has only one class (+ internship) remaining and has a GPA of 3.5 or above. No other exceptions can be made. 

• As part of your internship, your supervisor is required to submit an evaluation to your graduate program chair within one week of your last day of work. This evaluation is crucial as it determines your performance and it will impact your GPA. If your supervisor does not provide a satisfactory evaluation, you may receive a failing grade (E).  This evaluation should be a short summary prepared by your supervisor, on company letterhead, outlining your success at completing the  prescribed activities and submitting deliverables, along with a suggested grade. This summary should be sent directly from your supervisor to your program’s chair.

• You are required to submit a technical report that explains what you have learned during your internship. Similar to the evaluation, the paper is due within one week of your last day of work. The written technical report, prepared by you, should describe the internship’s activities and academic component. The report should be a minimum of 2 double spaced pages (minimum of 500 words) describing the learned concepts, techniques, and/or procedures noted on this internship application.

1. Can I enroll in less than 9 credit hours to do an internship? 

If you still have degree requirements to complete, you must be enrolled full-time. Summer internships and the last semester of the degree program do not require full-time enrollment, as long as the student has an approved Reduced Course Load (RCL) during a fall/spring semester. 

2. Will 584 meet my program requirements? 

No. The (584) internship course is not a requirement for your program. It is an optional course that goes above and beyond your program requirements.

3. Can I work on campus and do an internship? 

It is advised for students to choose one or the other and this is what it says under the FAQs section on the ISSC website. However, if you choose to work for 20 hours at your co-op, you can also work on-campus for up to 20 hours. Keep in mind that managing two jobs and your course load can be challenging, so it is important to consider if you can handle the workload.

4. Can I extend my CPT authorization? 

• If you will be graduating in the same semester you are completing an internship, then your graduation cannot be extended to accommodate an internship.

• You can extend your internship and utilize CPT if you are still in progress to complete the program. Contact your advisor if you would like to work at the same jobsite and extend for a future semester.

5. Can I cancel my CPT? 

It depends, please connect your academic advisor to discuss. 

6. Where Can I find an internship? 

Visit the Fulton Career Center and download the Handshake 

Career Services: https://career.engineering.asu.edu/