CPT Overview and Frequently Asked Questions

CPT for ECE International Graduate Students (F-1 Visa)

What is CPT?

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is a benefit for F-1 students that allows students with proper authorization from ECE and ISSS to participate in employment or internship opportunities that are directly related and integral to the major field of study listed on their I-20. CPT is meant to provide students with practical work experience in their field of study, not for regular, ongoing employment.
You must get approval from both:

ECE Department (first)
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) (second) You must obtain an updated I-20 with CPT authorization BEFORE beginning your internship or employment. CPT can NEVER be back-dated.

When Are You Eligible?

You must complete two consecutive long semesters (fall and spring) of graduate study before applying for CPT. Summer does not count.

Internships in ECE are not a degree requirement, and they do not replace required research or coursework for your master’s or PhD degree.

After reviewing the ISSS Curricular Practical Training webpage, if you believe you're eligible to use CPT before completing two long semesters of graduate study, email ISSS (hotline@austin.utexas.edu) and copy Melanie Gulick (melanie.gulick@mail.utexas.edu) with:

Your full name and EID
An explanation of why you believe you're eligible to start using CPT sooner.
A request for a Reply to All response to inform you and Melanie Gulick if you can use CPT sooner.

Finding an Internship

ECE international students usually find internships by:

Attending Engineering Expo (fall/spring)
Networking with company representatives at events sponsored by ECE or other UT sponsors
Searching on LinkedIn or company websites
Getting help from professors with industry contacts
Talking with peers or alumni

The Engineering Career Assistance Center (ECAC) offers resume help and interview preparation, and the Graduate School’s Office of Career and Life Design provides a wealth of resources and information and regularly holds events and workshops.

Important Enrollment Information and Requirements:

Course Completion CPT: The internship employment must be a required component for a course the student enrolls in. In ECE, the course is almost always ECE x97M, Graduate Research Internship (x = 1, 2, or 3 credit hours).
- Choose the number of hours that best fits your class schedule to avoid being charged additional tuition unnecessarily. (For your reference, enrolling for 9 credit hours total in fall or spring is full-time enrollment. In summer, enrolling for 3 credit hours total is full-time.)
Alternatively, if the internship work is necessary and required for your master’s report research, master’s thesis research, or doctoral dissertation research; and if your supervising professor can explain on the ECE CPT form how the internship will provide research material or training experience, and is thus an academic necessity because it will be a component of a report, thesis, or dissertation; then you can enroll in Report (ECE 398R); Thesis (ECE 698A, or ECE 698B in your last semester); or Dissertation (ECE x99W) to fulfill the CPT course requirement instead of taking Graduate Research Internship (ECE x97M).
- Doctoral students can take Dissertation if they meet the requirements stated above, but only if they completed the ECE Candidacy Evaluation process, received instructions from ECE to apply online for admission to doctoral candidacy, applied online as instructed, and got admitted to doctoral candidacy by the Graduate School Dean.
ECE staff has to add you to ECE x97M, ECE 398R, ECE 698A (3 hours), or ECE 698B (3 hours). These courses are never closed. You just cannot add the courses on your own, with one exception. Doctoral candidates can and should add themselves to Dissertation, ECE x99W.
You must get added by ECE staff to the internship course by 5pm on the 12th day of classes in fall or spring, or by 5pm on the 4th day of classes in summer. Secure your internship early and get enrolled in the internship course on time! ECE does not petition the Dean after registration has ended to add a student to ECE x97M since an internship is not required for the ECE degree.
The professor who signs your ECE CPT form is the instructor of your Graduate Research Internship course(s) or other eligible alternative course (see above). Their name will be entered in the Registrar’s system as your internship course instructor. Instructors are notified by ECE when grades are due near the end of the semester. These courses are graded on the CR/NC (Credit/No Credit) basis. You are expected to stay in communication with your internship course instructor about your internship. Ask them if they expect regular emails with updates throughout your internship, or a report of a certain length at the end of the semester, or something similar.
The Graduate Research Internship course counts toward your total hours enrolled for the semester or summer, but not toward the ECE master’s or PhD degree requirements.
Most students defer enrolling in the required ECE x97M course for their summer internship until fall to avoid paying tuition in summer at the out-of-state rate. If you are using CPT in summer and graduating in summer, you must take the internship course in summer and end your internship by the official summer graduation date according to the Registrar’s Academic Calendar.
ISSS allows deferment from summer to fall only. If you work as an intern in fall or spring, you must take the required internship course concurrently in fall or spring.
If you use CPT in fall and/or spring, ECE requires you to take at least one letter-graded, degree-counting course in that same fall and/or spring semester if you have not completed the “classroom” coursework required for your degree. Your main focus in the long semesters should be on making satisfactory academic progress and completing your ECE degree requirements.
You must maintain in-person enrollment in fall and spring and register full-time.
- Students in their final semester of graduation who are not funded as a GRA, TA, or other student academic position, or by a fellowship, may qualify to apply via myIO for Less Than Full Course load.
- Doctoral candidates enrolling in the Dissertation course who are not funded as a GRA, TA, or other student academic position, or by a fellowship, can enroll for less than 9 credit hours.
F-1 students must enroll full-time in their final semester: 3 hours in summer and 9 hours in fall or spring.
- F-1 and J-1 students in their final semester of study can request authorization to enroll in a reduced course load to fulfill their remaining graduation requirements. If you do not plan to enroll full-time in your last semester, you must submit a Final Term RCL request through myIO > F-1/J-1 Student Services > Reduced Course Load Request. Submit your request by the first day of classes.
F-1 students may not take more than 3 online credits (or 1 online course) in their final semester. ECE x97M is offered in the face-to-face instruction mode.
Using CPT and working as an intern in fall or spring must not delay graduation and/or require an extension of your I-20. Extensions require an academic reason, and working as an intern is not an academic necessity.
If you receive a new Form I-20 marked “Initial Attendance,” you must complete two long semesters of graduate study again before you are eligible to apply for CPT authorization to work as an intern at a company.