CPT Graduate Advisor Guide

CPT is curricular practical training and it is the process by which international (F1/J1) students can work off campus.

The student facing page details a process they must follow (and links to full documentation). http://ischool.utexas.edu/cpt (shorter link for using in emails). That page can be edited by contacting iSchool IT.

The Graduate Advisor is responsible for approving student CPT applications through the International Office's MyIO system. Students enter contact information into that system, as described with screenshots at http://ischool.utexas.edu/cpt That system will generate an email with the subject "CPT Request" from the isss-donotreply@austin.utexas.edu email address. That brings up a form with pre-populated with login information (ie you don't use your EID). At the bottom of the page is an example form completed.

The Graduate Advisor is relied on by the international office to:

Advise students on which CPT option to use (mostly which course and which semester).
Certify that the work relates to their major.
Certify that the student is making sufficient progress.

To do these things, the Graduate Advisor needs information that comes in the emails templated on the http://ischool.utexas.edu/cpt page.

Refer all questions about part time CPT/full time CPT, and impact on possible OPT to the international office. Students handle getting that information. Sometimes the advisors from the international office will reach out if a student hasn't enrolled in the course they promised. Use reply-all to sort out with the student and International Office Advisor.

1. Which course?

See http://ischool.utexas.edu/cpt for details. The email you receive from the student should specify which option and which course. e.g.:

Two options cover most situations: If CPT related to their Capstone project then students can use their enrollment in the Capstone course to cover their CPT. Check that they are enrolled in a Capstone section and enter the course number and name (usually INF 388L Professional Experience and Project, but sometimes the School Library Practicum.) If their CPT is not related to their Capstone (e.g., Capstone is at one organization, CPT work experience at a different organization), then the CPT would not be covered by the Capstone course (and the student would need another course option, as described below).

The second option is the most frequent, which is to use the INF 188T Internship course via UEX. The UEX version of INF 188T is offered through UEX but our MSIS students take that course (because it is less expensive for them). Unless students are seeking to graduate at the end of Summer, they should always use an enrollment in the following Fall to cover a summer CPT (allows longer CPT period, avoiding complicated extensions etc).

Both Summer and Fall CPT (aka Section 2): One situation that sometimes causes confusion is when students do CPT over Summer, and then in the following Fall. The confusion arises when the Summer CPT was already covered by a Fall INF188T, then the student sets up a Fall CPT. In that situation students have to register for two sections of INF 188T in Fall. UEX creates two sections each semester, with the second designated by adding "(Section 2) to the course name.

If INF 188T via UEX the Graduate Advisor has to tell UEX that the student can enroll by adding the student EID to this file, which is shared with UEX administrators: https://utexas.app.box.com/notes/599379289175 The iSchool has a Memorandum of Understanding with UEX that specifies process and costs, Assistant Dean knows the details, a draft linked below. If Section 2 is being used (see above) You can note the EID twice (one on its own, one marked Section 2) .

INF 288T and INF 388T are available through the iSchool (not UEX) only for the exceedingly rare situations in which students need to make up a full-time enrollment (rare because not needed in last semester and internship courses don't count towards graduation, so three regular courses plus INF 188T is the usual approach).

Individual Studies INF x81 are the very rare third option. See bottom of page for more detailed discussion, but summary is: when an individual study happens to require work, and work requires CPT, then students don't have to take an additional internship course.

2. Certify that the work relates to the major

This is indicated by a checkbox on the MyIO form (see below). Check this by glancing at the offer letter or employer form attached to the email from the student. Major here means their degree program (ie usually MSIS).

3. Certify progress

This is up to the judgement of the Graduate Advisor.

Information about progress can be obtained by taking their EID from the student email (it is also available on the top right of the MyIO form) and logging into Advisor's Toolkit or EASI: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/easi/index.WBX Things to consider would include GPA, any low grades, any probations, or intention to enroll in too many courses. Consider advising students trying to do two courses, plus a PEP Capstone, plus working 20 hours in separate CPT that they may be attempting too much.

Example completed MyIO form:

Posting grades for the INF x88T courses

The UEX delivered INF 188T Internship course has to have an instructor of record, which should be the faculty member approving CPT. The key responsibility here is to post a grade near the end of semester. UEX sets up a section and the grade book through Canvas, and sends info on how to provide the grade. My practice was to check in with the students to confirm that their CPT did actually happen, then to post a CR (credit) grade.

iSchool delivered x88T courses would also require a grade but that would be the regular process for iSchool classes.

Other resources

The shift to a UEX delivered course model was the result of a GSC discussion and motion. See discussion document:

https://utexas.box.com/s/uvdzt1o8zqjwnhxty0ns7w37qfcw72a4

The MOU with UEX is here: https://utexas.box.com/s/yoo0vu3xc30pvnzmrte1opqyvneli05b (Although there is a signed copy that the Assistant Dean should have, it was on their email).

Individual Studies

This can be a source of tension. Below is an email sent out by James in April 2020.

For Faculty/Staff in reference to CPT.

A reminder that international students may approach you to sign off on an individual study for their CPT/internship. They want this because then they can count this towards their degree, whereas the Internship course cannot be counted.
My advice is to decline these requests, and point students to this page:
https://ischool.utexas.edu/curricular_practical_training

Policy is that individual studies are only used for CPT very rarely when the internship is part of the work of the individual study. The idea is that an individual study project has to be equivalent in academic work to a regular X credit course, to justify counting towards the degree. If that's the case, and an internship is part of that academic project, then we don't also require the internship course for CPT. An example would be an ethnography of a workplace (advised by the faculty running the individual study), or studying with a specific expert at a company (and producing a research paper for peer review where the individual study faculty member is an author on the paper). Hard to see what the academic content of a straight internship would be, though.

Of course the actual content of individual studies are entirely up to individual faculty. In fact no one but the instructor needs to sign off on an individual study. But, as I see it, signing one commits you to providing time and structure equivalent to a regular course.

Consider that there is an equity issue if some students, usually known well by a faculty member, get to do a "zero additional content" individual study around their CPT internship, while others (usually not well known enough or hesitant to ask) are required to do the internship course (and thus pay more overall as they have to do 10 credits that semester).