Graduate CPT and internship information
The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering aspire to develop leaders who are well-read, well-spoken and knowledgeable about current business practices. Experiential education is recognized as a complementary praxis and integral to the overall academic experience. To this end, the schools offer enhanced curricula, special courses and extracurricular activities to enrich the student’s stay and to offer every student opportunities to achieve the schools’ aspirations.
The School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering (ECEE) allows Electrical Engineering MSE and Electrical Engineering MS students to complete a maximum of 2 semesters of internship as CPT, while Electrical Engineering PHD students can complete a maximum of 4 semesters of internship as CPT. Please be aware that completing more than 12 months of internship revokes the use of OPT.
ECEE has specific policies, eligibility requirements, and forms that students need to be aware of. Please read through this page carefully to fully understand the CPT process for EE-MSE, EE-MS, and EE-PHD students.
Please note: Computer Engineering graduate students have different processes and requirements. Please refer to the Computer Engineering Forms page for more information.
CPT Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for CPT, you need to meet ISSC’s and ECEE’s eligibility requirements:
ISSC Requirements
- Be enrolled in your current degree program for a minimum of one academic year
- Internship credit should be listed on your initial iPOS submission
- You must receive academic credit for your internship
- You must have a physical presence on campus during the spring or fall semester
For more information, please refer to the ISSC CPT website.
ECEE Requirements
- You must be a full time on campus F1 student
- You must have at least a 3.0 GPA
- You must have an approved iPOS on file with the appropriate CPT credits listed in the appropriate semester(s)
- You must not have completed all of your required coursework or required credits
- You must have a physical presence on campus during the spring or fall semester
For more information, please refer to the ECEE Graduate Student Handbook.
ECEE CPT Policies
Student who wish to complete an internship need to be aware of several key pieces of information.
1. Internships cannot start before the semester or session for which you will enroll in the CPT credit (EEE 684). For example, if you are interested in doing an internship in the summer semester, you cannot start working until the summer semester officially starts.
2. Registration for internship must be done in the appropriate registration periods. We do not allow late registration for internships.
3. If you are an RA or a TA, you cannot do an internship while you are employed by the department.
4. If you an an MS or PHD student, your faculty mentor needs to approve of your internship and will need to sign your CPT application.
5. Your supervisor is required to submit an evaluation at the end of your internship. A rubric of the evaluation can be found in the CPT Application packet. The evaluation can be submitted electronically through a form or emailed to your academic advisor. If your academic advisor does not receive a satisfactory evaluation, you could receive a failing grade (E). This will impact your GPA.
7. You cannot do CPT if you have completed all of your degree requirements. If you have completed all of your degree requirements and are about to graduate, you should apply for Pre-OPT instead of CPT. Please speak to your assigned academic advisor for more information.
Instructions and Checklist
If you meet the eligibility criteria listed above, please follow these instructions:
1. Confirm that the CPT Internship credit (EEE 684) is on your iPOS for the appropriate semester(s).
2. Review the CPT Application packet (linked below) to ensure you know what information you need prior to initiating the request. If you initiate the request via DocuSign (linked below) and the information you enter is incomplete or inaccurate, your request will be denied and you need to start the request over again.
4. Submit the required information to your academic advisor via DocuSign (link below). Emailed requests will not be accepted.
5. Department document review
- If we need additional documentation you will receive an email from your advisor
- Once approved you will receive an email stating your request has been approved. You will need to register for the internship (EEE 684) 1 credit per semester you are on internship.
6. After receiving department approval, request internship approval from ISSC using the ISSC CPT eform https://issc.asu.edu/f-1j-1-students/eforms. Please enter your academic advisor as the contact person on this eform. Be sure to review all iSSC requirements.
7. You will need to upload documents to ISSC – the required documents are listed on their CPT web page under the CPT I-20 application heading.
When your internship is complete, the industrial supervisor must submit an internship evaluation using the rubric that is in the CPT Application packet (linked below). You are required to submit a self evaluation as well using the rubric in the CPT Application packet. To complete the internship, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure that the industrial supervisor evaluation has been submitted.
*Please note if you are graduating the semester you are completing your internship your grade for the internship will not be posted until the email is turned in and approved by the Graduate Program Chair.
CPT Forms and Resources
Please review this application prior to submitting the DocuSign request:
When you are ready, submit the the request via DocuSign using this link:
After your internship, it is your responsibility to ensure your supervisor submits their evaluation using the rubric provided in the ECEE CPT Application packet. Evaluations can be completed through these online forms-