Curricular Practical Training Policies & Procedures for Ph.D. Students in the Viterbi School of Engineering – SUMMER 2007
The following policies and guidelines apply to Ph.D. students.
1. Applications for CPT must be made in person by the student submitting the application and upon presentation of photo identification and an original offer letter on company letterhead from the company where the student plans to work. The offer letter must contain at least the following information:
- name and address of employee
- location where student will work
- description of job responsibilities
- hours per week to be worked
- beginning and ending dates of employment
In summer 2007, students may work beginning on May 16, 2007 and ENDING NO LATER THAN August 24, 2007.
2. The supervising faculty member will decide in consultation with the student what type of academic effort is required to earn the internship credit, but in every case the work will meet guidelines of the ENGR 596 syllabus.
3. The supervising faculty member is also responsible for ensuring that the internship activity:
- is instrumental to achieving the academic objectives of the student's degree program and will contribute to the student's academic development
- does not exist for the primary purpose of facilitating employment authorization
4. The student must register for the required internship course ENGR 596 for one (1) unit only.
5. CPT will not be allowed during the student's first semester of enrollment in a degree program.
6. Engineering faculty will not grant incompletes in ENGR 596 for the sole purpose of enabling the student to continue working, even if the employment is academically beneficial to the student. Incomplete grades will be assigned only for the reasons allowed by University policy as described in the University Catalogue.
7. A student cannot receive CPT authorization and contemporaneously hold a 50% assistantship at USC. A student may hold a 25% assistantship at USC and be approved for CPT if the employment is in the Los Angeles area and if the offer letter states the outside employment will be for no more than 10 hours per week. An exception may be made only if the student is eligible for full-time CPT.
8. In order to receive permission for CPT, the student must have already completed the academic work required for all previous CPT registrations.
9. A student must have at least a 3.00 overall graduate GPA at USC to receive CPT approval.
10. Applications for CPT will not be accepted after the last day of drop/add of the semester.
11. Full-time vs. part-time CPT is regulated by the US government. Please consult with OIS.
