Employment

 
 
 
 
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is defined as an alternate work/study, internship, cooperative education, or any other type of required practicum that is academically-required and offered by sponsoring employers. CPT originates from an academic necessity for work, and as a result, it must be required of all students in a program. It may either be required specifically in a particular class or it may be a programmatic expectation to fulfill degree requirements. Implied in this is a system of evaluation by the academic department and a beginning and termination date for a particular employment.
 
Students must be in F-1 status for at least one full academic year before employment can be initiated and may not work full-time (over 20 hours including all assistantships and CPT employment) without prior approval from International Student Services. CPT is a departmental privilege, and thus may be revoked for academic reasons at any time. In order to apply for CPT, students must submit the CPT Application Form and a job offer letter from their potential employer, which must include the following information:
1.Your full name
2.Company name and address (physical address, not a P.O. Box)
3.Position title with job description
4.Supervisor's name, phone number, and e-mail address
5.Salary/hourly wage for the position
6.Number of hours per week to be worked
7.Expected start date

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary employment authorization that gives F-1 students an opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to a practical work experience off campus. You may use some or all of the available 12 months of practical training during your course of study or save the full twelve months to use after you complete your studies. There is also a 17 month extension of OPT above and beyond the original 12 month period. Authorization for optional practical training is granted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service or INS - and can take at least 90 days and frequently up to 120 days to obtain. It is important that you apply for the authorization at the earliest possible date. Students are required to attend an OPT workshop before they complete the OPT I-20 Request form.