Internship Guidance (Engineering Practice and CPT)

The College of Engineering offers an engineering practice degree option to students in all of its master’s programs. To apply for Engineering with Practice, students must meet the requirements below:

• Students must be in good academic standing, and have completed two semesters within the program of study.
• Internships must be relevant to the program of study.
• One full-time paid internship (20+ hours/week for at least 12 weeks) or two part-time paid internships to fulfill the degree requirement (15-20 hours/week for at least 12 weeks). 
• Students in Robotics & Autonomous Systems major should contact Mechanical Engineering department <mechems@bu.edu> for information on degree requirements.

The Graduate Programs Office will process the following once we receive all requirement documents:

• Students will be registered for ENG EK 697 (part time) or ENG EK 698 (full time), both zero credits.
• Students’ degree program will be updated to “Engineering with Practice.”
• Students will submit a final internship summary/report for EK 697/698 grading. GPO will send an email with instructions near the end of the semester.

PhD students should contact your department/division for internship guidance. International PhD students should also follow the guidelines below.

International students must complete two semesters in full-time status to be eligible for an internship in the United States, and they must complete additional paperwork with the BU International Students & Scholars office (ISSO). The overall amount of CPT that will be authorized is defined by what is required under your degree program. For the Engineering with Practice degree program, the limit is one semester of a full-time internship, or two semesters of part-time internships.

If your internship requires 20 hours (or fewer) of work per week, you will be authorized for part-time CPT. You must register for an additional 4 to 8 credits to be certified as a full-time student during the fall or spring Semester. International students are not required to be full-time students in the summer terms.

You must have CPT authorized BEFORE you begin work or placement.

• CPT is authorized by your ISSO Advisor for a specific employer, location, hours and dates.
• You should plan to obtain the CPT authorization as soon as you receive an offer. It may take up to 15 business days for GPO and ISSO approval.
• You must reapply for CPT If there is a change of employer, location, hours, or dates of employment.

1. 1. Offer letter.
   2. PhD students: Department Approval Form/Support Letter.
   3. Master’s students: Engineering with Practice Form and Internship Proposal.

Your offer letter from the organization must include:

• • • Internship position, compensation, and outline of responsibilities
    • Name and contact information of internship supervisor
    • Start and end dates of the internship
    • Location of internship (in-person, remote or hybrid).
    • Work hours (full-time or part-time).

Your internship proposal must include:

• Work to be accomplished during the internship.
• Why this work is relevant to your program of study.