Enhance your studies with valuable work experience.
International students may want to participate in Curricular Practical Training (CPT). CPT is off-campus work that gives you work experience in your field of study.
Eligibility
This procedure pertains to undergraduate international students who are officially affiliated with the CS major at the time of applying for CPT.
Undergraduate students who are not already affiliated with the CS major should consult with their college about CPT instead of following the procedures below. The Engineering College has published its Engineering CPT Procedures.
Students whose work experience is part of a co-op program should consult with that program instead of following the procedures below.
Enrollment + Timing
For CPT course credit, affiliated CS majors will enroll in CS 4997, Practical Training in Computer Science. CS 4997 is graded S/U, 0.25 credits.
For summer CPT, enroll in CS 4997 in the immediately following fall semester. For spring and fall semester part-time CPT, enroll in the course during the same semester as the CPT. For CPT over winter break, enroll in the course in the immediately following spring semester.
Students who will be Cornell graduate students during the semester of required enrollment in the CPT course should consult with their graduate program instead of completing the procedures below.
Completing the CPT Form
See International Service's F-1 CPT instructions for further details and to access the form to apply for CPT.
Where the form asks for an academic advisor or department representative, affiliated CS majors should put “Bowers CPT Director” for department approver name and put “bowers-cpt [at] cornell.edu” for “Department Approver Email”.
Earning Course Credit
During the second week of the semester you are required to take the CPT course (CS 4997), the Bowers Registrar will enroll you into the course. If the course does not appear by the end of the Add period, reach out to bowers-cpt [at] cornell.edu (bowers-cpt[at]cornell[dot]edu).
To earn credit you will write a short paper describing your work experience and how it connects to the educational objectives of your major. Details on submission of the paper will be provided after the Add period ends by the instructor assigned to the course. The instructor's contact information and the course syllabus will be found in the course catalog for that semester.