Curricular Practical Training

EE 290 (A, B, C & D) offers course credit for EE graduate students currently on an F-1 visa who would like to complete relevant work experience as part of their program of study. This is done in a manner consistent with the USCIS regulations and the Bechtel International Center.  Such work must be relevant to the curricular program pursued by the student.

student visas
If you are on a student visa, please complete the following steps to enroll in CPT

  1. Submit CPT request to Bechtel Center
  2. Enroll in the appropriate CPT course. Enrollment information is below.

CPT Course Enrollment Policies

  • Sign up for the appropriate EE 290 course (A, B, C or D) on your study list in the quarter during which you work.
    • MS students can take CPT for a maximum of two quarters (EE 290A and EE 290B).
    • PhD students can take CPT for three quarters (EE 290A, B, C) and a fourth by permission only (EE 290D). 
  • EE 290A, B, C, D may each be taken only once.

    • If you receive an Incomplete (“I”) in any of these courses, you may not enroll in any additional CPT courses until you clear the Incomplete. Example: if you receive an “I” in EE 290A, you may not enroll in EE 290B until you have received a Satisfactory (“S”) grade in EE 290A.

    • If you receive a No Credit (“NC”) in any of these courses, you may not enroll in any additional CPT courses.  Example: if you receive an “NC” in EE 290A, you may not take any further CPT courses for credit.

Course Number Can be taken by...
EE 290A EE MS and PhD students only.
EE 290B EE MS and PhD students who have received a Satisfactory (“S”) grade in EE290A.
EE 290C EE PhD Students only. MS students may not enroll.
EE 290D EE PhD students only. Requires permission of the Associate Chair of Graduate Education. Send an email to the Degree Progress Officer, lwuet72@stanford.edu, presenting strong reasons why a fourth quarter of internship is essential to your program of study. TGR students are not eligible to take CPT unless it is an essential part of the student's research.

Requirements for Completing the Course

  1. The course is completed and a grade of "S" assigned following submission and approval of a final report. The report should describe in competent English the work you performed and how it relates to your academic program (NOT your research).
  2. The report should be 3-5 pages, single spaced, and should not contain company proprietary information.
  3. The report cover page should include:
    • The student's name
    • Stanford ID
    • The course number (EE 290A, B, C or D)
    • The quarter during which the course is taken
    • The company you worked for
  4. The report must have a section describing how your work improves your skills relating to SPECIFIC Stanford class(es) that you have taken (NOT how your work improves your research skills, and NOT how these classes help your work).  The report should describe how the coursework was relevant and how it prepared you.  It should also describe how the coursework strengthened the training in your field/internship.
  5. Papers resulting from the work can be added as an appendix, but do not alone fulfill the requirement.
  6. Upload the report as a PDF file to the CPT database. Name the PDF file following this example: Course number_last name, first name (e.g., EE 290A_Chan, Lisa)

 

CPT Database Workflow Steps

STEPS WORKFLOW PROCESS
1. Sign up for the appropriate CPT course.
2. At the beginning of the quarter, you will receive an email to log in to the CPT database. You must verify your basic information (e.g. email address, advisor name, etc).
3. At the end of your CPT, upload your final report to the CPT database. Your report needs to be submitted by the last day of class. 
4. Reports will be routed for adviser approval. You are responsible for ensuring that your faculty reviews and signs your report.  
5. Reports will be routed to the Associate Chair for Graduate Education for final approval. *Please see note below.
6. Final grades will be entered.
*An incomplete ("I") grade will be assigned if the report is not finally approved by the Associate Chair by the grade due deadline. There is a one-year maximum time limit for resolving incompletes.  If your report is not submitted and approved by both your advisor and the Associate Chair within the one-year time limit (prior to the first day of the fifth quarter including Summer Quarter), the Registrar will automatically change the Incomplete to a final grade of NC (No Credit). It is strongly recommended to have your report approved no later than the last day of class of the fourth quarter. There is no petition process to change the grade after the NC has been assigned.  Failure to complete this course will result in violation of USCIS CPT regulation.