Internship and CPT (Curricular Practical Training) - M.S. Applied Computer Science

Students in the MS-ACS program are encouraged to obtain summer internships. A summer internship will provide you with an opportunity to see how the concepts and skills learned in the classroom translate to real projects in industry.

It is the student's responsibility to make the appropriate contacts to obtain an internship. An internship may be either on campus or off-campus. A student may or may not be paid for internship work. Students may or may not earn academic credit for an internship. Students who desire academic credit will sign up for a one-credit-hour section of 44-699 Graduate Internship in Information Technology or 44-599 Special Projects - Independent Study Computer Science. For details about 44-699 or 44-599, see CSIS Internship Policies and Procedures .

SPECIAL NOTES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WHO WANT SUMMER INTERNSHIPS:

The School of Computer Science and Information Systems at Northwest Missouri State University participates in the CPT (curricular practical training) program for international students. Note some restrictions on CPT:

The School of Computer Science and Information Systems will support requests for CPT for the summer semester. Fall and spring CPT requests may be granted, depending on the circumstances.
CPT requires that a student be enrolled full time for one academic year (two semesters) before becoming eligible for CPT. This means that students enrolling for the first time in the fall are eligible for CPT the following summer. However, students enrolling for the first time in the spring are not eligible for CPT until they have completed an additional semester of study.
CPT guidelines require that you enroll in an internship course. MS-ACS students will enroll in a one-credit-hour section of 44-699 Graduate Internship in Information Technology

The following documents provide more details regarding CPT and internship policies and procedures:

Student Procedure (Sample )
Employer Procedure (Sample )
Academic Advisor Letter (Sample )
Faculty Procedure (Sample )
Job Offer Letter (Sample )
CSIS Internship Policies and Procedures
For all students, both international and non-international
Weekly Log template
This is a sample template; your instructor may require that you use a different template.

Help for Job Interviews

To learn more about interviewing and creating résumés, enroll in 44-296 Professional Development Seminar. This is a one-credit hour, undergraduate course that will prepare you to interview for internships and full-time jobs. You will also learn how to create effective résumés. This course is NOT required and does NOT count toward the MS in Applied Computer Science program, but it is highly recommended.

In the meantime, here are some helpful hints that might be of use. These are general documents and apply to a wide variety of situations. You must adapt the suggestions to fit the situation. Applying for a student job on campus is not the same as applying for a full-time job upon graduation. Basic rules apply to both situations, but details may differ. Use these documents as a guideline.