Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

MS Software Engineering students on an F-1 visa may work at an internship after completing two full-time semesters. The following department criteria must be met for the CPT to be approved:

• Must meet all International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) requirements for CPT.
  Note: You should consult with ISSS if either of your full-time semesters are at a university other than SJSU.
• Completed all admission conditions
• In good academic standing (cumulative GPA is 3.0 or higher)
• Have completed two degree core classes
• Have completed two additional graduate classes in the MS Software Engineering program. CMPE 294 and ENGR 200W are acceptable classes. The two additional classes do not have to be specialization classes or a GWAR class.
• Enrolled in CMPE 298i. 

A 3- unit CMPE 298i will count towards the 9-units required to be a full-time student while on F1 status. CMPE 298i units are optional for the MS Software Engineering degree and cannot be applied to the units required to meet the MS Software Engineering program degree requirements.

CPTs are limited to a maximum of three. CPTs are aligned with a term (Fall, Spring, or Summer). The Winter term is concatenated to a Spring term. If you initiate a CPT late in the term, it still counts as one of your three CPTs.

You can work full-time during the Summer term but you are limited to 20-hours per week for the Fall and Spring semesters. You must avoid course/work overload while on CPT. A typical graduate class requires 15 hours/week during the Spring and Fall semesters (15 weeks long) and 22.5 hours/week during the summer term (10 weeks) on the average. Your first priority is your studies.