Internship Program

The goal of the 12-course program’s internship requirement is for students to graduate with real-world experience in the technologies they are learning and to build skills that are hard to develop in the classroom.

This requirement is usually fulfilled by doing a technology-oriented summer internship off-campus. For international students on an F-1 visa, this internship qualifies for degree based Curricular Practical Training (CPT). We will also accept certain alternatives, including research with a faculty member, part-time work on-campus, or supervised project work. These options need to be approved ahead of time.

Confirmation of Internship

To receive internship credit toward the 12-course program, students must submit the Internship Offer Form and a signed offer letter from the prospective employer. The offer letter should be on company letterhead and must include:

• Job title and description of duties
• Start and end dates of employment
• Estimated hours to be worked
• Employer’s location

If a student is doing a research project, students must request the sponsoring professor to email the MPCS Administration with the following information:

• Professor’s department
• Research project name
• Start and end date of project

Internship Experience Requirements

Any work that is going to be counted towards the internship requirement should meet the following requirements:

• The amount of work should be, at least, 220 hours. This is the same as a half-time internship over the Summer quarter (11 weeks * 20 hr/week). We nonetheless encourage students to seek opportunities equivalent to full-time internships, as they will allow them to build their skillset more effectively before graduation.
• The nature of the work must be technical in nature.
• The work must be supervised. It must be possible for the MPCS to speak with your supervisor to verify that you have fulfilled the requirements of the internship requirement. Self-guided work is not acceptable.

Part-Time Students

• If you are a part-time student, you may request to have your current job, or a separate project at work, count as the internship requirement for the 12-course program as long as the work being done will allow you to apply new skills you have learned in the MPCS. Approval for this requires the following:
  • Submit a formal request to admin-mpcs@lists.uchicago.edu detailing:
    • The nature of the project or work
    • How the skills learned in your MPCS courses will be applied
    • How this work will further your learning in your chosen specialization
    • The project/work time frame and estimated hours
  • Provide a letter from your supervisor confirming the details of the work to be done.
  • The request must be submitted before your final quarter in the program. Graduation applications will not be processed until the request has been approved.
  • At the end of the project or work, a second letter from your supervisor confirming completion will be required.

International Students

• Full-time international students on an F-1 visa are eligible for degree-based Curricular Practical Training (CPT) as part of the 12-course program. The 9-course program does not have a required internship and is not eligible for CPT. If you complete an internship on CPT, you must complete 12-courses in the MPCS to receive your degree.
• What is CPT?
  • CPT is an F-1 off-campus work authorization option for paid or unpaid internships, externships, or jobs that are approved by your program to meet degree requirements.
  • The MPCS requires students in the 12-course specialization program to complete an internship during the summer quarter after completing classes for one academic year (autumn, winter and spring quarters).
  • Students will use the degree-based CPT to complete any off-campus internship that is approved by the MPCS.
  • The MPCS must approve any work completed off-campus.
• Key Dates and Deadlines
  • CPT Approvals Begin: April 15th
  • Processing Time Required by OIA: At least 10 business days
• Once your internship has been approved by the MPCS, please complete the following:
  • Submit the F-1 CPT Request Form through OIA.
  • You must include with your F-1 CPT Request form, the offer letter, and MPCS approval letter
• For additional details, consult the Office of International Affairs CPT page.