Internship Course for Credit (Bachelor's Students)

Overview of ENGR 395

Why should I enroll in an internship course? For undergraduate students there might be two reasons for enrolling in ENGR 395. First, it provides you the opportunity to enhance your engineering curriculum through practical, industry appropriate, work experience so you can receive technical elective credit for working in an internship or co-op.  The second reason could be that you are required to take a concurrent internship course during your internship or co-op  for undergraduate international students in order to be eligible for CPT.

Internship Course Information

The course is graded Credit/No Credit. To get a passing grade, you will need to complete a 10-page technical report graded by a faculty member within your academic department.  View sample Syllabus.

  • Complete a 10-page technical report graded by a faculty member within your academic department
  • Complete a training plan that must be filled out with your supervisor within the first 2 weeks of your internship
  • Both the intern and the intern’s supervisor will need to complete Skill Survey (performance evaluation)

Student Eligibility

To be eligible to enroll in this course you must meet all of the following:

  • Completed at least three semesters of engineering curriculum
  • Hold a 2.6+ Overall GPA

Internship Eligibility

To enroll in ENGR 395 the student must obtain an internship/co-op that meets all of the following criteria:

  • Work experience in the internship directly relates to the student’s respective engineering major
  • Hours
    • In the Fall/Spring semester the internship must be a minimum of 10 hours but can not exceed 20 hours
    • In the Summer the internship can be up to 40 hours
  • Internship Length
    • At least 12 weeks during Fall and Spring semesters
    • At least 10 weeks during Summer semester

*Students are financially responsible for the per-unit cost **If you are interested in a co-op, attend our Internship Course/D-Clearance drop-in to discuss the additional details.

Application Process

Step #1 Obtain Offer Letter (Sample Offer Letter)
Obtain an offer letter that includes all of the following (If you are unable to obtain all of the information in one document, please combine all documents or communication from your employer in one pdf document):

  • The offer letter must feature the company’s letterhead
  • Student’s full legal name (a nickname or alias will not be accepted
  • Physical location of where the student will be working
  • Job Description of what you are doing in this job and it must align with your major
  • How many hours you will work per weekly, it must state exactly a number, or a range such as 20 hours or 30-40 hours (it can not simply state part-time or full-time)
  • Start and End dates that align with course registration dates

    Step #2 Seek Academic Advising :
    It is the student's responsibility to check in with their academic advisor and discuss how the credit for the ENGR 395/596 course will or will not impact  academic progress, including credits needed for graduation. You should also consult with your advisor whether or not your department will grant technical elective credit for ENGR 395

    Step #3 Identify Faculty:
    The student is responsible for seeking out a faculty within their academic department that agrees to grade their report. Please make sure you know which faculty has agreed to grade your report prior to submitting your application.  If the faculty member you choose denies your request in the system you will need to start all over and submit a new application.     View Sample Syllabus.

    Step #4 Application (ICR) in myviterbi.usc.edu
    Students must complete their ICR application within the university deadline in myviterbi.  Full instructions on how to submit your application on myviterbi.usc.edu

    Dates & Deadlines

    Fall 2023

    		 Spring 2024

    Summer 2024
    Application Start Date

    July 18, 2023

    November 27, 2023

    April 10, 2024
    Application Deadline

    Oct 16

    March 5th

    TBD

    Internship duration: (If it is your final semester)

    Aug 21 – Dec 13

    Jan 8 – May 10

    May 13-Aug 6, 2024
    Internship duration: (If it is NOT your final semester)

    Aug 21 – Jan 5

    Jan 8 – May 10

    May 13-Aug 23
    Deadline to submit final report

    Check with
    Faculty Supervisor

    Check with
    Faculty Supervisor

    Check with
    Faculty Supervisor

    CPT & International Student Information

    All Undergraduate International Students are required to enroll in ENGR 395 to be eligible for CPT.  In addition to the steps outlined above, International students will also be required to complete the following steps

    Step #5 Complete the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Form: International students must submit a CPT I-20 Request Form to the Office of International Services' (OIS) Trojan International System. Students must be enrolled in the internship course before submitting the request to OIS.

    For questions regarding your I-20 or immigration status, contact OIS at ois@usc.edu. For questions regarding the ENGR 395 course or your internship, contact Viterbi Career Connections at vcareers@usc.edu.

    Career Connections does not process CPT, the Office of International Services (OIS) will ultimately review and approve your CPT application and process your I-20. 

    Still Have Questions?

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    Published on July 1st, 2021

    Last updated on April 10th, 2024