Suggested Checklist for Faculty Advisor Prior to Student Starting Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Experience

  • Discuss the experiential learning activity with the student prior to the start of the CPT experience in order to set academic expectations.
  • Review a detailed job description, which should include: job title, dates of employment, salary, and number of hours per week.
  • Contact student’s potential supervisor to assess if the training is integral to the student’s field of study and that it fulfills an academic component.
  • Student must be in good academic standing (3.0 for Graduate, or 2.0 for Undergraduate) and good judicial standing, be in matriculated status, and already have earned 18 credits (for graduate) or 24 credits (for undergraduate) that count towards their degree.

Suggested Academic Assignments

Please note that the below are only suggestions.

  • Set a schedule with the student to meet and discuss the experiential learning progression at least 2-3 times during the CPT experience.
  • Minimum of a 3-5 page (for 1 credit course) or 8-10 page (for a 3 credit course) report submitted by the student by the last day of the semester. The report should include a minimum of the following: 
    • Job Title
    • Description of key job responsibilities
    • Specific start and end dates of training
    • Number of hours/week
    • Skills and knowledge gained
    • How the training is integral to the student’s degree program
    • If student worked on a research proposal, include a description of the problem, project rationale, objectives, methodology, etc.
    • Brief description of the business, organization, research laboratory where the training was performed, including the organization’s mission statement, customer focus, etc.
    • The organization's complete address, phone numbers, email contact details for supervisor(s), and compensation details