Under certain circumstances, it is possible to earn course credits for working on projects with educational value in an industrial setting. If eligible, students can take up to two internship opportunities for credit.
Internship Qualifications
To qualify for an internship, a student must meet the following qualifications. The student must be in good academic standing. To be in good academic standing, a student cannot be on probation, must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and must have successfully completed 66% of courses attempted. Students not in good academic standing will not be approved for internship opportunities.
For full-time students, students must have successfully completed two semesters of full-time graduate course work before the internship is to begin. If you are a transfer student, we will consider your graduate course work at your previous institution towards this requirement, as long as it was in a related field. For full-time students enrolled in the PAC, we will count these courses towards the requirement, as long as a student is enrolled for at least nine credits each semester. Please note that the two full-time semesters must be completed before you can begin your internship. However, you can apply while still completing your second semester. For example, if you begin your studies in the fall semester, you will have completed two semesters at the end of the spring semester. As such, you would potentially qualify for a summer internship. While you would not be able to work until the summer semester, you could and are encouraged to apply during the spring semester.
For part-time students, students must have successfully completed six graduate courses before the internship is to begin. If you are a transfer student, we will consider your graduate course work at your previous institution towards this requirement, as long as it was in a related field. Please note that the sixth graduate course must be completed before you can begin your internship. However, you can apply while still completing your sixth course. For example, if you are enrolled in your sixth course in the spring semester, you would potentially qualify for a summer internship. While you would not be able to work until the summer semester, you could and are encouraged to apply during the spring semester.
Students who are working in full-time positions are eligible to apply for internship credits for their current jobs, as long as they meet all of the qualifications and agree to the evaluation process.
The job responsibilities of the internship will be reviewed by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). The internship should be educational in nature and should be consistent with the goals and educational mission of the master's program. The DGS will evaluate the work involved and determine if it qualifies to be counted as graduate level course work. If it is determined that the work is acceptable and the student meets the other qualifications, the student's internship will be approved. If the work is not deemed acceptable, the internship will not be approved.
Transfer Credits and Internship Eligibility
Master's students are able to transfer up to nine credits of graduate course work, as approved by the DGS and the Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science. Students who transfer nine credits will not be eligible for any internship opportunities. Students who transfer six credits will be eligible for one internship opportunity. Students who transfer three credits will be eligible for two internship opportunities. This rule applies for both MSCS and MSIS students.
9 transfer credits = eligible for 0 internship opportunity
6 transfer credits = eligible for 1 internship opportunity
3 transfer credits = eligible for 2 internship opportunities
Relevant Graduate Courses and Internship Eligibility
As part of their degree requirements, MSCS students have the potential to take relevant graduate courses outside of Courant. Potentially, they can take up to nine credits of courses outside of Courant, dependent upon the approval of the DGS. MSCS students should note that these credits apply to the same area that internship credits and transfer credits do. This is the area on the MSCS Degree Requirement Form that deals with the remaining nine credits that students need to complete for the degree. If a student fills those credit options up with relevant graduate courses, or any of the other options, the student will not be eligible for an internship.
Applying for Internships
To apply for an internship, please e-mail the following information to Jennifer Conlan Darlington, Program Administrator, M.S. Programs, at conlan@cs.nyu.edu.
* Your full name
* NYU Student ID Number
* Foreign of American student status
* Estimated date of completion of degree
* Period of employment (start and end dates)
* Hours of work per week
* Title of position in company
* Name and address of company
* Contact person in company (supervisor or human resources)
* Contact person's e-mail and phone number
* Description of work (a paragraph detailing exactly what it is that you will be doing in the position)
* Number of courses taken in MS program (indicate transfer credits, independent study, non-CS or non-math, current semester)
* Current GPA http://cs.nyu.edu/%7Edgs/#gpa
The internship application process takes time. After an application is received, the student's academic record is reviewed to determine if the student qualifies for an internship. If the student does qualify, the potential supervisor is sent an e-mail to confirm the job description and to review the evaluation process. Once the supervisor responds, the application is sent to the DGS for consideration. Once a decision is made, the student is e-mailed to let him or her know the status of the request.
The approval process is a lengthy one that requires many steps. Students should allow for at least two weeks before a decision is made. Be sure to plan accordingly and apply as soon as possible.
Evaluation
An internship must have a strong educational component. At the end of the internship, students will submit a report detailing the internship experience. The report should detail what the student did during the internship (i.e. a brief design description that relates to the development of a piece of software, along with the number of lines of code written and the programming language used), what skills were used, what was learned and how the internship enhanced the student's academic and career development. The supervisor will need to read and approve this report before it is submitted.
The supervisor must also complete an evaluation of the student. Supervisors can either complete the departmental evaluation form they are given or they can submit their own evaluation form.
Students who are requesting internship credit for their full-time jobs should note that they will still need to create a report that is approved by the supervisor and must have the supervisor submit an evaluation on their performance, even if they are already being evaluated as a full-time employee.
Reports and evaluations should be sent to Jennifer Conlan Darlington. Students should print out a hard copy version of the report and turn it in to her at Courant Institute/Warren Weaver Hall, 251 Mercer St. Room 324, NY, NY, 10012. A student will not receive a grade in the course until all required internship materials are submitted.
Additional Guidelines for International Students
International students interested in internships for course credit can utilize Curricular Practical Training (CPT), if eligible. Students should review the requirements and qualifications for CPT on the OISS website, located at: http://www.nyu.edu/oiss/. If the DGS approves the student's internship application, the student will receive a letter from the department detailing the internship and granting departmental approval of it for course credit. The student will need to bring that letter to OISS to gain work authorization. This process takes time so students should be sure to apply early for their internships.
