NYU FRE Department
Registering for Internship Credit &
Requesting Work Authorization
Frequently Asked Questions & Process Overview
Options
What are my options for requesting credit for my internship?
● Students may request to register for the internship course FRE-GY.7021: Either one time
(for a total of 1.5 elective credits) - OR - two times (for a total of 3 credits), which could
fulfill the capstone requirement.
● In order to use internship credits as a capstone experience, students must use two
internships (in TWO separate semesters), either with the same company or separate
companies. Students must also complete a written report on each experience.
○ 1 semester internship & written report [1.5 Credits] X 2 = Capstone Credit
○ NOTE: If a student interns one time with the intention of doing a 2nd internship in
a later semester, but is unable to obtain a second internship or decides they no
longer want to do a 2nd internship, the 1.5 credits used for the first internship will
be used towards free elective credits. The student will then need to choose a
different 3.00 credit capstone experience (project, thesis, topics courses).
** NOTE: international visa students have a 3 credit maximum (two 1.5 credit internships) for
CPT use **
Steps To Request Internship Credit & CPT Approval
Step 1: Request FRE Internship Credit Approval / Permission Number: The first
step is requesting FRE Credit approval from Professor Agnes Tourin, who oversees the
Capstone course as the capstone advisor. You will need to provide the details of the
internship (including an offer letter with all internship details*). That request should be
submitted here: FRE Internship Credit Request Form.
● Details required on the offer letter in order to be approved by the department:
Offer letter (on company letterhead) must include a job description, position title,
# hours per week, start and end dates, name & contact info of the manager,
Updated September 2022
company, and group name, pay rate & address at which the internship will take
place. This should be signed (or e-signed) by the hiring manager or HR.
Step 2: Obtain Permission Number: Once approved by the capstone advisor, you will
receive a permission number allowing you to register.
Step 3: Submit CPT Request Form [Students Requiring CPT]: You will need to
complete your CPT application via the CPT Electronic Request Form on the OGS
website. You will have to enter on the application the email address of the FRE
Department capstone advisor to direct the application to her. The application will then
be electronically reviewed for approval by the capstone advisor, and finally, by OGS
(Office of Global Services). Additional details on this process are available on the NYU
OGS website.
Deadlines
What are the deadlines for registering for my internship in Albert? What about
CPT?
● For Internship (Capstone or Elective) Credit: Students will need to do this by the add/
drop deadline for the term that they wish to intern. See the NYU academic calendar for
exact dates.
● For CPT: The OGS (Office of Global Services) website recommends that students
should make the CPT request at least 10 business days before the start of the internship
(which should be within the dates of that term). You must first be registered for course
credit for your internship in order to get CPT. Students should refer to the Office of
Global Services regarding specific details for CPT and contact the OGS directly with
questions.
Other Questions
May I do an internship AND a separate capstone experience?
● Yes – you can use your internship credits as ELECTIVE credits, and do a separate
capstone.
When am I permitted to intern?
● International students on an F1 Visa may intern after the completion of 2 full-time
semesters as a student in the U.S. Furthermore, students should have completed at
least 12 credits in the MSFE program before they are allowed to intern. Most students
intern: the summer between 1st and 2nd year and/or the Fall or Spring Semester of 2nd
year.
Updated September 2022
● Note: The internship dates must fall within the semester dates in Albert.
What is the GPA minimum requirement to qualify for an internship?
● Tandon requires that all graduate students must have a grade point average (GPA) of
at least 3.00, as reflected on their academic transcript, in order to intern.
How many hours (and how many weeks) am I required to intern for?
● Internship dates must fall within the dates of the academic term and the number of hours
worked should be at least 240 in total.
○ Internships taking place over the summer may be done on a full-time or part-time
basis and should have a minimum length of 8 weeks.
○ Fall or spring term internships are normally part-time (up to 20 hrs/wk) and must
take place over a period of at least 12 weeks.
● Students interning in their final semester of study and taking only 3 credits in
addition to the internship are eligible to work a full-time (40 hr/wk) schedule.
Requests to work full-time will need to be vetted by the Office of Graduate Academics to
confirm that students are academically eligible to work full-time.
Am I allowed to do an unpaid internship or volunteer work?
● Guidelines for unpaid internships and volunteer work are set forth by the government. If
you are considering doing an unpaid internship or volunteer work, please be sure to read
the guidelines on the OGS website in detail to ensure you are in compliance with these
guidelines.
As a student on a visa, do I NEED TO USE CPT to intern even if it is unpaid,
part-time, etc?
● As a student on an F1 visa, we advise you to request a CPT in order to work, even if the
employer does not require it, whether the internship is paid, unpaid, full-time, or
part-time. As such, you’ll need to register for credits in order to be eligible for a CPT.
At The End Of The Internship
What are the requirements for the internship report?
An internship report must be presented to the internship course instructor, at the completion of
the internship (due on the final day of the internship) through NYU Brightspace. The report
should explain:
● Which courses and topics in the MSFE program that the internship was related to, and
how they are related t
● The tasks that were required of the student and the topics learned during the internship,
both theoretical and practical
Updated September 2022
● Main objective/goals of the internship
● Obstacles/challenges encountered and how they were overcome
● Technology and platforms used
More information on this can be found in the Capstone guidelines, which is available in the
student resources section of the FRE website.
More about the process for CPT, as well as information on OPT and other types of work
authorization is available on the NYU OGS Website.
Updated September 2022
