EE290A,B,C: Curricular Practical Training

From Stanford Electrical Engineering Department Graduate Handbook

EE290A,B,C,D : Curricular Practical Training

Course web site : [1]

EE290A,B,C,D offer course credit for EE majors who desire relevant work experience as part of their program of study. This is done in a manner consistent with the USCIS regulations and the Bechtel International Center. In order to be consistent with USCIS regulations, such work must be relevant to the curricular program pursued by the student. These policies are subject to change and the students should make sure that they have the most current information from the I Center. See, in particular, the circular Curricular Practical Training which can be found at [2].

Sign up for the EE 290A,B,C or D course on your study list for one unit only for the quarter during which you work. EE290A,B,C,D may each be taken only once. The "ONLY ONCE" restriction includes a quarter in which an I or NC is received, e.g., if 290A is taken during a quarter and a grade of I or NC is received, the student still may not take it again.
EE290B is restricted to students in EE Engineer or PhD program. (MS students who have not advanced to these programs DO NOT qualify.) EE290C is restricted to students in EE PhD program. (MS students who have not advanced to PhD program DO NOT qualify.) EE290D requires the permission of the instructor. See the "Handouts" section for "Enrollment Request". You must present strong reason why this course is essential to your program of study.
TGR student is not eligible to take CPT unless it is an essential part of the student's research.

If you are on a student visa, you will need to submit a standard request letter signed by your academic advisor to the Bechtel Center. This letter must exactly follow the template provided at [3] and it must be produced on departmental letterhead. You must customize the information for yourself, enter the name of the person responsible for 290A,B,C,D (the Vice Chair of the Department) in the appropriate place, and remove any extra material (underlines where the information is supposed to go). Be sure to leave your advisor sufficient time to produce the letter by requesting the letter safely in advance of the expected start date. Be warned that the letter must contain exactly the same information (e.g., the specific bulleted items) or it will be returned to you for correction.

The course is completed and a grade of "S" assigned following submission and approval of a final report which describes in competent English the work you performed and how it relates to your academic program (NOT your research).

1. An incomplete ("I") grade will be assigned if the report is not received by the last day of classes. A report must be submitted within the following quarter to clear the "I". Failure to complete this course will result in violation of USCIS CPT regulation.

2. Typical report is about 3 to 5 pages, single spaced, and should not contain company proprietary information.

3. The report cover page should include the student's name, Stanford ID, the course (EE290A, B, C or D), the quarter during which the course is taken, the company you work for, and signature of dissertation or academic adviser for EE290B, C and D.

4. The report must have a section describing how your work improves your skills relating to SPECIFIC Stanford class(es) that you have taken (NOT how your work improves your research skills, and NOT how these classes help your work).

5. Papers resulting from the work can be added as an appendix, but do not alone fulfill the requirement.

6. EE290A report should be submitted as a pdf file to Vice Chair by email to vicechair@eemail.stanford.edu. The pdf file should be named course_number_last_name_first_name (e.g., EE290A_Simth_John).

7. EE290B, C or D report must be read and signed by your dissertation or academic adviser on the cover page prior to submission as a pdf file by email vicechaire@eemail.stanford.edu. The pdf file should be named course_number_last_name_first_name (e.g., EE290B_Simth_John).

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