Internships- BS in CIS Tech | Naveen Jindal School of Management

Gain professional experience as a part of your degree

Every JSOM student must complete a major related internship as part of their degree plan. Once an internship has been obtained, students will submit employer-provided documentation to be approved. Students will also submit an internship approval request in Orion. After it has been approved by the required offices, the student will be automatically enrolled in an internship course. A passing grade in an internship course satisfies the internship requirement on the student’s degree plan.

Questions? Need help with your internship search? Contact CIS Tech Program Manager, Andrea Croasdale Woudwyk (acwoudwyk@utdallas.edu).

Internship Requirements and Reporting

All JSOM students are required to complete a major related internship as part of their degree plan.

Refer to the Career Management Center’s Reporting & Timelines information for clarification on when approvals can be submitted for each semester.

STEP 1 — YOU: SUBMIT A REQUEST IN ORION

You must upload a signed offer letter on company letterhead. The letter must include the following:

Company or Organization Name
Internship Position Title
Start Date & End Date
Hours Per Week
Wages/Hourly Rate
Physical Work Location
Manger/Supervisor’s Name & Contact Info
Detailed Job Description (Must reference what IT/analytical/technical skills will be used in the position)

All documents attached to your request must be employer-provided documentation. This means it is on company letterhead OR is a complete screen shot of an email by an employee from the company’s email domain and with an identifying email signature.

STEP 2 — UTD CAREER CENTER: COMPANY REVIEW

Company is reviewed for legitimacy and office location is confirmed. Allow at least 2 business days.

STEP 3 — CIS TECH PROGRAM: ACADEMIC REVIEW

Job description is reviewed for alignment with program. Offer and request are reviewed for completion and accuracy. Allow at least 2 business days.

STEP 4 — JSOM ADVISING: INTERNSHIP COURSE ENROLLMENT

Advising automatically enrolls students in ITSS 4090 and sends you email confirmation. If you are eligible to do so and wish to enroll in the 1-3 credit hours course, follow Advising’s instructions on how to request the change. For more information, please reference the FAQ below. (Note: Only students in the 2021 or an earlier catalog may request the 3-credit hour course).

Congrats! You’ve Reported Your Internship*

Check eLearning once the semester begins for course assignments and instructions. Questions about the internship courses should be directed to bscist@utdallas.edu.

PLEASE NOTE:

At any step in this process, you may be asked to provide additional information. Not promptly responding will result in your request being delayed and/or eventually denied.
Your internship is not reported until you press “SUBMIT.”
You will receive a confirmation email once you’ve successfully submitted your request.

*If you are on an F-1 Visa and require CPT approval there are two additional steps.

STEP 5 — JSOM CMC: CPT REQUEST

CPT requests are submitted to the ISSO by the JSOM iComet Form Team upon confirmation of course enrollment. Allow at least 1 business day.

STEP 6 — ISSO: ISSUANCE OF I-20

ISSO issues the I-20 after checking for CPT eligibility. The F-1 student must not start work without this authorization. Allow at least 1 business day.

NOTE: F-1 students may only enroll in the 0-credit hour course in a summer semester (or if it is your graduating semester); if your internship continues into another semester, students must take 1, 2 or 3-credit hour internship course.

Reference the CMC’s Internship Policies and Procedures for more information and view the FAQ’s below.

FAQ

Before you begin working, you must be enrolled in an ITSS internship course while you are working. Retroactive internship credit is not allowed. Students must report their internship experiences by the internship reporting deadline of the semester in which the internship takes place. Reporting Timelines

Unfortunately, no. We do not approve retroactive internships. You must report your internship and be enrolled in the internship course in the same semester that you worked the internship. If you completed a relevant internship in the recent past but did not report it, you may reach out to the office of JSOMUGDean@utdallas.edu to discuss your options.

You must enroll in an ITSS internship course to satisfy the internship degree requirement. Advising will automatically enroll you in the 0-credit hour internship course after your internship is approved in Orion. You may pursue up to 3 credit hours if you choose, depending on your internship details and your catalog year.

0 credit hours (minimum of 160 work hours)
1 credit hour (minimum of 160 work hours)
2 credit hours (161 – 239 work hours)
3 credit hours (at least 240 work hours)*

*The 3-credit hour CIS Tech internship course, ITSS 4V90, can replace one ITSS upper-division guided elective, but only for students on the 2021 or an earlier ITS catalog year.

Internship course assignments are available on eLearning; the courses are pass/fail. Questions about the internship courses should be directed to bscist@utdallas.edu.

Yes! As long as you are eligible for the 0-credit hour course and your registration is completed during regular registration, no tuition or fees are charged for the course.

There could be many reasons, such as:

Company can’t be independently verified and/or has red flags with UT Dallas
Detailed position description doesn’t list the IT/analytical/technical skills that will be used in the position
Internship details were not provided by the employer. Employer-provided documentation means it is on company letterhead or is a complete screenshot of an email sent by an employee from the company’s email domain and has an identifying email signature
Student did not respond to a request for additional information in a timely manner
Student-provided information does not match employer-provided information
Student selected a number of credit hours that does not match the credit hour requirements or their eligibility
Student selected the incorrect semester

In-person internships are preferred, as the experience you gain from collaborating with co-workers in the office is valuable to your professional development. However, CIS Tech students may report internships when the company, department, team or position is fully remote.

Yes! As long as you are within the first six-months of the position, it can satisfy your internship requirement.

If you’ve been in your position for longer than 6-months and want to use it to satisfy your internship requirement, you must follow the CMC’s directions on Special Projects.

A special project must be:

Related to your major
In addition to your current job responsibilities
Completed within the confines of the semester
Total at least 240 hours (if you plan on taking 3-credit hours) or 160 hours (if you plan on taking 0, 1, 2 credit hours)

Employer-provided documentation on company letterhead is required to report a special project and request approval. The letter must include:

A description of your current position and duties
A description of your new “Special Project” and an acknowledgement that you will be enrolling in an internship course for academic credit
Confirmation from your supervisor that he/she will complete your performance evaluation
Supervisor’s info: name, title, department and contact information
Supervisor’s signature

Use this letter and follow the internship approval request process detailed above.

There is no alternative. The only way to satisfy the internship requirement is by having an IT-related internship approved and passing ITSS 4040 (or ITSS 4V90 if it’s available to you). If you are struggling on the job market, there are many resources available to assist you in your search. The JSOM Career Management Center (CMC) has Career Development Specialists that can offer personal advising. The CMC also has extensive online resources on their website and via eLearning > Organizations > JSOM Career Management Center. The CMC provides résumé workshops in their eLearning resources and access to a Quinncia AI tool to update your résumé and practice video interviews.

Yes! If your offer letter or employer-provided documentation explains that you will work remotely from the US, then the internship documentation and approval would follow the same process as if the company were US-based.

Internships based outside of the US have an additional office looped in for approvals: The Office of International Education. There are additional steps in the approval process, and they have an earlier reporting deadline, so get in touch with them ASAP at EducationAbroad@utdallas.edu.

F-1 FAQ

F-1 students* request internship approval the same way as everyone else, but you must do it at least a few weeks in advance of your start date so that you will receive your CPT I-20 ahead of your start date. Keep in mind that you cannot begin working until you receive your updated I-20 with CPT approval. Contact your Program Manager at bscist@utdallas.edu for questions or guidance through the request process.

*International students on F1-Visas must also meet the CPT requirements for work authorization to be approved. CPT requirements can be found on the ISSO’s website. F-1 students must receive CPT approval before starting work.

The 0-credit hour internship course is only available to F-1 students* in Summer semesters or in their graduating semester. If your internship continues into a Fall or Spring semester, you should enroll in the 1-credit hour version of the variable internship course.

NOTE: Students on the 2021 or earlier ITS catalog are allowed to take a 3-credit hour internship course that can serve as a guided elective if their internship meets the requirements. However, F-1 students are limited to no more than 3-credit hours’ worth of internship credit total. Meaning, if you are on a catalog that allows the 3-credit hour course, only choose it if you will not have another internship or if any future internship would be in a Summer or your graduating semester when you are allowed to take the 0-credit hour course.

Yes. CPT is granted per semester, so an internship approval request is required each semester. Meaning, if your internship extends into the next semester, you’d need to submit a new internship approval request which results in an updated CPT I-20. (NOTE: Only one CPT experience is allowed per semester.) Contact your Program Manager at bscist@utdallas.edu for questions or guidance through the request process.