Introduction

An academic internship (CS 1900 or CS 1902) in the Computer Science Department is a course designed to provide CS majors with real world work experience (through qualified outside companies). In addition to the work itself, which must be highly technical in nature and relevant to the CS degree, a CS internship also has an academic component consisting of regular meetings with a faculty sponsor, weekly meetings with all capstone students, and several papers and presentations. A student may register for an internship through the Department of Computer Science to satisfy the Computer Science Capstone requirement (CS 1900). The student must have a faculty sponsor from the Department of Computer Science. If you are not able to find a sponsor, speak to the director of undergraduate programs, 6125 Sennott Square, for assistance.

Requirements for CS 1900

  • Obtain a relevant technical job / internship from a legitimate employer. The job may be full-time or part-time (minimum 10 hours / week; 12 or more weeks) and it may or may not be for pay. The work should directly involve skills / abilities that were either learned in CS courses or that otherwise relate directly to the CS degree. Examples include software development, software testing, database administration, network administration and other jobs. If you are unsure whether a potential job will qualify for a CS academic internship or not, see John Ramirez to discuss the job prior to accepting it. For assistance in finding a job you may consult with Career Services.
  • Fill out the Undergrad Internship Application Form (to be filled out by you).  Once you have filled out the form, an employer and CS Faculty Sponsor form will be generated automatically and be sent to both parties. Please be certain that the information you input into the application for both employer and CS faculty sponsor information is accurate as those will be the individuals and contact information that get sent the corresponding forms.
  • After the undergraduate internship application, employer, and CS faculty sponsor forms are all completed, Alka Singh the Director of Experiential Learning will reach out to you and give you the go ahead to apply for a permission code for the CS 1900 course.
  • Once you have registered for your academic internship, you should meet/communicate with your faculty sponsor regularly and fulfill the requirements as stated in the CS 1900 Faculty Sponsor Form.

Registration Steps for CS 1900

  • Requires that the Undergrad Internship Application Form be filled out.
  • Obtain a permission number and utilize it when registering for the CS 1900 course and be sure to register for three (3) credits.

Summer/Fall Option

The Computer Science Department allows students to combine a summer internship with the CS 1900 course in the following fall term.
If you have a Summer Internship:

  • Fill out and submit the forms in the requirements above, obtaining both your work sponsor and faculty sponsor approval.
  • Complete the required forms outlined above for the CS 1900 course (for the fall) BEFORE beginning your summer job (or, at the very latest, during the first week of your employment). In other words, all paperwork must be completed for the fall CS 1900 course at the time you are working in your summer internship.
  • Complete the job during the summer. All summer internships and paperwork must be completed by June 30.
  • Complete the CS 1900 lecture requirements during the following fall or in some cases, spring term.

Requirements for CS 1902

  • Obtain a relevant technical job / internship from a legitimate employer. The job may be full-time or part-time (minimum 10 hours / week) and it may or may not be for pay. The work should directly involve skills / abilities that were either learned in CS courses or that otherwise relate directly to the CS degree. Examples include software development, software testing, database administration, network administration and other jobs. If you are unsure whether a potential job will qualify for a CS academic internship or not, see John Ramirez to discuss the job prior to accepting it. For assistance in finding a job you may consult with Career Services.
  • Meet with Dr. Ramirez to discuss and complete the CS 1902 Learning Agreement Form.
  • Once you have registered for your academic internship, you should meet/communicate with your faculty sponsor regularly and fulfill the requirements as stated in your completed learning agreement form.
  • An Intern Evaluation form must be completed by your employer after the mid-point of your internship. Give the form to your employer and instruct him / her to fill it out and return it by email (preferred), regular mail or FAX to the CS Undergraduate Office. This completed form must be received by the CS Undergraduate Office prior to the end of the term during which your internship work is done.

Email: pam131@cs.pitt.edu

Mail: Department of Computer Science
Undergraduate Programs Office
6135 Sennott Square
210 S. Bouquet Street
Pittsburgh, PA, 15260

Registration Steps for CS 1902

  • Requires a CS 1902 Directed Study Learning Agreement be submitted to the Undergraduate Administrator in 6119 Sennott Square.
  • Obtain a permission number and utilize it when registering. Be sure to register for the appropriate number of credits per your agreement.

Important Notes

  • An internship may be from 1 to 6 credits. Some internships are NOT for Capstone. Those students can register for CS 1902 or not at all. All internships for Capstone credit (CS 1900) must be 3 credits.
  • Internship credit does not count toward the 37 CS major credits. It does count as ARTSC elective credit.
  • Internships for credit (CS 1902) must have an academic component. Minimally you should expect to write a paper about your internship experience (10-15 pages for a 3-credit internship).
  • For capstone credit, attendance is required at the Capstone class.
  • Internship credit is billed at the same rate as other ARTSC courses.
  • All internship credits are taken with the S/N grade option.
  • All students must be in good academic standing in order to register for internship credits.
  • Retroactive credit for internships is NOT allowed. All internship work must be completed during the period in which the student is registered for the CS 1900 course, with the only exception being as stated in the Summer/Fall option as explained above.
  • Students must have completed all 400 level core CS courses, have junior standing (60+ completed credits) and be declared CS majors at the time of the internship in order to be eligible for capstone credit.