The Professional Track is an optional requirement allowing on-campus students to gain extra-curriculum professional experience by engaging in off-campus employment opportunities via one or more full-time internships of total length 1 to 5 months. In addition to the eight courses of the Basic and Advanced components, students choosing this track must secure and complete one or more internships, where after each internship they must also submit and have approved by the DGS, an essay reflecting on the performed work and gained experience. To be eligible for the track, an internship must involve work that relates to Computer Science and the chosen individual study plan, and it must take place under full-time employment of at least 140 hours or 4 weeks (@35 hours/week) during academic recess. Such internships are normally paid and done at a company under the supervision of an industry advisor, but they can also be unpaid or done at a university under the supervision of a faculty member. By opting in the track, students may schedule their internship(s) in any winter or summer break that overlaps with their studies, thus potentially totaling up to 800 hours or 20 weeks (@40 hours/week) of valuable internship experience, accumulated over the one summer and two winter breaks in the typical two-year program duration. Upon successful completion of the requirement, students receive the designation "Professional Track" in their transcripts, which qualitatively attests their gained extra-curriculum professional experience.
Note to international students: Any off-campus employment is subject to work eligibility in the US. Therefore, international students need to obtain work authorization, via ISSS and under Curricular Practical Training, for this purpose.
