Getting the opportunity to engage in an internship can be a vital part of your journey at UW. Many students find value in gaining first-hand experience working in a role where one can apply the knowledge and skills they gain from computing coursework to the “real world” outside of the classroom. Many internship and job opportunities are posted on the Allen School Career-Jobs Ed.Stem Board , as well as listed in Handshake. To learn more about how to find an internship, check out the career development page. For inquiries about how to access the Ed.Stem Board, please contact ugrad-adviser@cs.washington.edu
Finding an Internship Overview of CSE 301 Course Logistics & Enrollment Process Enrollment Timeline Fee Structure FAQs
Resources for Finding an Internship
- Exploring & Finding Internships
- International Students and Internships - helpful information about CPT
- Upderstanding Non Disclosure Agreements
- Stats and facts on finding internships in Handshake (21-22)
- How to create learning goals for your internship
- How to maximize your internship, according to employers
- Strategic analysis & reflection on your internship
- What to do after your internship
- Any Allen School Academic Adviser is happy to meet with you for career counseling. We’re happy to discuss strategies for the internship search process, direct you to resources to help with your resume and application materials, as well as interviews, and to help connect you with other resources and offices on campus that can provide support. Schedule an in-person or virtual appointment today!
- The Career Center @ Engineering (CC@E) offers 15 and 30 minute appointments via Zoom for career coaching.
- If you’re seeking support developing your resume, consider booking an appointment with the Allen School resume lab, and/or connecting with the CC@E for resume review by emailing your materials to: engrhire@uw.edu
- Review the career related resources on the undergraduate resources page!
Overview of CSE 301
Please see this flowchart for assistance determining which internship class is the best fit for you. Please reach out to cse301@cs.washington.edu with any questions.
Earning internship credit can help you intentionally reflect on your internship experience and your learning taking place outside of the classroom in real-time. The assignments and structure of the class are designed to help supplement and develop your workplace readiness skills, and will help you prepare to articulate your experience from the internship in future interviews! Additionally, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science-Data Science declared students are allowed to count up to two (2) credits earned from CSE 301 during their time in the Allen School towards their CS Senior Electives degree requirement. Additional credits earned from CSE 301 can count towards “free electives” to bring the total credits completed up to the 180 credits required to earn a B.S. degree.
- An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering and make informed judgments that consider the impact of solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
- An ability to recognize the ongoing need for additional knowledge and how to locate, evaluate, integrate, and apply this knowledge appropriately.
- An ability to function effectively on teams that establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, and analyze risk + uncertainty.
- Ways to collaborate in order to inspire and manage change.
- Understanding office dynamics
CSE 301 offers students the opportunity to explore and reflect on their internship experience to enhance their overall co-curricular experience. As a result of enrolling in CSE 301, you should increase proficiency in the following areas…
- Ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as analyze and interpret data.
- Ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams.
- Knowledge of contemporary issues.
- Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems.
Some students will increase proficiency if the assigned duties of the internship provide the appropriate opportunities:
CSE 301 is graded as credit/no credit (CR / NC). To obtain credit, students must earn above a 70% in the course. Students have the responsibility to know and observe UW’s Student Conduct Code and section on Academic Responsibility
Current CSE 301 Syllabus with assignment descriptions can be found here.
Check out the below FAQs to see if one of your questions is answered there. If not, please contact the CSE 301 teaching team by emailing: cse301@cs.washington.edu
Course Logistics & Enrollment Process
- Students who work fewer than 20 hrs/wk on average in their internship are eligible to earn one (1) credit of CSE 301 per quarter of work. Students who work 20 hrs/wk or more on average in their internship are eligible to earn up to two (2) credits of CSE 301 per quarter of work.
- Computer Science and Computer Engineering majors may use up to 2 credits of CSE 301 earned towards their CSE Senior Electives requirement for a maximum of 2 credits. Additional credits will apply to free electives towards the Bachelor’s degree requirement of 180 credits (up to 12 credits maximum).
- Students have two different options to enroll in CSE 301:
- Enroll in CSE 301 during the same quarter that you work your internship. This is most common for students who work in an internship during the academic year (not during a vacation quarter/summer quarter). International students must maintain full-time enrollment status, and therefore are encouraged to consider enrolling in ENGR 320/321 if doing a full-time internship during the academic year.
-or- - Enroll in CSE 301 in the quarter following the quarter you work your internship. This is most common during the summer quarter/vacation quarter. This option allows you to work an internship during the Summer quarter but enroll in CSE 301 during Autumn quarter to earn credit for the work you completed during the Summer quarter.
- Enroll in CSE 301 during the same quarter that you work your internship. This is most common for students who work in an internship during the academic year (not during a vacation quarter/summer quarter). International students must maintain full-time enrollment status, and therefore are encouraged to consider enrolling in ENGR 320/321 if doing a full-time internship during the academic year.
- If your internship is during the summer quarter, the course facilitator will assume you want to defer your enrollment in CSE 301 to Autumn quarter, unless otherwise specified by you in an email to cse301@cs.washington.edu, or by making a note on your Handshake Overview page.
- Both Domestic and International students can defer Summer internship credit to Autumn quarter (assuming Summer is your declared vacation quarter). Domestic students can opt to defer enrollment in CSE 301 for one quarter after completion of their internship (for example: Autumn quarter internship, registering for CSE 301 in Winter quarter). Because International students must maintain full-time enrollment during the academic year (Autumn-Spring), deferment of CSE 301 is only possible during Summer, and is not possible during the academic year.
- Accept an offer for an internship position that is related to computer science.
- Submit a Handshake Experience request and include all required information. Complete the pre-internship survey.
- Once you complete the Handshake Experience request, upload your offer letter as an attachment.
- Register for CSE 301 (1 credit for part-time internships, 2 credits for full-time internships).
- **International Students: Submit a CPT request after enrolling in CSE 301. List Maude Lustig (mlustig@uw.edu) as the departmental Adviser on your request.
Refer to the course syllabus for assignment deadlines
- The pre-internship survey is completed on Handshake when you submit your initial Handshake Experience request.
- The post-internship survey is completed on Handshake at the conclusion of your internship.
- All other assignments are due throughout the quarter via Canvas (refer to the syllabus for more details).
CSE 301 Enrollment Timeline
You can enroll in CSE 301 during the same quarter that you are interning, OR you can choose to defer enrollment to the following quarter. Enrollment may not be deferred beyond one quarter following your internship.
| Quarter of enrollment |
CSE 301 Registration Requests begin to be processed |
Priority Request Deadline* |
Final Request Deadline* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2023 | 11/4/22 | 1/2/23 | 1/9/23 |
| Spring 2023 | 2/10/23 | 3/24/23 | 4/3/23 |
| Summer 2023 | 4/10/23 | 6/19/23 | 6/26/23 |
| Autumn 2023 (includes deferred Summer 2023 internships) | 5/5/23 | 9/26/23 | 10/3/23 |
Quarter your internship takes place
- The quarter in which your internship dates fall into. If your internship start/end dates span multiple quarters, see FAQ below.
- Internships that take place during Summer Quarter will be automatically deferred to Autumn Quarter registration. If you would like to register for CSE 301 during Summer quarter, indicate that on your Handshake Experience request.
CSE 301 requests begin to be processed
- Students can submit a Handshake Experience after accepting a computing-related internship. Requests to enroll in CSE 301 will begin getting processed on this date, and add codes will be issued after this point (allow 1-2 weeks for processing).
- This is the deadline to get an add code to register for CSE 301 prior to the quarter starting. Requests submitted after this deadline (but before the Final Request deadline) will be processed, but may not receive an add code prior to the start of the quarter.
- This is the final date students can request enrollment in CSE 301 for a given quarter. Requests submitted after this deadline will not be processed, unless there is an extenuating circumstance outside of your control. Please contact cse301@cs.washington.edu with questions.
Fee Structure
ENGR 321 through the College of Engineering’s Internship Program and CSE 301 operate under a different fee structure where CSE 301 is a standard tuition rate while ENGR 321 is fee-based.
Domestic Students*
| Internship Hours | Quarter | Credits Registered for | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-time | Autumn-Spring | CSE 301 (1 credit) | Standard Tuition Rates Apply |
| Full‑time | Autumn-Spring | CSE 301 (2 credits) | Standard Tuition Rates Apply |
| Part‑time | Summer** | CSE 301 (1 credit) | Standard Tuition Rates Apply |
| Full-time** | Summer** | CSE 301 (2 credits) | Standard Tuition Rates Apply |
*Domestic students can also enroll in ENGR 321 any quarter (1 credit for part-time internship work and 2 credits for full-time internship work). The cost is $196/credit in addition to the standard tuition rate for other courses enrolled in (if applicable).
**Both domestic and international students can defer a part-time or full-time internship they worked at during the summer to register for CSE 301 in Autumn quarter instead of Summer quarter. Standard tuition rates apply for full-time enrollment during the academic year (Autumn-Spring quarters). Enrollment in ENGR 320/321 cannot be deferred, you must register for those credits in the quarter you work the internship.
International Students
| Internship Hours | Quarter | Credits Registered for | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-time | Autumn-Spring -or- Autumn-Spring |
ENGR 321 (1 credit) + 11 credits of other courses -or- CSE 301 (1 credit) + 11 credits of other courses |
$196 (ENGR 321) + standard tuition rates for remaining 11 credits -or- Standard tuition rates apply |
| Full‑time | Autumn-Spring | ENGR 321 (2 credits) + ENGR 320 (10 credits) | $2,352 |
| Part-time | Summer/Vacation -or- Summer/Vacation** |
ENGR 321 (1 credit) -or- CSE 301 (1 credit) |
$196 -or- Standard tuition rates apply |
| Full‑time | Summer/Vacation -or- Summer/Vacation** |
ENGR 321 (2 credits) -or- CSE 301 (2 credits) |
$392 -or- Standard tuition rates apply |
Maude Lustig (mlustig@uw.edu) should be listed as Department Adviser and CPT approver for F-1 visa students. J-1 students should contact ISS for work authorization information.
**Both domestic and international students can defer a part-time or full-time internship they worked at during the summer to register for CSE 301 in Autumn quarter instead of Summer quarter. Standard tuition rates apply for full-time enrollment during the academic year (Autumn-Spring quarters). Enrollment in ENGR 320/321 cannot be deferred, you must register for those credits in the quarter you work the internship.