Become an Intern

What comes first - the education or the experience? If you’re enrolled in the Department of Computer Science, you can have both! The Computer Science Professional Internship Program (CSPIP) is a formally recognized internship program that offers significant benefits. Undergraduate students have the opportunity to obtain 12 or 16 months of practical "on-the-job" experience with a sponsoring company prior to completing the final year of their undergraduate degree program.

Program Description

While participating in the Computer Science Professional Internship Program, students typically complete 16 consecutive months of supervised work experience with a sponsoring employer in addition to the requirements for a computer science program. Normally, the work placement commences after the student has completed three years of the B.Sc. Four-year degree program. Placements can start in May or September and be 12 or 16 months in duration. Only in exceptional circumstances (e.g. for medical reasons) will a shorter duration work period be permitted. Students should note that an internship is NOT a summer work program.

Benefits to Students:
  1. Acquiring practical training and valuable experience in their prospective career area, adding strength to their résumé, and thus improving their job prospects upon graduation;
  2. Getting the "inside track" on full-time employment opportunities with the same company in which the student interned, through established professional contacts
  3. Earning an income to help finance the final year of their university education.

Only a limited number of internship placements will be available in a given year. Eligibility for an internship placement will be decided by the Internship Co-ordinator in the Department of Computer Science, while hiring decisions for internship students are made by the employers. Being accepted into the internship program does not guarantee a placement. 

Students are required to apply in September for admission to an internship in May or September of the following year. If selected for an internship placement, students must complete CMPT 401, 402, 403, and 404, in addition to the regular requirements of the B.Sc. degree. A student must successfully complete all requirements of the internship option in order to receive the Professional Internship designation on the University transcript.

Interested students are encouraged to continue reading for further details about internship opportunities.

The following criteria will be used to determine the eligibility of students applying to CSPIP. 

  • Applicants must be registered as a full-time undergraduate student
  • Applicants must be pursuing a 4-year (or Honours) B.Sc. degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or Applied Computing, or a 4-year (or Honours) B.A.& Sc. in Interactive Systems Design.  
  • At the time of application, applicants must have:
    • an average of at least 70% both in Computer Science courses and overall
    • successfully completed at least 15 credit units of CMPT classes numbered 141 or higher
  • By the end of the winter term after they apply, applicants must have completed the following:
    • At least 78 credit units toward their degree.
    • No more than 111 towards their degree. This means that students must be returning as a full-time student after their internship. Students with more than 111 credits are considered to be too close to graduation
    • "Intermediate Software Engineering" (CMPT 370)
    • At least two other 300-level Computer Science courses

Notes:

  • The credit unit limits refer to the credits applicable to your computer science degree. Unapplicable credits from time in a past degree program will not count toward this number. 
  • Students pursuing a 3-year degree are not eligible for the program.
  • Graduate students are not eligible for the program.
  • Double major students involving Computer Science and another discipline are also eligible. Please note that students from the College of Engineering must be pursuing a double degree with one degree in Computer Science or Interactive Systems Design.
  • Internship candidates must be Canadian citizens, landed immigrants, or visa students with appropriate work permission for off-campus employment when they begin their internship in May (or September). 


If you have any confusion or concern about whether you are eligible for CSPIP, please book a consultation appointment with the Internship Coordinator.

From the student perspective, it is important that there be formal recognition of the internship experience on the university transcript. The University has deemed that Internship students shall register in their placement as a course, and for the period of the placement they are considered to be full-time students of the University of Saskatchewan, with return eligibility following the placement to their College and program. The program itself, is distinct from the regular program, in that it would require a longer period of study and the degree requirements would include successful completion of the placement.

To this end, internship students register as full-time students in appropriately designated internship courses during the internship placement:

  • CMPT 401.0 - Professional Internship Program I
  • CMPT 402.0 - Professional Internship Program II
  • CMPT 403.0 - Professional Internship Program III
  • CMPT 404.0 - Professional Internship Program IV (for 16-month placements)
Each of these courses is four months in duration, to match with the requirements of the Office of the Registrar. The courses are non-credit courses, graded on a "Pass/Fail'' basis by a faculty member appointed to handle internship students.
Evaluation of student performance in the internship program will happen in three main parts:

  1. Evaluation of student performance after the first four-month probationary period of the internship placement. This evaluation will be done based on short questionnaires or phone interviews from the student and the employer. A student demonstrating unsatisfactory performance in the probationary period of the internship placement may be required to discontinue from the internship program. Students demonstrating satisfactory performance are expected to continue for the full duration of the internship placement.
  2. Goal setting and journal entries submitted by the intern throughout their placement to chronicle their experience and growth. 
  3. A detailed report regarding the student's internship experience; to be submitted at the end of the internship term, just before the student returns back to the University.
Students who successfully complete all aspects of the internship program receive formal recognition of such on their university transcript. Students who do not successfully complete all requirements of the internship program may still receive the present B.Sc. degree in Computer Science, providing that all degree requirements of that program are met.

The internship placement is divided into four 4-month work terms that equate to the courses designated as CMPT 401, CMPT 402, CMPT 403, and CMPT 404. Students completing a 12 month placement do not need to register for CMPT 404. Students must complete the originally agreed upon term length and all required assignments during this time to complete the program.

CSPIP students are considered to be full-time students and are required to pay student fees for the session(s) in which they are registered.

More information about tuition and fees can be found here.

It is important to note that student loans are usually able to be deferred during an internship placement. In addition, scholarships and bursaries can maintian their validity during a placement.

International students are welcome to apply to the Computer Science Professional Internship Program, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements. Upon acceptance into the program, all international students are required to apply for a Co-op Work Permit from the Government of Canada in order to successfully pursue a 12-16 month internship in Canada.

It is important that international students submit their applications as soon as they are admitted to the program, as it may take up to 6 months (or more) to obtain your Co-op Work Permit from the Government of Canada. International students must have their Co-op Work Permit before the scheduled start date with their sponsoring company (i.e. before May 1st of the same academic year enrolled in CSPIP).

For more information about the application process, please contact the Internship Coordinator or the the International Student and Study Abroad Centre (ISSAC) at the University of Saskatchewan.

Important Notes 

  1. An Off-Campus Work Permit is not a sufficient permit for an internship placement. Students must obtain a Co-op Work Permit.
  2. In order to work in Canada, students will need to apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN). If an international student did not receive a SIN at the port of entry, they must apply at Service Canada.

Schedule

Activity Timelines
Inquiries Anytime
Students apply for admission into the program September 1 - 30, 2023
Deadline for companies to submit rank and offer job posting(s) January 7, 2024
Computer Science Career Fair January 10, 2024
Deadline for students to apply to rank and offer job postings January 14, 2024
Rank and offer interview period January 15 - February 9, 2024
Companies submit their rankings to the Internship Coordinator February 12, 2024
Internship Coordinator forwards job offers to students to accept/reject February 13 - 14, 2024
Open Recruitment Begins February 20, 2024
Students start employment May or September 2024

Important Note: students accepted into the Computer Science Professional Internship Program will be required to complete a series of mandatory preparatory workshops throughout the 2023-2024 academic year.

How to Apply

Students interested in applying to the Computer Science Professional Internship Program must complete their application on CareerLink, and submit their application fee to the Computer Science main office by the specificed deadline in the schedule. Applications will not be processed until the application fee has been received.

  1. Online applications will be open on CareerLink from Sept 1 - 30 every year. The link to the application form can be found under the 'Computer Science Internship Program' tab. The form requires you to answer a short questionnaire, and upload a resume and letter of interest. 
  2. The application fee is $40.00 and is payable in cash at the Computer Science Main Office (Thorv 176). 

Applicants will be notified of an admission decision via email within 10 days after the application deadline. 

Prep Material

A series of mandatory workshops and deliverables are scheduled throughout the academic year to help prepare CSPIP students in applying for internship positions. More information regarding workshops and deliverables will be available upon acceptance into the program. Any inquiries can be directed to the Internship Coordinator.

Workshop topics include: writing cover letters and resumes, networking and communication, interview skills, and professionalism in the workplace. 

Students must complete all tutorials and deliverables. Failure to do so may result in expulsion from CSPIP. 

2023-2024 professional development workshop materials will be posted online between October to December. Students can view the content and complete required deliverables in an asynchronous manner each week.

In-person activities and/or guest presentations will also be offered during this time to supplement the learning material. Though these are not mandatory, they are highly recommended. 

Prepare Your Application

In addition to the program workshops, there are multiple university resources offered to students to help them successfully prepare an application package. A combination of one-on-one meetings, group tutorials, guest speakers, and online resources give students the tools and knowledge they need to put their best step forward.

Upon acceptance, CSPIP students will participate in group workshops focused on building resumes and cover letters. Students will receive an inside scoop on what to include in a Computer Science-focused resume and how to organize their experiences and skills to best showcase their candidacy.

Students also have access to campus Career Services. Career Services has developed guides to assist in preparing resume and cover letter documents. You can pick up copies of these guides from Career Services on campus or view the information online:

Career Services
University of Saskatchewan
G50 Lower Marquis Hall
(306) 966-5003
career.services@usask.ca
Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm.

Career Services also offers ResumeTalk sessions, which are interactive sessions designed to address specific questions regarding your resume and cover letter. Visit the Career Services website for more information and to register for a ResumeTalk session.

An interview workshop is offered prior to the scheduled interview period. This workshop will cover interview etiquette and format, sample interview questions, group exercises, and interview expectations. Every year, we invite an experienced technical manager to speak to students and provide better insight on how to prepare for interviews. 


Career Services offers InterviewTalk sessions, Online Interview prep, Mock Interviews, and other events to help you prepare for your employment interviews.

Testimonials

Developing and managing a successful software system requires a diverse set of skills. Working with an experienced team helped me to better understand how developers, designers, managers, marketers, and other professionals work together to see new features through the design process and into production.

- Christina Sitkowski, Past CSPIP Intern
The CSPIP has given me an opportunity to learn and apply my skills in a fun, exciting, and challenging way. Being able to bring a client's vision to life has been so rewarding, and given me the confidence to explore my passion and the drive to learn even more.

-Matthew Horning, Past CSPIP Intern
ESTI has been participating in the Computer Science internship program since 2002 and has been privileged to work with 18 enthusiastic interns in that time.  We enjoy providing CS students with a glimpse of how the IT industry operates, and we in turn appreciate what these students have been able to relay back to us about the CS program and how it is evolving. Three CS internship participants are now partners at ESTI and we trust there will be many more to come.

- Mark Dick, CEO of ESTI

Companies

We would like to acknowledge the companies who have partnered with our program in the past. Following is a list of some of the companies and organizations that have hired student interns from the Computer Science Professional Internship Program.