International law students who wish to apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) F-1 employment authorization should first consult the rules and regulations published by the International Student and Scholar Services Office.
All students requesting CPT authorization must be enrolled in a course related to their proposed employment. At the law school, this course requirement is fulfilled by creating a research and writing project through a Directed Research and Study course (DRS). The research and writing project must fulfill the DRS rules and be topically related to the work that the student performs during their employment. Law students who have secured either a volunteer or compensated job opportunity must propose a research paper topic and secure a law professor to supervise the project.
DRS credit is not available for work performed by a student during his/her employment. Instead, credit is granted only in connection with the research and writing project that a student will submit to the DRS supervising professor.
The paperwork necessary for enrolling in a DRS is available in the Student Affairs Office (TNH 2.117). If you have any questions, please contact Student Affairs at 512-232-1140 or StudentAffairs@law.utexas.edu.