Graduate Advising

Artificial Intelligence 
Dr. Mohamed Abouelenien  

Computer and Information Science 
Dr. Jinhua Guo 

Cybersecurity and Information Assurance 
Dr. Birhanu Eshete  

Data Science 
Dr. Jie Shen 

Software Engineering 
Dr. Zhiwei (Tommy) Xu 

Program Coordinators
Kimberly LaPere - [email protected]  | T: 313-436-9145  |  Office: 105 CIS

Computer Engineering:
Dr. H. Malik  
Dr. S. Rawashdeh
Dr. A. Shaout

Program Director: Dr. Wencong Su 

Electrical Engineering:
Dr. S. Awad    
Dr. A. Hafeez   
Dr. J. Hong   
Program Director: Dr. Wencong Su 

Energy Systems & Sustainability Engineering:
Dr. C. Lee  
Dr. G. Reyes-Villanueva
Program Director: Dr. T. Kim

Robotics Engineering: 
Dr. J. Kwon   
Dr. S. Rawashdeh 
Program Director: Dr. A. Mohammadi

Program  Coordinator: 
Michael Hicks - [email protected]  |  T:313-593-5420  |  Office: 2050 IAVS 

Engineering Management
Dr. Abdallah Chehade

Human-Centered Design and Engineering
Dr. Sang-Hwan Kim 

Industrial Systems Engineering
Dr. Bochen Jia 

Information Systems Technology
Dr. Shan Bao

Manufacturing Analytics Engineering
Dr. Cheol Lee  

Program and Project Management
Dr. Shan Bao

Program Coordinator 
Joey Woods - [email protected]  |  T: 313-593-5361  |  Office: 2340 HPEC

Automotive and Mobility Systems Engineering 
Dr. Taehyun Shim

Bioengineering
Dr. Mathumai Kanapathipillai 

Materials Science and Engineering
Dr. German Reyes-Villanueva 

Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Hong Tae Kang 

Program Coordinators
Rebekah Awood - [email protected]  | T: 313-593-5241  | Office: 2000 HPEC

Note: CPT authorizations for Fall 2026 semester have been paused. At the same time however, we will not cancel nor modify CPTs that have already been approved. More information can be found on the Important Updates webpage.

Students interested in applying for CPT should strictly adhere to the following procedures:  

Effective from Winter 2021

Eligibility:

1. Students must be enrolled full-time for two consecutive semesters prior to CPT.  Summer can be counted if it is enrolled full-time.
2. Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or above (good academic standing) to apply.

Procedure and Documents required to apply:

1. Deadlines for CPT applications follow the campus registration Add/Drop deadlines. After the deadline, applicants must submit petitions to their department chair for approval and petitions have to be submitted within the first four weeks of the semester.
2. Applicants must obtain a job offer letter from the prospective employer. The letter must include:
   • Be printed on company letterhead showing company address (site name and detail location address if different than the company’s address most be provided)
   • Indicate the job title and describe the work the student will do (job has to be in the student’s field of study)
   • Indicate specific start date of employment (and end date, if applicable)
   • Indicate the number of hours the student will work per week
3. Applicants must provide a written statement that clearly indicates how CPT is a good opportunity for improving their educational experience (that is, how the concepts learned in their coursework will be applied through employment).
4. Applicants should bring all CPT related forms and documents to their home departments Graduate Programs Coordinator to request approval and they will obtain signatures from the chair.
5. Students must apply for CPT authorization through the International Office website:

Course Enrollment Requirements:

1. Full time CPT (working 21 or more hours/week): CPT ENGR 500 (1 credit hour) + minimum of 3 credit hours enrollment in coursework related to major
2. Part time CPT (working 20 or fewer hours/week): CPT ENGR 501(1 credit hour) + minimum of 6 credit hours enrollment in course work related to major

Students Completing CPT:

1. At the end of each semester when ENGR 500 or ENGR 501 is enrolled, students must provide a written report to the chair of their home department describing how the knowledge gained from their coursework has been implemented during their work experience. This report will be used to assign a pass/fail grade for the CPT course.
2. Students must re-apply for CPT every semester (see procedure above).
3. The total duration of CPT should be no more than 365 days.

All students interested in applying for OPT: 

1. Optional Practical Training (OPT) Requirements

All students interested in applying for OPT should strictly adhere to the following procedures:

1. Must be registered full-time and have completed at least one academic year in a degree-seeking program.

2. Can perform OPT as:

• Pre-Completion OPT
  • Full-or part-time OPT during summer vacation
  • Part-time OPT only while school is in session and students must be registered full-time
• Post-Completion OPT after completion of coursework (excluding thesis or the equivalent)

3. Must apply for OPT before completion of study.

4. Must complete the OPT application documents located on the OIA website:

Requirements for Application Request:

• Internships are not allowed during the Fall and Winter terms during the doctoral studies.
• If the faculty advisor or department does not have (GSI /GSRA) funding to support doctoral students during the summer, the student may apply for an internship during the summer term only.
• The internship application should be endorsed by the Faculty Advisor and the Program Director/Committee.
• Internship work is encouraged to be closely related to the dissertation research or related to the faculty advisor‘s research funding.
• Applicants must be in good academic standing and making good progress towards the degree.
• The student is responsible to pay for the internship course credit and any related fees required.
• International students are required to register for the CPT course, ENGR 500. Credits for ENGR 500 will not count toward any doctoral degree requirements.

Fall 2026:
For students who register for a CPT course in Fall 2026:

Application deadline: September 9th, 2026 (campus Add/Drop Deadline) 

Last day to submit a petition: September 23rd, 2026 (within 4 weeks after instruction/semester begins on August 26th, 2026)

Winter 2027:

For students who register for a CPT course in Winter 2027:

Application Deadline : January 20th, 2027 (campus Add/Drop Deadline) 

Last day to submit a petition: February 3rd, 2027  (within 4 weeks after instruction/semester begins on January 6th, 2027)

Summer 2026:

Full Summer Semester :

Application deadline: May 19th, 2026 (campus Add/Drop Deadline) 

Last day to submit a petition: June 3nd, 2026 (within 4 weeks after instruction/semester begins on May 6th, 2026 )

Summer I Semester:

Application deadline:  May 12th, 2026 (campus Add/Drop Deadline) 

Last day to submit a petition:  June 3nd, 2026  (within 4 weeks after instruction/semester begins on May 6th, 2026)

Summer II Semester: 

Application deadline: July 9th, 2026 (campus Add/Drop Deadline) 

Last day to submit a petition: July 27th, 2026 (within 4 weeks after instruction/semester begins on June 29th, 2026)