Criminal Justice students have interned at almost 100 sites at city, county, state and federal agencies, nonprofit agencies, and for profit agencies in law enforcement, corrections/re-entry, pre-law, and victim services. Students are not placed in internships, but develop and practice job seeking skills by applying and interviewing for internship positions.
Through internships, students gain valuable experience and skills, develop a professional network, apply classroom learning to real-world situations, and define career interests. In recent years, over half of interns end up with an offer of employment or internship extension from their internship agency.
Note: Graduate students will work with their faculty advisor to determine practicum requirements (see below).
of students say their internship had a positive impact on their career goals.
Criminal Justice majors with an emphasis - Corrections & Reentry, Public and Private Safety, or Victim Services - are required to complete least a three-credit internship. The internship needs to be must be related to the criminal justice field.
Minimum requirements to intern include: completion of and a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the following courses: CJS 111, CJS 411 and CJS 433.
If interning at a current place of employment, the internship duties must be outside of your normal daily tasks. Special projects will be taken into consideration.
We strongly recommended students complete a full-time, 16-credit internship. Many criminal justice-based organizations require a full-time internship for entry level positions (e.g., corrections).
12-16 credits is considered a full-time internship
400 hours
25 hours per week during fall/spring semsters or 33 hours per week in summer
1 to 11 credits
33 hours interned per credit/per semester
Example: 3 credits = 99 hours interned per semester
Note: Students must be enrolled in an internship course while actively interning to earn academic internship credit. Internship credit cannot be retroactively applied to a non-credit internship experience.