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Department of Criminal Justice Sciences

Internships in Criminal Justice

Take what you learn in the classroom and apply it to your future career.

All undergraduate criminal justice majors get to have an internship experience.

Internship Advisor

Steps to Follow

There are a lot of internship opportunities out there. You can do what inspires you most. Your experience can be at the local, state, or federal level. You can also intern near campus, your home community, or out of state. You can start your internship when you earn 60 credit hours.

  • 1.

    Discuss the process with your advisor.

    You, your academic advisor, and the intern coordinator will discuss the best time to do your internship and how many hours you want to take.

    Credit Hours

    Everyone is required to complete six credit hours of an internship. This is course CJS 398A01 and amounts to 240 work hours.

    You can also take an additional three or six credit hours of internship credit. This is course CJS 398A02 and amounts to 360 or 480 work hours.

    If you take additional hours, you can do them during the same semester with the same agency. You can also do additional hours during a different semester with the same or different agency.

    Your advisor will cover all this information during your regular advising sessions.

  • 2.

    Attend an internship meeting one year before your internship starts.

    After you meet with your academic advisor, you’ll have a plan of when to start your internship.

    One year out, you’ll attend a mandatory internship meeting with the internship coordinator. This meeting gives you more details about the internship process and applying.

    • Spring Internship: Meetings occur the previous spring semester
    • Summer Internship: Meetings occur the previous fall semester
    • Fall Internships: Meetings occur the previous fall semester

    We’ll let you know when the internship meetings are available and you can sign up for a time that works best for you.

  • 3.

    Start researching what you want to do.

    There are so many opportunities in the criminal justice field.

    Where to Look

    ReggieNet: Under the Resources section, you'll find an Internship site. Your internship coordinator will have resources and information about agencies. You can complete your internship at any criminal justice-related agency. It does not have to be an agency listed in ReggieNet.

    Your Own Research: You can always complete your own research. Think about what you want to do and what agency would be a good fit. This is an opportunity to learn about an agency and determine if it's a good career choice for you.

    Career Services: Career Services is a good place to find opportunities and learn about job fairs.

  • 4.

    Complete the internship packet the semester before you start your internship.

    After you attend an internship information meeting, you'll complete an internship packet. This is when you'll indicate where you want to complete your internship.

    Once you turn in your packet, we'll go through it and if everything looks good, we'll send your materials to your top choice agency.

    We'll post the packet when the time comes. You'll learn more about the internship packet and how to complete it at the mandatory meeting.

  • 5.

    Attend an internship launch meeting the semester before your internship starts.

    After you complete your internship packet, you'll attend an internship launch meeting. The internship launch meeting covers academic and agency expectations, as well as appropriate behavior during the internship.

    • Interning during the spring semester: Attend the launch meeting the previous fall semester
    • Interning during the summer semester: Attend the launch meeting the previous spring semester
    • Interning during the fall semester: Attend the launch meeting the previous spring semester

  • 6.

    Make the most of your internship experience.

    Many students get hired after completing their internship. With professionalism, a positive attitude, and a strong work ethic, you might find that your internship leads you to your future career.

Student Forms

 

Sample Internship Packet

This is only a sample with no required fields so that you can see the entire packet before you fill it out. DO NOT SUBMIT THIS AS YOUR INTERNSHIP PACKET.

Spring Internship Packet

Internship Packet for students who will be completing an internship in Spring 2025. Students will be notified when the packet is available. 

Fall Internship Packet

Internship Packet for students who will be completing an internship in Fall 2024. This packet will close on May 15, 2024 at 3.p.m.

Summer Internship Packet

Internship Packet for students who will be completing an internship in Summer 2025. Students will be notified when the packet is available. 

    • Acknowledgement of Risk

      You will need to download this form to your computer or phone, save it, digitally sign it, and upload it to the designated field in your packet.

    • Clinical Vaccination and Testing Requirement

      You will need to download this form to your computer or phone, save it, digitally sign it, and upload it to the designated field in your packet.

Agency Forms

  • Intern Acceptance/Denial Form

    Agencies can use this form to accept or deny a student's internship application.

  • 398.01 Intern Evaluation Form

    (CJS 398.01 = 6 credit hours) - Site supervisors should complete this form when the student has completed 240 work hours.

  • 398.02 Intern Evaluation Form

    (CJS 398.02 = 9 or 12 credit hours) - Site supervisors should complete this form when the student has completed 360 or 480 work hours, depending on if they are earning 9 or 12 credit hours.