The campus pathway offers students the opportunity to complete an internship. Junior and senior-level students can obtain valuable work experience in criminology and criminal justice, apply knowledge and skills learned through prior courses, volunteering, and/or work experiences, and explore career opportunities related to criminology and criminal justice. Eligibility is limited to criminology and criminal justice majors and minors with junior or senior status (90+ credit hours).
The community-based learning internship is designed to be flexible and engaging, with both field and academic components. Students will receive internship advising from the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Internship Coordinator and have access to a wealth of resources to assist with the internship search and application process. We offer many more internship community partners in law enforcement, law offices, courts, community corrections, and social services than student interns. This abundance of opportunities, coupled with our comprehensive support, is designed to reassure students and give them the confidence they need to succeed in their internship.
Students should plan to volunteer 80-200 hours at an approved internship site over a ten-week academic quarter. There is also an online course component (CCJ 404) where students create an internship proposal detailing their contributions, learning goals, and outcomes, along with a final paper where students reflect and evaluate what they learned and accomplished throughout the 10-week internship. CCJ 404 counts as elective credits.
A student must be accepted by their internship agency and receive departmental approval to enroll in the internship course by the last day to add a course. Students who miss the deadline must register for the internship course the following term. While late course admissions are not permitted, students can still volunteer with their prospective internship agency. However, these hours cannot count toward the internship course requirement. Please note: all internship hours must be completed with the same agency, and the agency cannot be the same agency where the student is already employed.
To ensure a successful internship experience, we strongly advise students to begin the process two terms before course enrollment. This early planning allows students to research and apply for an internship, considering each community partner’s unique requirements and practices. Some agencies process applications and complete background checks in two months, while others can take up to six months. By applying early, students can secure their top internship choices and be well-prepared for their internship. While the Department only requires 80 hours for the 10-week internship, most of our community partners have come to expect a lengthier commitment due to the time it takes to recruit, interview, perform background checks (where applicable), train, onboard, and get the student “up and running” where the intern can make meaningful contributions to the organization. Interning longer than the minimum also allows students greater networking, more diversified and in-depth professional development experiences, and increased potential for employment opportunities. Students are strongly encouraged to communicate with community partners regarding their organization’s requirements and expectations pertaining to hours.
Finally, to better understand an internship's goals and maximize the largest number of internship opportunities, we recommend reviewing the "Steps to Obtaining an Internship" document below before beginning the research process.
Steps to Obtaining an Internship (PDF)