Undergraduate Internships
Many students majoring (or minoring) in Criminal Justice are interested in gaining practical experience in the field during their undergraduate studies. It is for this reason that the Department of Criminal Justice offers the opportunity for qualified juniors and seniors to “intern” with local police, corrections or court agencies for credit. This program is supervised by Professor Jack Shuba. He has contacts with a variety of local agencies and departments. As a result, he will help the student make contact with an appropriate agency. Provisions will be made for online students. These internships are for academic credit only (sorry – no paid internships) which can range from 3.0 hours to 12.0 hours. Internships are considered to be a “4000 level elective” in Criminal Justice and can provide the student with valuable insight into the actual operations of different agencies as well as enabling the student to make personal contacts with practitioners in the field.
In order to qualify for an undergraduate internship you must be either a major or minor in Criminal Justice and have at least a 2.5 GPA. You must also be either a junior or senior. Preference is given to seniors since those students generally are more in need of the “4000 level credit” and will be embarking on their job search sooner than others.
Once a student is assigned to an agency they are expected to work 40 hours per semester at the site for every hour of academic credit for which they are registered. For example, the formula is as follows,
- 3.0 hours of academic credit requires 120 hours of participation over the course of the semester
- 6.0 hours of academic credit requires 240 hours of participation over the course of the semester
- 9.0 hours of academic credit requires 360 hours of participation over the course of the semester
- 12.0 hours of academic credit requires 480 hours of participation over the course of the semester
It is vital that every student understand that they are representing both themselves and the university during their internship experience. All interns are evaluated by their primary contact at the host agency at the end of the semester. They are expected to meet the schedule, goals and expectations of that agency during their placement. All students are also urged to carefully evaluate their schedule for other activities (work, classes, family and social responsibilities) if you are planning an internship. Interns are expected to be at the site when they are scheduled and be prepared to participate.
If you are interested in an internship, please email Professor Jack Shuba or phone at 419. 530.2185. We do everything possible to accommodate the student’s “first choice” as to placements although some sites fill faster than others. It is strongly recommended that the prospective intern begin making arrangements at least one semester in advance since all criminal justice agencies require interns to undergo a rigorous (and time-consuming) background check and often a full interview.