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Internship Process

Find an Internship                                                        

  • Students must find their own internship sites. The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice maintains a list of past internship locations and this list is available to students. See the Bulletin Board.
  • The duties involved in each internship are specially designed by an agency and/or an internship supervisor in consultation with the student and will be included in the Internship Learning Agreement (ILA) Contract.
  • Each internship involves a commitment on the part of the student of a minimum of 120 hours up to a maximum of 200 hours.

Complete the Internship Learning Agreement (ILA) Contract & Release of Liability Forms

The forms can be obtained from the Department “forms” tab. The completed contracts must be returned to the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice for approval before students will be allowed to register for the internship course (CJUS 5753). Failure to return the completed contract will result in the student being denied the ability to register for the internship course.

  • The Internship Learning Agreement (ILA) must be typed (the form on the website can be completed on your computer and printed) with handwritten signatures. Handwritten contracts will not be accepted.
  • Fill out the application (ILA) COMPLETELY. Only fully completed applications will be processed. Make sure to obtain all required signatures.
  • Please obtain the required signatures & submit a scanned copy of ILA and Release of Liability to the Internship Coordinator, Dr. Nicole Collier (nicole.collier@csusb.edu), no later than week 1 into the semester. As this class involves high commitment, NO students will be enrolled in this class after week 1 of the semester.
  • After you have emailed your forms and your internship site has been approved, the department will issue a permit so you can enroll in the course.                           

Biweekly Check-ins with Internship Coordinator

Another factor in determining whether credit is earned is by the student meeting bi-weekly with the internship coordinator to discuss the success of their internships. This will serve as an opportunity to ensure the students are performing well in their role, achieving goals that they set out at the beginning of the semester, and to answer any questions the students might have. 

Write a Paper/Report                                                  

One factor in determining whether credit is earned is a paper completed by the student. The paper should present a description and analysis of the duties and responsibilities the student experienced during the internship. The paper should also evaluate the internship experience, noting both positive and negative aspects of the internship. 

Format of the Paper                                                         

his written report should be 2,500 to 3,000 words long. Papers must be typed, double-spaced, one-inch margins, standard font size 11 or 12.

Content of the Paper                                                       

The final report should be reflective and evaluative in nature. It must include the following sections:

  1. What were your duties and responsibilities during the internship?
  2. What new knowledge and skills did you learn?
  3. Is this an industry/organization/career path in which you would like to work full time? Why or why not?
  4. Do you think this internship will help you in your career? Why or why not?
  5. What did you discover that you need to learn more about? What course(s) or other experiences can you pursue to learn it?     

Paper Submission                                                 

The paper should be submitted electronically to Canvas no later than the last day of regularly scheduled classes for the term in which you are enrolled. Failure to turn in the paper by this date will result in a grade of “No credit”.                                       

Evaluation by Internship Supervisor

Toward the end of the semester, the internship supervisor will receive a request to meet with the internship coordinator, Dr. Nicole Collier, to complete an evaluation of the student’s performance throughout the semester. This serves as one element in determining whether the student receives credit for the internship course. If the student receives an unsatisfactory evaluation from his or her internship supervisor, the student will not receive credit for the course.