Undergraduate Internships & Graduate Practicums

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is different from typical university offerings as it takes place beyond the traditional classroom setting. By engaging in internships at criminal justice and justice-related organizations, students will be given the opportunity to bridge the gap between theory and practice while gaining knowledge and skills pertinent to activities within the discipline. This hands-on approach enables students to enhance their resumes with substantive experience and provides an opportunity to establish career-relevant contacts. Note: Students who register for 3 credit hours will be required to work 120 hours, while those registered for 6 credit hours must work 240 hours.

 

PURPOSES AND GOALS

The main objective of internships is to enable students to acquire valuable experience within a work environment. Other goals of the internship placement experience include:

  • To enhance students’ understanding of the daily operations and structure of a criminal justice or justice-related organization.
  • To explain how the organization’s work is interconnected with other criminal justice, social, and community service networks and identify the activities of these groups.
  • To provide an opportunity to examine the impact of organization policies and practices on individuals and communities.
  • To provide students with opportunities for collaborative work alongside practitioners.
  • To help students identify potential future academic and career paths by exposing them to various areas of criminal justice and justice-related practices.
  • To cultivate work independence, helping students recognize their strengths and pinpoint areas for improvement.
  • To smooth a school-work transition.
  • To encourage reflection on personal values and beliefs and their influence in a work context.

 

PREREQUISITES

To be eligible for the Department of Criminal Justice internship program, students must meet the following requirements:

 

CJ450 Undergraduate Internship

  • Class Standing: Students must be in senior standing and have earned 90 credit hours by the start of the internship. Please note: Students who complete internships with some federal agencies such as the Secret Service are exempt from these criteria.
  • Grade Point Average: Students must have a minimum of 2.5 GPA overall.
  • Criminal Justice Credits: Completion of at least 15 hours of the core classes is required for a Criminal Justice bachelor's student. The core classes include: CJ200, CJ201, CJ202, CJ305, CJ306, CJ325, CJ326, CJ360, CJ395, and CJ485.
  • Prior approval: Students must apply and be accepted for CJ450 academic credit per department requirements before contacting organizations.

 

CJ690 Graduate Practicum

  • Grade Point Average: A minimum of 3.0 GPA.
  • Criminal Justice Credits: Completion of the Criminal Justice Masters core courses CJ621, CJ625, CJ643, CJ649, and CJ650.
  • Prior approval: Students must apply and be accepted for CJ690 academic credit per department requirements.

 

NOTE: Graduate student internships are called practicums. They follow the same application process as internships but have different eligibility requirements, as noted above, and require more coursework.

 

APPLICATION AND PLACEMENT DEADLINES

Students interested in pursuing an internship must begin planning one semester before their desired start date. Internship applications must be submitted by the following deadlines:

 

Application Deadlines:

  • Summer internships: March 1
  • Fall internships: May 1
  • Spring internships: November 1

 

Internship Site Approval and Educational Agreement Deadlines:

After the Internship Coordinator approves students' applications and communicates approval via email, students should secure an internship and submit the required documents according to these timelines:

  • Provide the details of the internship placement site immediately after acceptance by the organization (as outlined below).
  • Have a confirmed internship and sign the Educational Agreement no later than two weeks before the start of the semester.

 

APPLICATION AND APPROVAL PROCESS

To begin the internship process, students should complete the following steps:

 

1.    Pre-Application Meeting

Meet with or contact the Internship Coordinator, Professor Ouellette (heather.ouellette@louisville.edu), before the semester you plan to intern to confirm eligibility and review the application steps and program details. Be sure to bring a copy of your unofficial transcript, available here.

 

2.    Complete Internship Application

Submit the Internship Application by logging into Cardinal Careers. Navigate to the "Experiential Learning" tab and complete the "Exp. Learning Application/Form." After reviewing and approving the application, the Internship Coordinator will provide guidance via email to help you proceed with your internship search.

 

3.    Internship Search and Placement

Secure an internship. Although the Internship Coordinator is available to assist and answer questions, it is ultimately your responsibility to find and secure an internship. Once you have received an internship offer, promptly share the following placement site information with the Internship Coordinator:

    • Student ID
    • Employer
    • Position Title
    • Internship Dates
    • Work Department (indicate “N/A” if not applicable)
    • Work Address
    • Compensation (if applicable, include hourly wage or salary)
    • Hours Per Week
    • Supervisor Contact Information

 

Placement Site Criteria

Internships must be completed with criminal justice or justice-related organizations, including juvenile justice, victim services, corrections, private security, law enforcement, law offices/courts, public policy, or similar organizations. The work duties performed must be related to justice work. If unsure, obtain specific information about the organization and internship plan and ask the Internship Coordinator if they are acceptable.

NOTE: Internship site requests that are not clearly connected to the criminal justice system will not be approved. The Internship Coordinator will decide whether placement requests are eligible.



4.    Internship Site Approval and Educational Agreement

Once the Internship Coordinator approves your internship and confirms it with you via email, submit your placement site details in Cardinal Careers and sign the Educational Agreement. Your internship experience forms will be sent to your internship supervisor for approval, followed by final confirmation from the Internship Coordinator.

 

5.    Registration Clearance

After confirming that both the student and supervisor have signed the Educational Agreement, the Department will clear you for registration and notify you via email. At that point, you should register for the course.

 

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS 

Internships should be regarded in the same manner as any other academic course. They are structured with clear requirements and expectations, and student coursework is assessed at the end of the term. The only difference is that internships are mainly field experiences rather than classroom experiences. Students are evaluated on a comprehensive work plan, reflective journal, time log, final paper, and evaluations. By combining the academic coursework of CJ450/690 with hands-on criminal justice or justice-related fieldwork, students gain a holistic educational experience. 

 

Questions About Getting an Internship?
Contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies/Internship Coordinator:

Professor Heather Ouellette
Email: heather.ouellette@louisville.edu