Internships

The Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice makes its educational programs relevant to the real world by providing valuable educational experiences in the classroom and experiential learning opportunities outside of the classroom. Internship opportunities contribute to students' intellectual and ethical growth and provide important skills that are needed in positions of employment outside of ASU.

Internships allow learning opportunities that class room instruction cannot provide. They also offer students opportunities to apply what they have learned in class to real world work environments and make it possible for students to evaluate their classroom experiences from a new, practical perspective.

In short, internships are an integral part of the academic program within the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice.

To read more about:
Criminal Justice Internships

OR ...
CLICK HERE TO MEET THE INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR

Criminal Justice Internships

PURPOSE:

Criminal Justice is an extremely sensitive and critical field of study. It is concerned with nothing less than the distribution of justice throughout society. The main purpose of cj internships is to give students the vitally necessary practical experience that they will need to find meaningful employment within a criminal justice related position. Students are exposed to the realities of the criminal justice system to learn how they can become qualified to serve in this field as a future practitioner.

PROCESS:

A Criminal Justice internship consists of a required, one semester "course" worth 12 semester hours. A student will spend an entire semester working at and for an improved criminal justice agency. This is a required part of the criminal justice undergraduate degree!

ELIGIBILITY:

To be eligible to participate in cj internships, students must:

1)    Be a declared criminal justice major;
2)    Have completed ninety (90) semester hours;
3)    Have a overall G.P.A. of at least 2.0; and
4)    Have a G.P.A. in criminal justice of at least 2.0.

ACCEPTABLE AGENCIES:

Agencies acceptable for internship placements should be public sector, private non-profit, or private security organizations. Field instruction may occur in both traditional and nontraditional agencies and organizations. Instruction is provided by agency personnel in close cooperation with campus faculty.

REQUIREMENTS:

Student performance is evaluated using the following criteria:

1) Full-time participation (minimum of 40 hours per week) for an entire semester beginning with the first day of classes and ending on the last day of classes;

2) Written weekly summaries of the internship experience;

3) A formal research paper directly related to your internship experience;

4) Two agency evaluations of your performance; and

5) A field visit to meet with you and your site supervisor by your faculty supervisor (when possible).

The final grade for the internship is satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U).

PREPARING FOR YOUR INTERNSHIP:

Thoughtful planning is essential in creating an internship that is a successful and meaningful learning experience. The planning process includes:

1) Start early (at least one semester prior to your internship)

Attend an internship planning meeting which is held at the beginning of fall and spring semesters.
Receive an internship application form at the meeting.

2) Make an appointment with the internship coordinator, MONA BRANDON

An appointment schedule will be announced at internship meetings.
Be prepared to discuss our internship needs.
Develop a list of possible internship sites with Ms. Brandon.
Bring your completed internship application and a copy of your transcript to the meeting.

3) Start your internship search

Prepare a resume, cover letter (and use the Career Development Center at ASU).
Purchase an internship manual at the ASU bookstore.
Contact your resources.
Approach organizations in a professional manner.

4) Select an internship site

Obtain information from possible sites about who the site supervisor is and what you would be required to do.
Meet with Ms. Brandon to discuss the best site for you.

5) Prepare learning agreement with internship site

Have the agency complete all parts of the agreement paying particular attention to the available activities
All parties must approve and sign completed learning agreement.

6) Final preparation

Register for your internship.
Attend a group internship meeting with the internship coordinator, MONA BRANDON.

CONTACT THE INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR AT (828) 262-3014 OR BY EMAIL AT BRANDONMR@APPSTATE.EDU IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!