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Information
on Interships
If you are majoring in Criminology, you may elect to participate
in an internship experience. An internship is a fantastic way for
you to explore career options and screen a potential employer. It
is not uncommon for agencies to aggressively recruit interns for
positions within the agency. Take some time to carefully select
a placement site and be sure to do a great job. Even if the placement
does not result in a paid position, a letter of recommendation from
your supervisor in the agency can sure go a long way, especially
if you do not have a great deal of real world experience.
Course Description
CCJ 4940 INTERNSHIP FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJORS (3)
PR: Senior standing. The internship will consist of placement with
one or more of the agencies comprising the criminal justice system.
This course will enable the students to gain meaningful field experience
related to their future careers. The three-hour block of credit
will require a minimum of ten hours of work per week (15 hours per
week during a 10 week summer session) within the host agencies in
addition to any written work or reading assignments.
Earning your grade
Please note that internships are graded Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
This grade is based on both the evaluation by your placement supervisor
as well as your satisfactory completion of the written assignments
outlined in the syllabus for the course. (sample
syllabus) Except in very rare cases, students may not apply
more than six hours of internship credit towards their degree requirements.
The internship is designed to provide you
with the opportunity to gain real-life experience in your chosen
field. You may not intern at your current place of employment-this
experience must be unique.
Signing up for an internship
Planning for internships is essential. Students must have
completed a minimum of 21 hours of Criminology coursework prior
to signing up for internship. You need to contact Dr. Lersch at
least one semester BEFORE you plan to intern with
an agency. For placement in federal agencies, you must allow at
least 4 - 6 months. Please send Dr. Lersch an email kimlersch@lakeland.usf.edu.
Once you have
a placement
Background checks will be required for the majority of placements.
Depending on the nature of the charge, students with an arrest and/or
conviction history may not be allowed to participate. Please be
aware that for some placements you may be asked to go through the
same level of screening as you would if you were applying for a
"real" job. This means you may be asked to submit to a polygraph
examination, credit check, national / statewide criminal background
checks, reference checks with your landlord, neighbors, employers,
former teachers....If you are serious about a career in the criminal
justice system, you might as well get used to it. A new twist is
for employers to run Google searches on folks prior to any offer
of employment. Be mindful of what you post on your "my space" website
or blogs-again, if you are serious about a career in criminal justice
it's time to get serious!
Internship Sites
Because we are a rather small but growing program,
we do not have a list of local agencies from which to choose a placement.
However, I encourage you to visit the Department of Criminology's
list of possible internship sites. While most of these agencies
will be in the Tampa area, we may be able to find you a comparable
local placement.
Please go to this link to explore the various possibilities: http://www.cas.usf.edu/criminology/internship.html
If you see something interesting, do contact Dr.
Lersch at least one semester prior to starting your internship
and we will work together to find you a suitable placement.
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