Careers and Internships

• See the CCJS@USG Blog for CCJS-specific internships and job opportunities.
• The Feller Center in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) offers an online internship and job listing database with features especially for BSOS students. To learn more, see Handshake
• Explore Criminology and Criminal Justice Careers

The Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJS) internship (CCJS359 and CCJS398) is a learning experience involving work in a criminal justice or criminological setting. Interns are expected to gain valuable work experience as well as relevant knowledge which will add to their overall understanding of the field of criminology and criminal justice. Internship positions must center on learning new material over the course of the semester and interns are expected to participate in ongoing training and development.

Students are responsible for arranging their own internships. Agency announcements that are submitted to our department are posted for students on the CCJS@USG Blog and the University Career Center maintains a database of available jobs and internships through their website. Additionally, students are encouraged to search for internships on their own. The Feller Center in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) provides information on finding internships. Internships must be approved by the CCJS @ USG Program Director prior to the intern's start date and beginning of the semester. Students can download the Internship Contract.

Internship Objectives

• Interns are expected to gain valuable work experience as well as relevant knowledge which will add to their overall understanding of the field of Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Interns will experience training and development in the workplace under professional guidance and supervision
• Interns will have the opportunity to utilize some of the ideas and theories learned in CCJS courses

Academic Internship Requirements

Below is a list of potential assignments associated with earning academic credit for internships.  More details on assignments and expectations will be included in the internship syllabus. 

• Ste Observation Assessment
• Timesheets
• Supervisor Evaluation
• Reflection Paper

Student Eligibility Requirements

• Students must be a declared CCJS major
• Students must have a minimum of 56 cumulative credits
• Students must have a minimum UMD cumulative GPA of at least a 2.50

Internship Eligibility Requirements

• The internship must be a new experience for the student, not a continuation of a current internship or one previously completed.
• A second internship with the same agency will be considered if the student is interning in a different division, with a new supervisor, and completing different duties and responsibilities.
• Internships must be an actual internship experience. While internships may be paid, credit will not be given for jobs either new or previously worked.
• The internship must involve work in the criminology or criminal justice field; internships in the law field must involve solely criminal law.
• Internships must be done on-site with direct supervision; internet or web-based internships are not eligible without specific approval.
• Students are not permitted to work in a private residence and/or home office.
• Internships must involve work, duties, and responsibilities that are more than secretarial in nature. Clerical and basic administrative office work will not qualify for a CCJS internship.

*Internship eligibility is subject to review and change based on the Internship Director's discretion.

How Internship Credit Works

• For every 45 hours interned, a student will receive 1 credit.
• Students have from the first day of classes until the last day of classes to complete their internship hours.
• Students can earn a maximum of 6 internship credits per semester and per internship.
• Students can earn up to 12 credits total for internships through CCJS (a maximum of 2 internships at 6 credits each).
• Students can count a maximum of 12 internship credits towards their degree.
• Internships must be approved by the CCJS Advising Office before the student's first day of interning and prior to the end of schedule adjustment for that term.

To Receive Approval

Students must complete the internship contract and submit it to the CCJS @ USG Program Director, Dr. Wendy Stickle, at wstickle@umd.edu.

Things to Note

• Supervisors will be contacted throughout the semester to verify the student’s schedule, duties, as well as to determine how well the intern is performing their work.
• In case of illness, students are responsible for notifying their supervisor in advance and providing documentation as needed to verify absences. Failure to properly notify supervisor in advance of absences can have a detrimental effect on the student’s grade.
• The intern must properly plan to complete the required number of hours (e.g. 135 hours) for the credits they anticipate earning (e.g. 3 credits), during the schedule adjustment period. Students have until the end of the schedule adjustment period to alter the amount of credits they anticipate earning.

Professional Responsibilities

Students should keep in mind when they are at their internship, they are in a professional working environment. This is a great opportunity for students to network, gain work experience, develop themselves on a personal level, and earn recommendations for future jobs/graduate school. Students are expected to act in a professional manner. While at an internship, students are not just representing themselves, but they are representing the University of Maryland, College Park and the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The National Advocate Credentialing Program, affiliated with the National Organization for Victim Advocacy, has approved UMD coursework to meet the training requirement for a provisional victim advocacy credential. Students who complete CCJS360 Victimology and CCJS460 Victim Advocacy can provide a transcript to show proof of course completion.

With a nominal fee, students can receive their provisional credential. This is a fantastic opportunity for students as there are many benefits to this type of credentialing, including:

• Enhanced recognition, credibility and mobility in the victim assistance field.
• Professional identification with a group whose common ground is victim services and whose members abide by a Professional Code of Ethics for Victim Service Professionals.
• Promotion and acknowledgement of a standardized minimum of forty (40) hours of pre-service training and encouragement of thirty-two (32) hours of continuing education every two years.
• Credentials are renewable every two years and may be upgraded.
• Credentialed advocates may request an indication of a “Specialty” on their credential (Comprehensive, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Homicide, Campus Advocacy or Program Management) supported by documented specialty training.
• Credentialed advocates may use the designation “CA” after their names. (adapted from NACP website).

 If you are interested in this opportunity, please email Dr. Stickle at wstickle@umd.edu for more information. 

Enroll in up to 6 credits with the UMBC Cybersecurity graduate program at USG while completing your degree with CCJS at USG. These credits will count towards your B.A. in CCJS with UMD and also jumpstart you on your masters degree. Additional details will be provided when available. If you are interested in this opportunity, please email Dr. Stickle at wstickle@umd.edu for more information. 

Current CCJS at USG students are eligible to earn up to 15 credits by completing the Montgomery County Police Department Academy while enrolled with UMD. Additional details will be provided when available. If you are interested in this opportunity, please email Dr. Stickle at wstickle@umd.edu for more information.