Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology
Department 3197 | A&S 208
1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2988
Email: crmj@uwyo.edu
MPA Students
All MPA students are required to complete a three-credit hour internship program as part of their program requirements (which counts toward the 15 hours of elective credit) unless they can demonstrate at least two (2) years of progressive administrative experience in a public, private, or non-profit Criminal Justice organization (see waiver information below). Waivers must be completed and submitted to the CRMJ Graduate Internship Coordinator during a student's first year of coursework. Student’s current employment is judged on a case-by-case basis and may not necessarily qualify as internship experience.
Students who have little or no appropriate administrative experience (usually less than 2 years of no more than entry level experience) are required to complete a 3 credit hour internship in order to complete the degree program. The program strongly encourages students to serve an internship in an area of interest to them at a governmental agency or non-profit organization.
Prior to their beginning an internship, MPA/CRMJ students must complete an MPA/CRMJ Internship Contract in conjunction with their potential employer and submit it to the CRMJ Graduate Internship Coordinator for approval. The MPA program tries to help students find appropriate internships, but students should seek out their own internship opportunities as much as possible. Students should contact the CRMJ Graduate Internship Coordinator prior to finding an internship for direction and tentative approval. Students may begin their internship at any time during their coursework.
Students, in order to complete the internship requirements, must enroll in CRMJ 5500 and complete the equivalent of 300 hours (20 hours per week for 15 weeks or 40 hours a week for 2 months) of work. Students do not however have to enroll in CRMJ 5500 the same semester they begin their internship. In addition, students will be required to complete and submit to the CRMJ Graduate Internship Coordinator a final 10-15 page paper on the internship experience (guidelines for the paper can be obtained from the MPA Director upon approval of the internship). All internship requirements must be completed prior to graduation.
Students are expected to find internship opportunities in their area of interest. While the MPA program will help students as much as possible in identifying opportunities, students are expected to pursue internship opportunities on their own. The Department does however offer several internship opportunities that MPA/CRMJ students may take advantage. MPA/CRMJ students are eligible for the Legislative Internship in Cheyenne during the spring. In addition, various Wyoming cities such as Casper offer summer internships for graduate students.
Students may request a waiver of the internship requirement if they can demonstrate at least two (2) years of progressive administrative experience in a public, non-profit, or private administrative criminal justice setting. Student experience will be judged on case by case basis, but demonstrably significant work experience in an appropriate profession will be considered. In such cases where the waiver is approved, three hours of additional electives must be taken for a total of 12 in the criminal justice concentration as a substitution. The request form must be submitted to the CRMJ Graduate Internship Coordinator for approval. Students are encouraged to submit this waiver the same semester they are admitted to the program in order to ensure their unimpeded progress in the program.
Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology
Department 3197 | A&S 208
1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2988
Email: crmj@uwyo.edu