Contact Us

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

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Internships

Department of Criminal Justice


 

Internship Requirement: Criminal Justice Concentration


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.

Purpose of an Internship

  • Gain valuable administrative experience
  • Bring a real-world element to your program of study
  • Establish contacts in the public, private, and non-profit criminal justice sectors

Pre-Service MPA Students

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.

Planning for an Internship

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.

Possible Internship Opportunities

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.

Important Aspects of an Internship

  • Must be with an organization related to Criminal Justice
  • Must include hands on administrative duties
  • Must be approved by CRMJ Graduate Internship Coordinator
  • Can be either paid or non-paid
  • Must be equivalent to 300 hours of work
  • Grades for the internship course are given as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory
  • Must be completed prior to graduation

In-Service Student Waiver

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.

For more information visit the MPA Webpage.

Contact Us

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

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