Crime and Justice Minor Internship

As part of the 18-credit minor, you must complete three credits of fieldwork in a criminal justice setting. You are responsible for obtaining an internship, identifying a faculty supervisor, and enrolling in the field experience course in the faculty supervisor’s department.

The fieldwork must take one of the following forms.

“In a criminal justice setting” is a crucial phrase. This means that you must work in one of the institutions of the criminal justice system or work with an agency that interacts on a day-to-day basis with such institutions.  These may include, but are not be limited to, the following:

  • Courts, prisons, police, probation service
  • Criminal defenders or prosecutor’s offices
  • Advocacy groups, education and prevention groups
  • Other groups that work with juvenile and adult delinquents or at risk populations
  • Law firm, if the work substantially engages with criminal law

With the exception of the UConn Police Department, the internship must be off-campus. A wide range of opportunities are available near Storrs, in Hartford, and in your home community.

If in doubt that a proposed internship will meet the requirements of the Crime and Justice minor, you should contact an advisor or the coordinator.

Finding an Internship

Obtaining an internship can be time consuming. You should start the process six months in advance. If you are unsure where to start, visit the Center for Career Development, in Wilbur Cross 201 or on the web at career.uconn.edu. A portion of the CCD website is devoted exclusively to internships. Also see: Crime and Justice internship opportunities.

Earning Credit

A credit-bearing internship is a three-way agreement between you, your internship site supervisor, and your faculty supervisor. This agreement is formalized in a learning contract. What steps should you take to set up an internship for credit?

  • Explore your options for faculty supervision at the same time as you explore internship opportunities. Many internship sites ask for confirmation that you will be earning credit as part of the application process. Learn more about departmental internship expectations and enrollment processes by reviewing the websites and contacting the departments below.
  • Know that each credit of internship must entail at least 42 hours of work and the required number of work hours must be clearly stated in your internship contract.
  • Consider the cost. Your regular tuition will cover the cost of internship credits during the academic year, but if you do an internship during the summer, you will be charged tuition based on the number of credits that you will earn.
  • Remember that there is no retroactive credit! To receive credit for an internship, you must register prior to undertaking the work; you cannot receive retroactive credit for internship work you have already completed.
  • CLAS policy on internships