Criminal Justice

Internship Program

Participating agencies include federal, state, county, municipal, and some private sector organizations that deal with all aspects of criminal justice including police, courts, law, corrections, juvenile justice, and security.

General Information
Only undergraduates who are declared degree seeking criminal justice majors are eligible to participate in the internship program.

The internship program consists of two courses: CRJU 4930, Seminar in Criminal Justice and CRJU 4940, Criminal Justice Field Instruction. All criminal justice majors must complete these courses during the last semester in residence at the University.

Because the placement process commences the semester before CRJU 4930 and CRJU 4940 are taken, all criminal justice majors must fill out an internship application form before the deadline date assigned to the semester that they plan to enroll in CRJU 4930 and CRJU 4940. It is the responsibility of the student to update the internship application form as it relates to changes in address and telephone numbers. Failure to do so may prevent the student from receiving timely information, which could prevent the student from enrolling in the internship program during the semester that they had originally preferred.

Before students are considered for enrollment in CRJU 4930 and CRJU 4940, they must complete all of the core general education requirements (i.e., areas A through F). They must also have a 2.00 GPA (of total hours earned) the semester before commencing the placement process. As such, students must meet with their academic advisor prior to applying for CRJU 4930 and CRJU 4940 to determine their eligibility for admittance to these courses.

Please note that several federal agencies require that a student initiate the placement process with them 6 to 9 months before the actual commencement of an internship, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) suggests that applicants apply at least 6 months in advance.

Placing a student with an agency takes a good deal of time, effort, and coordination. Several deadlines are imposed on students. These are known in advance and are designed to assure that all aspects of each placement are handled in a timely, efficient, and effective manner. If a student fails to abide by the deadlines that are imposed within this process, they will not be permitted to enroll in CRJU 4930 and CRJU 4940 during the semester that they had originally planned.

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures of the internship program. They should review the "Department of Criminal Justice - General Information Handout" for further information. If a student has a question about the internship program, they should ask the office staff, their academic advisor, or schedule an appointment (office or telephone) with the internship coordinator. The phone number of the Department of Criminal Justice is: 404-413-1020

Each semester there are two meetings that all students planning to enroll in CRJU 4930/4940 during the next semester must attend. The first meeting is a general group meeting. The general group meeting for students who plan to enroll in CRJU 4930/4940 for:

• Summer 2009 - Oct 10, 2008
• Fall 2009 - March 20, 2009
• Spring 2010 - June 19, 2009

The general meeting will be followed by individual interviews, where students make appointments to meet with the internship coordinator.  Students who comply with meeting the application deadline for internship, which is explained in the third paragraph of this General Information, will receive a letter reminding them of the date, time and location of the general group meeting.