Supervised experience in an administrative setting that provides the opportunity to integrate theory and practice in criminal justice-related agencies. Students must perform at least 150 hours of service at an approved agency. All hours must be completed during the semester in which the student is enrolled in CRJ 4933. Please see the relevant academic calendar for semester start and end dates.
May be repeated for credit in a subsequent semester at a separate agency, but no more than 6 semester credit hours will apply to a bachelor’s degree.
Note: A criminal background check may be a requirement during the semesters in which a student enrolls in internships. It is the responsibility of the student to determine if his or her criminal history background will present a problem before applying for admission to the program. Students with problematic criminal history will not be able to complete most of the field-experiences that are required by the program.
Internship Coordinator Chris Booker explains the internship process. Check out his video.
Student Eligibility
The undergraduate internship program (CRJ 4933) is available to criminal justice majors who have 90 earned hours and have passed the following prerequisite classes:
CRJ 1113 – American Criminal Justice System
CRJ 2153 – Criminological Theory
CRJ 3013 – Research Design and Analysis in Criminal Justice
Additional prerequisites may apply to specific internship agencies. Consult the department’s Internship Coordinator for more information.
Early coordination with the CJ Internship Coordinator and the selected agency is critical. Agencies often require an extended period of time to approve an internship application.
Enrollment Procedures
For the semester or term in which the course is taken, students must register in accordance with the registration dates published in the UTSA Registration Calendar. Students may not register late. It is highly recommended that students begin preparing for the internship selection/registration process one (1) semester prior to the term in which the course is actually taken.
Students must have an internship offer in place from an approved internship agency before registering for CRJ 4933.
The Directory of Internship Placements is the list of all the approved agencies. Once a student has completed the agency’s application procedures and been offered an internship by the agency, the student must complete the Internship Information Formwith the agency.
If you don’t have an agency in mind, start by thinking about where you want to work when you graduate or the type of experience you want — law enforcement, probation, courts, private security.
Once you have decided the type of agency, think about location – San Antonio, Boerne, Live Oak, etc.
If you need suggestions on where to intern or names of people to contact, please examine the Directory of Internship Placements to help you examine your options and point you towards agencies that match your career goals.
What if I want to intern at an agency that is not on the list?
If you wish to intern at an agency that is not on the directory, that agency will have to be approved by the Internship Coordinator, the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, and the provost of the university. There are extensive legal agreements that have to be reviewed and signed. This increases the amount of time it takes to approve your internship. Agencies must be willing to meet the learning objectives of CRJ 4933. They must be willing to assign meaningful duties to interns. They must also be criminal justice related agencies in the judgment of the internship coordinator. They must be willing to sign the legal agreements drafted by the UTSA Legal Affairs Office. Interning at an agency that you have a personal connection with is discouraged. When you graduate and enter the job market, you will have to contact agencies that you are unfamiliar with and inquire with them about how to seek employment. Going through this exercise now will better prepare you for that experience.
It is the student’s responsibility to contact the agency person-of-contact (POC) and inquire about the application requirements. Agencies are unique and each agency has its own preferred process. Sometimes a simple email with suffice. Other times a phone call may be required. Sometimes, students will have to go in person to the agency. Applying for an internship is similar to applying for a job. Applicants who show determination and motivation are usually more successful. The agency wants interns, but personnel are often busy and an email from a student about an internship doesn’t always have the highest priority. Persistence pays off.
Every agency has their own application and screening processes. Background investigations by agencies are routine in virtually all student internships. Some agencies may require only a brief interview. Many agencies require fingerprints. Other agencies may ask students to submit a very thorough screening process that takes several months to complete.
Agency application requirements can include, but are not limited to:
Students can enroll in CRJ 4933 only with approval of the Internship Coordinator. The Internship Coordinator will verify that students have the prerequisite classes, have earned 90 hours, and have been offered an internship opportunity by an approved agency.
To receive approval to register for CRJ 4933, follow these steps:
Once you have submitted all application materials to an approved agency AND they have offered you the opportunity to complete your internship with them, you and the agency POC must complete the Internship Information Form.
Send an email with a scan of the completed Internship Information Form attached to the Internship Coordinator at christopher.booker@utsa.edu. Mr. Booker will verify the student’s eligibility for enrollment in CRJ 4933.
The Internship Coordinator will inform you of the time and place of the next orientation meeting. During this meeting, the academic requirements and the final grade calculation of the internship will be explained, along with procedures for documenting internship hours. Students will receive a syllabus. At the conclusion of this meeting, you will be given a registration slip to take to advising. There will be several orientation meetings. If you cannot attend the first orientation offered due to a scheduling conflict, you can attend a later meeting.
Take your registration slip to the Downtown Advising Office. Your advisor will register you for CRJ 4933. You do not need to make an appointment with your advisor to drop off your slip.
All of this must be completed by the registration deadline for the semester. Do not wait until the last minute. Students who receive financial aid and scholarships that are depending on full time registration should start this process early enough to ensure their aid is not jeopardized.
You must complete 150 hours with your agency. All training sessions and agency orientations count toward the 150 hours. Driving from home to the agency and meal breaks will not be counted as internship hours. “On call” hours will not count towards the 150 hours unless you are actively responding to a call. Meet with your agency to establish your schedule; which days of the week you will work and what times. The schedule you arrange is between you and the agency as long as you reach 150 hours by the end of the semester.
Your agency supervisor will complete an evaluation of your performance. The evaluation form will be available on Blackboard. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the evaluation form to their supervisor. The supervisor will complete the form and email it directly to the Internship Coordinator. The evaluation accounts for a significant portion of the student’s final grade.
For more information, contact: Mr. Chris Booker
Internship Coordinator
