Internship Program

Course Objective

The primary goal of the Internship Program is to provide effective and efficient training for undergraduate students that are currently enrolled in the Department of Criminal Justice & Forensic Investigation at Jacksonville State University. During the semester, the student will be exposed to a particular agency, and will get a first-hand look at how the agency operates and its function in the Criminal Justice arena. The intern program is short, but it will provide the student with a small taste of the agency and the Criminal Justice system as a whole.

General Information and Eligibility

Undergraduate students selected for internships in approved criminal justice agencies must have at least a junior standing in the Department of Criminal Justice & Forensic Investigation as a prerequisite for selection. Additionally, they must also possess a minimum of a 2.5 overall GPA to participate with a local agency (e.g., police department, sheriff's office, etc.) and a minimum of a 3.0 overall GPA to participate with a state or federal agency (e.g., Alabama State Troopers, Secret Service, etc.). A student may take up to two internship classes in separate semesters during their baccalaureate matriculation. The internship classes are listed as CJ/FI 471 and CJ/FI 472. An internship is not a required course. However, either CJ/FI 472 or a senior seminar is a part of the Department of Criminal Justice & Forensic Investigation core as a student's capstone course requirement. Therefore, if a student chooses to participate in only one internship experience and wants it to fulfill their capstone course requirement, they must be in senior standing (a minimum of 90 hours completed toward their degree) and they would need to register for CJ/FI 472. Further, if a student wishes to participate in an internship experience but does not need it to fulfill their capstone course, then they are eligible once they have reached junior standing (a minimum of 60 hours completed toward their degree), and then they would register for CJ/FI 471. Internships are offered only in the fall and spring semesters. All internships must be approved by the Director of the Intern Program and the Department Head of Criminal Justice. Applications must be submitted during the advisement session in the semester prior to the one in which they want to participate. Students are required to attend the mandatory internship meeting held each semester prior to the week of advisement. 

The meeting is to:

  1. Determine if the student has met the minimum qualifications to participate,
  2. Facilitate the best match possible from the standpoint of student needs with agency needs and
  3. Give qualified students their Internship Student Instructional Handbook and discuss the requirements in detail.


After successful completion of the internship meeting, the student is allowed to schedule a placement interview with the agency. The student is required to submit the following items to the Internship Director:

  1. The internship application form
  2. The internship registration form
  3. A copy of a their Degree Audit Report, which is available through MyJaxState
  4. A copy of the waiver of liability

Undergraduate students must have completed at least 21 semester hours (CJ core) in Criminal Justice; six hours of Criminal Justice electives, and maintained a 2.5 or better grade point average. Exceptions made with respect to the number of hours or GPA requirements must receive approval from the Director of the Internship Program and the Department Head of Criminal Justice.

Students cannot use their current place of employment as the agency setting for their internship unless approved by the Director of the Internship Program and the Head of the Criminal Justice & Forensic Investigation Department.

Lastly, in order to receive credit toward their degree a student cannot participate in a "paid" internship setting. The internship must be a volunteered service.

For more information please contact Leah Besler, ldabbott@jsu.edu.