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The Office of Internships offers students a 3-credit internship/fieldwork course whereby students work at an agency in their field of interest for a semester. Students must first pre-register for an internship course with the Office before registering for the internship course during regular registration. In order to participate in an internship, students must first qualify for the program. Students may not take more than fifteen (15) credits in internship courses.
ELIGIBILITY:
* A grade point average of 2.50 or better (some internship placements have their own
requirements).
* Completion of 30 or more academic credits (some placements require more credits).
* Availability of eight to ten hours a week (16-20 during the summer) for a total of 96
hours of fieldwork for the semester.
* Ability to attend five seminars (three hours each) on Fridays.
* Completion of at least one semester at John Jay College.
* Pass a background check for certain agencies.
* Acceptance into the Program is not guaranteed.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS:
Students must call or stop by the Office to schedule an appointment during the pre-registration period. All students are seen by appointment on a first come, first served basis. After an in-depth interview exploring students' career aspirations, students are referred to one or more agencies.
THE PLACEMENT PROCESS:
All interns are expected to contact the agency representative and set up their own appointment. Dress for the interview should be professional and successful job search skills should be employed to secure the field placement. If a resume and/or letter of recommendation is/are required, it is the student's responsibility to provide one. If the first two field placement referrals do not work out, students are given additional referrals until a suitable placement is secured. Sometimes placement interviews are conducted on campus.
Registration for the assigned INTERNSHIP/FIELDWORK COURSE must be done during the regular registration period.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
Students are required to complete an Internship Application and submit a transcript or grade report at the time of their appointment during the pre-registration period. Each student who pre-registers for an internship must complete an Internship Contract which explains the internship course and students' responsibility and is filed with the application. Furthermore, all interns are required to complete a Memorandum of Agreement (an agreement between the agency and the student) and keep a time sheet.
THE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE:
Interns are required to work in the field eight to ten hours per week for a total of 96 hours for the semester. Interns are also required to attend 15 hours of seminar meetings. These meetings are usually held on Friday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for a total of five meetings. Seminars may include guest speakers from various agencies, role-playing, resume writing, oral presentations or other professional development events. Each seminar has an assigned faculty advisor.
All interns are required to attend an orientation called Internship Day which is usually scheduled during the second Friday of the semester. Students will receive three hours credit toward their 15 hours of required seminar meetings for their attendance at Internship Day. In addition, students must complete assignments from their faculty advisor; this may be a log, a term paper or an oral presentation. At the end of the internship, students will be evaluated by the agency supervisor and graded by their faculty advisor.
Internships afford students opportunities for academically related fieldwork in a wide range of criminal justice, government and social service agencies, cultural organizations, businesses, health, research and non-profit institutions. Courses are offered in Corrections (COR), Police Science (PSC), Psychology (PSY) and Sociology (SOC).
Students may earn up to fifteen credits in internship credits toward their baccalaureate degree but only one internship course is allowed per semester.
GRADING THE INTERNSHIP:
Field Evaluations are mailed approximately one month before the end of the semester to agency/field supervisors. The final grade for the internship course is given by the assigned faculty advisor, and he/she has total discretion in determining students' final grade. Students' field evaluation, course assignments and attendance are all considered in deciding the final grade.
PLEASE NOTE - Interns may drop their Internship/Fieldwork course at the Registrar's Office before the drop deadline. It is the student's responsibility to notify the agency/field supervisor, the faculty advisor and the Office of Internships.
BENEFITS:
An internship is one way for students to gain valuable work experience, which may enable them to build their resume, network with agencies, cultivate references and letters of recommendation for law or graduate school, make educated career choices, evaluate theory and practice and most of all attain employment. An internship experience can validate students' career choice, and open their eyes and ears to new possibilities of which they may be unaware. It might also force them to rethink their choices, and they may need to make new decisions. Whatever the outcome, the experience is a way for students to assess their strengths and weaknesses prior to graduation.
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Office Hours
The Office operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when classes are in session.
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