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Internships

A variety of internship opportunities are available for undergraduate students majoring or minoring in Criminal Justice or Political Science, and for graduate students in Public Administration. An internship provides an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and earn course credit while being supervised at an agency chosen to fit the needs of the student.

For more information about internships, students should contact Dr. Jeffrey Rush, the Department's Internship Coordinator. Students may review open internship opportunities on South’s Handshake platform or select an agency based on a standing relationship.

The Process

Students should coordinate internships with Dr. Rush at least one semester in advance of enrollment in the internship. Students should complete an application, then submit the application along with a current resume to Dr. Rush, noting any agency site preferences. Resumes will then be sent to potential intern agency sites, with agencies contacting students to arrange interviews. Once an agency has made a decision, Dr. Rush and the PSC/CJ Department will be notified to provide registration access to the internship course. The student must register for the course (CJ 496, PSC 496, or PSC 596) in order to receive course credit for the internship. Close and continuing supervision of each intern's progress will be provided by Dr. Rush.

Undergraduate Internships (CJ or PSC 496)

The Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice places most students in local settings; however, internships may also be completed outside the region. A minimum of 112 hours of on-site work is required for 3 credit hours of CJ 496 or PSC 496. Students may enroll for up to 3 hours in their PSC/CJ major and/or 3 hours in their PSC/CJ minor. Each intern will be required, in consultation with Dr. Rush, to develop a final essay. The details will be provided by Dr. Rush. Additionally, a monthly activity report is required for undergraduates; instructions will be provided. Particular emphasis will be placed in the paper upon the relationship between the internship experience and academic course work. 

MPA Internships (PSC 596)

Students in the MPA Program may be allowed to enroll in PSC 596, for a maximum of six semester hours. Typically, admission to the Internship Program will require:

1.     Satisfactory completion of at least six of the required core courses

2.     Approval by the internship coordinator, Dr. Rush

The length of the internship and corresponding credit (3 to 6 hours per semester, not to exceed a total of 6 hours) will be determined for each student on the basis of the student's particular needs and opportunities. Each graduate intern will be required to develop a final essay. The paper will address an issue related to the internship experience. The essay topic will be discussed with Dr. Rush for approval. The essay shall reflect critical thinking, master’s level writing that is APA compliant, with an appropriate level of in-text citations. Dr. Rush will provide specific instruction related to the essay’s structure. There must be a nexus between the internship activities and academic knowledge. For more information on MPA Internships, contact both Dr. Jeffrey Rush, our Department's Internship Coordinator, and Dr. Scott Liebertz, Director of the MPA Program.