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Frequently Asked Questions

About Internships

Q:  Do I have to do an Internship?

A:  No.  Internships are not mandatory for Criminal Justice Majors.  Students may engage in internship credit to fulfill the Career Component Credits and/or Criminal Justice Elective Credits of the degree.  If a student chooses not to engage in internship credit, the student would enroll in regular academic courses to satisfy those area requirements.


Q: How many credits is an internship?

A: Students may engage in any number of credits of internship from 1-15 credits.  The number of credits depends upon the type of experience, availability of the student, and internship site.  Each credit of internship requires 40 clock hours of student time with the internship site.  For example, a three credit internship requires 120 hours of time.  A six credit internship requires 240 hours of time. A 15 credit internship requires 600 hours of time.

Q: When can I do an Internship?

A: Students may engage in internship credit during the fall, spring, or summer semesters.  Students are eligible to engage in internship credit after they have earned 60 credits.  Students must have at least a 2.5 GPA, overall to be approved for internship.

Q:  How do I go about getting an Internship?

A:  Pursuit of an internship placement should begin with discussions with your academic advisor.  You and your academic advisor will work together to develop a list of possible internship sites.  CJ Faculty members have existing relationships with some agencies that accept student interns.  In some situations, students identify potential internship sites and the faculty member and student work together to seek placement.

Q:  How do I apply for an Internship?

A:  Students must apply for and receive approval for internship credit with the University.  Once the student and academic advisor have identified the site and received verification from the internship site that the student can engage in internship experience, the student must fill out the LHUP Internship Application, which is found HERE

As noted above, the student must have earned 60 credits and maintain an overall 2.5 GPA at the time of application.  The application includes information regarding the internship site, on site supervisor, and learning objectives for the experience.  This application must be signed by the academic advisor, the department chair, the Dean, the Provost, and the President.  The Internship site or on site supervisor does not sign this form.  However, the student should expect to go thorough a separate application process at the internship site, which may include filling out an application for employment and completion of a background check as part of being eligible with the agency.  

Q:  Does the Internship Site have to be in Lock Haven?

A:  Students may engage in internship experiences anywhere, provided the experience has been approved by the University. In fact, the majority of students find placement in agencies situated outside of the Lock Haven community. LHU CJ students have engaged in Internships all over Pennsylvania, in Maryland, New York, North Carolina, and Mississippi.

Q:  What are the Internship requirements?

A:  Students are required to fulfill all on site internship requirements established by the agency and that varies with site.  Specific requirements of the internship on the part of the University vary with academic supervisors.  However, at a minimum students should expect to keep a daily log of experiences at the site, complete a 2 page abstract of the experience (which is kept on file by the Library), receive satisfactory evaluation from the on site supervisor, and engage in an exit interview with the supervising faculty member. 

Q:  Do I get a grade for my Internship?

A:  Students earn letter grades for Internship Credit up to and including 9 credits.  These credits will appear as CRJS 369 on the degree audit.  Internship credit engaged in by the student above 9 credits will be recorded as pass/fail.  These 'pass/fail' credits will appear as GNED 369 on the degree audit and the student will earn credit for them, provided that they pass the Internship requirements.

Q:  Can I get paid for an Internship?

A:  Most internship experiences are unpaid.  However, there are some agencies that will hire students as regular employees so that students can be gainfully employed while earning college credit.

Q:  Do I have to pay tuition for Internship Credit?

A: Yes.  LHU counts enrollment in Internship Credit like any other course work.  Therefore, the student must pay for these credits as they would any other credits with the University.

Q:  What's the difference between an Internship and External Experience?

A:  Internships are optional for CJ majors and students earn credit for these experiences.  External Experience is a University level requirement of all students enrolled at LHU and the student does not earn credit for this experience.  It is an additional requirement that students must fulfill prior to graduating.