Internships

Internships

One of the hallmarks of the PLU sociology and criminal justice program is the opportunity for students to participate in experiential learning opportunities. Internships are a great way to gain valuable work experience and to learn more about potential career paths. Internships are required for Criminal Justice majors and strongly recommended for Sociology majors.

Criminal Justice students commonly complete internships with juvenile courts, law enforcement agencies, probation offices, and victim advocacy organizations, among other agencies. Sociology students participate in internships at local schools, shelters, and social service agencies, many of which have a social justice focus. The Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice has ongoing relationships with numerous internship providers, but we also encourage students to consult the Opportunities Board or the Director of Career & Experiential Learning at Alumni & Student Connections to discuss potential internship sites.

Steps for Securing an Internship

Step 1: Discuss internship opportunities. Meet with Dr. Gerardo Cuevas-Buendia (cuevasgv@plu.edu), internship professor, and/or make an appointment with an internship advisor at Alumni & Student Connections (intern@plu.edu) to discuss internship opportunities. The department recommends that students begin researching internships at least a full semester before they plan to enroll in the course.

Step 2: Contact internship sites. Students planning for a fall semester internship should start contacting potential internship sites by the end of the spring semester or early summer. Students planning for a spring semester internship should start contacting potential internship sites by early to mid-fall semester. Please note: If students are planning to apply for an internship at a law enforcement agency, they must apply months in advance so that their background check can be completed prior to the start of the semester.

Step 3: Work on the learning agreement worksheet with an internship supervisor. Once students have secured an internship, they should meet with their internship site supervisor to discuss specific internship responsibilities. Based on this conversation, students should start working on their learning agreement worksheet. The worksheet is a tool for students to record all pertinent information that they will later input into their formal learning agreement.

Step 4: Work on the learning agreement worksheet with the internship professor, Dr. Cuevas-Buendia. Once students have a full draft of the learning agreement, set up a meeting with the internship professor to review it and discuss the sociological or criminological connections. This meeting, and the above meeting with the internship site supervisor, will help ensure a student’s learning objectives match up with expectations for what they can accomplish at their internship.

Step 5: Submit the learning agreement. Take the information from your Learning Agreement worksheet and submit it in the Learning Agreement. Students taking internship through AICE 476 will be automatically registered for the course upon submission of the learning agreement. Students taking an internship through SOCI/CRIM 495 can register for the course through the typical registration process.

Step 6: Begin internship after the Statement of Understanding is submitted to PLU. Before a student can begin their internship, their internship site must complete PLU’s Statement of Understanding (MOU). Students may not begin their internship until their MOU is received by Alumni & Student Connections. Students will be notified by Dr. Cuevas-Buendia when the MOU is complete and they can begin their internship. Some internship sites have existing MOUs with PLU and students will not have to wait for this step to be completed.