Criminal Justice Internships and Careers

Undergraduate Practicum

Practicum is a service-learning course where students complete 80 hours of field experience. Students also participate in classroom sessions that facilitate learning in the areas of problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, leadership, public speaking and teamwork. The course requires students to discover, develop and refine necessary career competencies and skills to compete in a global market.

Prerequisites: 75 or more credit hours and CRJU 3900

Top Internship Placements

We have over 75 internship placements. Criminal justice students are required to complete an internship as part of their degree requirements (unless waived due to the student having one year of field experience). We place roughly 50–60 students each fall and spring (roughly 20–25 students in the summer). Ninety-five percent of students secure an internship each semester, primarily because students are required to complete a pre-practicum process the semester before they register for the course. The course assignments are aligned with recommended career core competencies (i.e., critical thinking, problem solving, oral and written communications, teamwork and leadership). Career Services also has additional data on internships.

  • U.S. Marshals (offices in Alexandria, VA, and Greensboro, NC)
  • Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Agency (ATF)
  • Durham County District Attorney's Office
  • City-County Bureau of Investigation
  • State Bureau of Investigation
  • NC Alcohol Law Enforcement
  • Raleigh Police Department
  • Division of Adult Corrections and Juvenile Justice (Durham, Wake, Vance, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Orange and Alamance counties)
  • Adult probation
  • Correctional institutions
  • Juvenile court services
  • Winston-Salem Police Department
  • FEMA
  • Local non-profits
  • The Law Office of John Fitzpatrick
  • NC Department of Justice, Division of Standards
  • Chapel Hill Police Department
  • Wake County Public Defender's Office
  • Criminal Justice Resource Center

Job Opportunities

According to the NCCU First Destination Survey, 43.74% of criminal justice students are employed full-time after graduation. Their places of employment include the following:

  • Secret Service
  • Drug Enforcement Agency
  • FBI
  • Division of Adult Corrections and Juvenile Justice
  • Haven House
  • PROUD Non-Profit
  • Department of Defense
  • State Bureau of investigations
  • NC Department of Justice
  • Criminal Justice Resource Center