SACR-4670. Criminology Professional Development Practicum
This practicum provides students in the Criminology program with the opportunity to apply learned concepts and theory to a practical setting and to become further familiarized with an area related to Criminology. Students will be placed in organizations in the Windsor-Essex region related to their area of interest within Criminology (e.g., the law, corrections, etc.) and will be expected to dedicate a total of 100 hours to both the in-class learning and practicum components of the course. Additionally, students will be required to complete assignments as assigned by the instructor. This course is open to Criminology majors only.(Prerequisites: SACR-2600, SACR-2620, SACR-3730 or SACR-3910 or SACR-3560, semester 7 or higher standing, and minimum major average of 73%.)
Introduction
The Criminal Justice Practicum is an applied learning program designed to help students
develop a more complete understanding of the criminal justice system through real-world
experience. The practicum builds upon and enhances the education students receive in the
traditional classroom setting. Criminal justice programs at colleges and universities began
regular use of applied learning in the late 1960s. Over the past 30 years, UNCW has placed
hundreds of criminal justice students in local, state and federal agencies to augment the
learning process. Former students frequently mention the Criminal Justice Practicum as the
most important learning experience in their undergraduate education, and an essential firststep in entering the professional work force directly out of college.
The practicum will greatly enhance your personal and professional development. You will gain
valuable experience in a criminal justice agency. You will also begin to develop a network of
professional relationships. These contacts often lead to future employment, occasionally in the
agency where you completed your practicum, or by having your contacts write letters of
recommendation or make calls to colleagues in other agencies. But as in most things in life,
you only get out what you put in. Your professional career starts right NOW! Prepare yourself
to make the most of this opportunity.
Educational Objectives
• Expand and enrich student understanding of the criminal justice system;
• Supplement classroom learning with active real-life learning;
• Apply social science theories and principles to the real world;
• Develop professional knowledge and skill-sets necessary for future employment;
• Help refine career plans and goals.
Practicums vs. Internships
There tends to be confusion regarding the difference between a practicum and an internship.
Actually, practicums and internships are quite similar. Both are a type of experiential learning
where students “learn by doing.” Both practicums and internships require an agreement among
the student, the university, and the participating agency; students typically work for an entire
semester in an agency for academic credit under the direction of a faculty instructor and an
agency supervisor. An additional similarity between practicums and internships is that students
are normally expected to complete a semester-long project or write a paper at the conclusion
of the experience.
The main difference between practicums and internships is the degree of formal instruction
built into the experience. Practicums stay closer to the traditional classroom format. For
example, the Criminal Justice Practicum requires weekly classroom meetings to share
students’ experiences and to integrate core concepts and theories learned through formal
study of the discipline. Practicum students and the faculty instructor work closely together
through frequent communication. By way of contrast, internships often entail less formal
contact between the student and faculty instructor during the semester and seldom is there a
classroom component. Student-interns are monitored more by the participating agency than by
the university.
2
Eligibility for Enrollment
Enrollment preferences will be given to students with an overall GPA of 2.00 (2.3 GPA in the
major) and senior standing. This is a “Permission Only” course, meaning that students must
receive the formal permission of the instructor before they may enroll in the class. Students
must be in good standing with the university and have no major criminal record. Note: Most
agencies require a background check. A serious blemish on your record or pending charge
may disqualify you from particular agencies and your ability to participate in the practicum.
Credit Hours
The criminal justice practicum is a 4-hour block. Students must enroll in both CRM 490
Practicum (3 hours) and CRML 490 Practicum Lab (1 hour). The CRM 490 Practicum course
requires students to intern a minimum of 150 hours during the semester in their assigned
agency, or roughly 10 to 12 hours per week over a 15-week period. A time sheet is used to
record the hours. The CRML 490 Practicum Lab is held once a week. The one-hour lab gives
students the opportunity to meet with the instructor and other practicum students to discuss
various issues related to the course. Note: The criminal justice practicum requires a
SIGNIFICANT amount of time, energy, and commitment. It is not an easy course, and it is not
for everyone.
Enrollment Procedures
➢ Contact the practicum instructor and/or attend the Practicum Information Session prior
to registration. Your junior year is a good time to start planning for the practicum. The
practicum instructor is available to discuss your career plans and help you decide what
agency may be the best fit for you (see List of Agencies, attached).
➢ Fill out the Application Form online and submit via email or print and return to practicum
instructor (see application form at the end of this manual or online at:
https://www.uncw.edu/soccrm/programs/Practicum.html).
➢ If you are accepted into the practicum, the practicum instructor will enter a “Course
Override” into the computer that will enable you to register for CRM 490 and CRML 490.
This is done at the normal time for registration.
➢ Plan for your internship during course scheduling. Try to arrange your classes on a
MWF or TR sequence so that you have time available to work in the agency.
➢ Once enrolled in the practicum, contact agency supervisors to set up an interview (this
needs to be done early, preferably no later than the last day of classes in the semester
prior to the start of your practicum).
➢ Take a copy of your resume to interview. Dress professionally.
➢ Keep your practicum instructor up-to-date during this entire process.
➢ Be ready to start practicum as soon as the semester begins.
3
List of Agencies*
Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) New Hanover County District Attorney’s
Office
Bladen County Sheriff’s Office New Hanover County Correctional Center
Brunswick County Adult Probation &
Parole
New Hanover County Pretrial Release
Brunswick County District Attorney’s
Office
New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office North Carolina Adult Probation & Parole
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Explosives (ATF)
Pender County Correctional Facility
Coastal Horizon Center (TASC) Pender County District Attorney’s Office
CUE Center for Missing Persons Pender County Sheriff’s Office
Domestic Violence Shelter & Services, Inc. Public Defender’s Office (New Hanover
County)
Jacksonville Police Department Rape Crisis Center of Coastal Horizons
Center, Inc.
Juvenile Detention Center Special Police @ New Hanover Regional
Medical Center
Juvenile Services Division State Bureau of Investigation (See link to
website on next page)
Kure Beach Police Department UNCW Campus Police
Leland Police Department U.S. Probation
LINC (Leading into New Communities, Inc.) Wilmington Police Department
Naval Criminal Investigative Services
(NCIS) (See link to website on next page)
Wrightsville Beach Police Department
Note: The list above consists of agencies in which UNCW Criminal Justice Practicum students have
interned in the past. Some of these agencies may not currently be accepting interns and you are always
welcome to seek out agencies that are not listed. Be sure to check with the criminal justice internship
coordinator to ensure agencies that are not listed fit the requirements for the course.
To learn more about practicum opportunities in any of the agencies listed above, contact:
Jake Day, Ph.D.
Criminal Justice Internship Coordinator
Department of Sociology & Criminology, Bear Hall 224
University of North Carolina Wilmington
601 S. College Road
Wilmington, NC 28403-5978
4
Special Application Procedures
Certain agencies have special application procedures for potential interns. Many of these
agencies require applications to be submitted well in advance of the semester in which you
plan to enroll in the practicum course. See agency websites if you are interested in interning
with any of the following:
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA):
https://www.cia.gov/careers/student-opportunities/index.html
Department of Energy, Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence:
http://orise.orau.gov/doescholars/
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):
https://www.fbijobs.gov/students/honors-internship-program
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers:
https://www.fletc.gov/fletc-college-intern-program
Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS):
http://www.ncis.navy.mil/Careers/Interns/Pages/default.aspx
North Carolina Highway Patrol:
https://www.ncdps.gov/Our-Organization/Law-Enforcement/State-Highway-Patrol/join-statehighway-patrol/internships
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI):
http://www.ncsbi.gov/Careers/SBI-Careers/SBI-Internships.aspx
UNCW Career Center
The UNCW Career Center (Fisher University Union 2035, http://www.uncw.edu/career) is an
excellent resource for students seeking internships. Their mission is to be a comprehensive
career counseling and resource center dedicated to empowering students and alumni as active
participants in their own career development.
In addition to providing information regarding available internships, they also operate the
Certified Internship Program (CIP). Although the CIP does not provide course credit, it does
count as fulfilling the Explorations Beyond the Classroom requirement for university studies.
The CIP requires 50 hours of work over a five-week period. As such, it is an excellent option
for students wanting to get real-world experience but do not have the time required for the
Criminal Justice Practicum. More information on the CIP can be found at the career center’s
website: http://www.uncw.edu/career/cip.html.
WE HAVE DONE THIS QUESTION BEFORE, WE CAN ALSO DO IT FOR YOU
GET SOLUTION FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT, Get Impressive Scores in Your Class
CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR ORDER SACR-4670. Criminology Professional Development Practicum
TO BE RE-WRITTEN FROM THE SCRATCH
