Undergraduate Program

Careers and Internships

Career Planning Information
What can a BA in Criminal Justice lead to?
Criminal Justice Careers
Criminal Justice Internship Program (P481)
Internships through the Career Development Center's
Arts & Sciences Career Services
Other internship opportunities

Career planning information

If you are undecided about your career path, your Academic Advisor(s) and Faculty are a great starting point.  Another great resource is the Career Development Center, which is located at 625 N. Jordan (855-5234, www.indiana.edu/~career).  The Center assists The College students with career planning and the job search.  It also sponsors Project Seek, an opportunity to learn about a potential occupation by spending the day with an alumnus who is a practicing professional.  The Center also helps students find part-time work while on campus.

SPEA encourages criminal justice majors to make use of its career library in SPEA 200, and to attend their career fairs.  They are the cluster headquarters for OPM (Office of Personnel Management).  Thus, students interested in jobs with the federal government can obtain information at SPEA as well as the Criminal Justice Advising Office.

Enrollment in ASCS-Q 299, Job Search Strategies for Liberal Arts Majors, a two-credit eight-week course open to all students, will provide students with resume writing skills and information on job search strategies and interviewing skills.

The School of Business offers a similar course, BUS-X 420, Business Career Planning and Placement.  Enrollment in this course permits COLL students to interview through the Business Placement Office.  (Please note:  No credit is given for both ASCS-Q 299 and BUS-X 420)


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What can a BA in Criminal Justice lead to?

Graduate School:

If you are interested in pursuing additional education, you might want to consider graduate school.  The BA in criminal justice provides a great foundation for continuing your studies in criminal justice, criminology, sociology, or other social science-related areas.  If you are interested in pursuing a non-criminal justice graduate degree, you may want to consider a double major with the other field of interest.

Ways that you can determine whether graduate school is the right choice for you:

  • Ask your Professors if you can speak with them about graduate school
  • Inquire as to whether there are professors interested in having undergraduate students help them conduct research.
  • See http://www.adpccj.org/ (Association of Doctoral Programs in Criminology and Criminal Justice)
  • www.gradschools.com is also a great resource for finding graduate programs in the geographical or academic area of interest.

Professional Programs:

If you are interested in working as a professional in the field of law, you might want to consider law school.

  • Contact  the Health Profession and Pre-Law Center here at IUB
    • HPPLC has many resources for preparing for the LSAT, choosing courses that will help prepare you for law school, as well as a reference letter service that you can use for graduate school, as early as your freshman year.
    • Location:
      Maxwell Hall 010
      Bloomington, IN 47405
      812-855-1873
      Fax: 812-856-2770
      hpplc@indiana.edu
      www.hpplc.indiana.edu

Employment :

Visit employment websites regularly to see what types of jobs are available to students with a BA/BS, as well as those that require a background in criminal justice, specifically.

Remember to check the Criminal Justice BLOG page for career-related information!

http://iubcjus.blogspot.com


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Criminal Justice Careers

Many potential career opportunities available to criminal justice majors are listed below.  Consult an Academic Advisor and the College of Arts and Science’s Career Development Center (625 N. Jordan, phone 812- 855-5234) for further guidance and suggestions.

Some areas of employment that are possible with a background in criminal justice are (please note: some may also require additional graduate, professional school or specialized training):

Legal Jobs:

  • Judge
  • Prosecuting Attorney
  • Defense Attorney
  • Bailiff
  • Paralegal/
    Legal Aid Counselor
  • Court Administrator
  • Court Clerk
  • Psychiatric Worker
  • Social Worker
  • Employment Counselor
  • Juvenile Referee
  • Court Reporter
  • Intake Worker

Correctional

  • Jail Administrator
  • Warden/
    Superintendent
  • Business Manager
  • Prison Industries Superintendent
  • Institution Parole Officer
  • Line Correctional Officer
  • Casework Supervisor
  • Child Care Staff
  • Social Worker
  • Training Personnel
  • Psychologist
  • Classification Officer
  • Sociologist

 

  • Custodial Guards
  • Academic Teacher
  • Vocational Instructor

Probation and Parole

  • Job Placement Officer
  • Director of Court Service
  • Probation Officer
    (State or Federal level)

Enforcement

  • Patrolperson
  • Traffic Officer
  • Highway Patrolperson
  • Investigative Officer
  • Sheriff
  • Juvenile Officer
  • Community Relations Officer
  • Dispatcher
  • Secret Service Agent
  • Military Police
  • US Marshall
  • Special Agent:  FBI, IRS, DEA, ATF
  • Military Intelligence
  • Border Patrol Agents
  • U.S. Postal Inspector
  • Fire Marshall
  • Fish and/or Game Warden
  • Private Investigators
  • Security Guards
  • Retail Loss Prevention
  • Retail Security

Other Related Occupations

  • Researcher
  • Journalist
  • Educator
  • Insurance Examiner
  • Criminal Justice Planner
  • Postal Inspector
  • Administrator Security
  • Bodyguard
  • Forensic Science
  • House & Store Detectives
  • Border & Immigration Guards
  • Private Investigators
  • Asset Protection

Community Programs

  • Halfway House
  • Restitution Programs
  • Community Services Order Programs
  • Pre-trial Diversion Program
  • Victim Assistance Centers
  • Social Service Agencies

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Criminal Justice Internship Program (P481)

Internships not only help students relate classroom experience with professional work experience but also help to define career goals.  Students who have completed P100, P200, P202, P290, and who have junior standing are eligible for P481, Field Experience in Criminal Justice.  Interns receive 3 or 6 hours credit and work 10-20 hours per week at the internship agency.  Interns are required to meet regularly with the internship coordinator and to submit a 10-20 page paper based on their field experience.
           
Internship opportunities in Bloomington are with agencies such as Middleway House, I.U.P.D., Monroe County Probation Department, the Prosecutor’s office, and in Court Administration. Students may also acquire internship experience away from Bloomington or with other local criminal justice related agencies. Final approval lies with the Internship Coordinator. Please schedule an advising session with a CJUS advisor to determine eligibility and begin the application process. Deadlines for internship applications are the second week in April for summer & fall interns; and the second week in November for spring interns.
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Internships through the Career Development Center's Arts & Sciences Career Services

Students can also find internships through the Career Development Center, which can be obtained for the experience (no credit hours), for credit (ASCS-Q 398), or for noncredit with full-time student status (ASCS-Q 499). To apply for ASCS Q398 and/or W499, you must be an undergraduate student, have a GPA of 2.0 or above, have at least 24 credit hours, not be getting a degree in SPEA (SPEA has their own internship program), and have already completed your department/school's internship course (if applicable). To be considered for academic credit, students must submit the required application, learning contract and job description before beginning the internship position. For more information about these courses and internship opportunities, contact the IU Career Development Center and Arts & Sciences Career Services at (812) 855-5234, visit them in person at 625 N. Jordan Ave. Bloomington, IN 47405 or visit the website at http://www.indiana.edu/~career/.


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Other internship opportunities

Other Law Enforcement Agencies:


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Spotlights

Andrea ("Andi") Gitelson, undergraduate advisor for our department, recently won the Terri Nation Outstanding Academic Advisor Award, from the Bloomington Advisors Council (BAC).  This prestigious award recognizes the exceptional achievements of a member of BAC. The nominees must have demonstrated exceptional service in at least one of the following categories: Academic advising, service to the IUB campus, and service to the BAC. As all of us who know Andi would have expected, she excelled in all three categories. Congratulations Andi on your well-deserved recognition.