Internships

Internship Program

An internship is a way for students to apply what they have learned in the classroom, gain valuable work experience, build a resume, network with potential employers, cultivate references and sources for letters of recommendation for graduate or professional school, make educated career choices, and evaluate theory and practice. Internships may be unpaid or paid, full-time or part-time, and earn academic credit as part of a course or be done on a volunteer basis.

Internships completed on a voluntary basis (non-credit) by the student have no requirements other than those of the internship site itself. The Center for Career and Professional Development strongly recommends that John Jay students wait until they have completed at least 2 semesters before considering an internship. The Center maintains a comprehensive database of internship opportunities on John Jay Careers Online at http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/careers.

The Center for Career and Professional Development hosts regular information sessions for any student considering an internship.

Academic Internship Courses

Internships as part of an academic course are a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skill development in a professional setting. Internship courses provide students with an opportunity to earn academic credit while gaining experience working at a field site. John Jay’s internship courses require a varying number of hours of fieldwork and some internship opportunities require students to commit a specific number of hours each week. Information about the array of courses and their requirements can be found on the Center for Career and Professional Development’s website at http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/center-career-professional-development.

Throughout the semester, students typically meet with faculty advisors in the required seminar classes for at least 15 hours. To fulfill the academic requirements, students must show that they have met the learning outcomes of the course and completed both the fieldwork and academic requirements successfully. Learning may be assessed through assigned reading, logs, notebooks, written reports analyzing the field experience, oral presentations, research papers, etc. as specified in the course syllabus.

Eligibility requirements for academic internship courses include completion of at least 30 credits and a minimum grade point average of 2.5. Please note that some internship sites have specific academic and background requirements and some will require referrals from a faculty member or the Center for Career and Professional Development.

Students interested in Internships should contact the Center for Career and Professional Development (212.237.8754, careers@jjay.cuny.edu).