Internship (CRIM 180I) Requirements

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR STUDENTS REGISTERED IN SPRING INTERNSHIP SECTION

Early Meetings have been held since last month for students who have registered and are/were interested in a placement with an agency. These meetings were optional but provide more time to find placements before the spring semester begins.

Email any questions to the Crim 180 Internship Placement Coordinator, Ms. Acosta-Mabrey (racosta@csufresno.edu).

STUDENTS INTERESTED IN INTERNSHIP WHO MEET THE PREREQUISITES SHOULD REGISTER FOR SPRING NOW. Permission numbers are issued at as students submit the correctly formatted and named DPR as instructed further below.

Students who previously received a NC grade for CRIM180, must explain the NC before they can receive a permission number.  This includes listing the year/semester/section number enrolled in and the assigned faculty member.

Internship Information 

Students must have completed at least 90 units at the end of the semester preceding their internship but may be placed on a wait list if they are not graduating at the end of the internship semester, to ensure that graduating seniors can completed their internship requirement. Students not graduating in May will be allowed to enroll if space permits. 

Students should not expect to be placed with an agency if they are taking 15 or more  units in the desired semester for internship. Students are typically unable to complete their hours when the are already enrolled for 15  academic units, not counting the internship class.

Open only to Criminology department majors. Prerequisites: CRIM 1, CRIM 2, CRIM 20 (A letter grade of a C or better must be awarded BEFORE you can register). Co-requisite: CRIM 112/FBS 114 and senior standing, or permission by instructor/internship coordinator. Students signed up for CRIM 112 or FBS 114 in their last semester are eligible to sign up for CRIM 180I internship concurrently. Graduating seniors have priority when registering.

STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT COMPLETED CRIM112 BUT ARE TAKING IT IN THE SAME SEMESTER AS INTERNSHIP, MUST FIRST REGISTER FOR CRIM112 AND PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF REGISTRATION, BEFORE REQUESTING A PERMISSION NUMBER FOR CRIM180.

 

APPLICABLE TO SPRING  2026

Eligible students can now be issued a permission number to register AFTER they email their DPR in PDF format to Dr. Schweizer (haralds@csufresno.edu) and it is determined that they have met the pre-requisites. 

DPRs not matching the format displayed further below will be rejected. COMPARE YOUR DOWNLOADED DPR TO THE EXAMPLE BEL0W BEFORE SENDING IT.

All DPRs must be saved with the student 'last and first name and the word 'DPR and the year and semester  interested in.

Example: "DPR Duck, Donald  Spring 2026"

EMAIL PERMISSION NUMBER REQUESTS NOT FOLLOWING THESE INSTRUCTIONS WILL NOT BE HONORED.

Be sure to specify or elaborate on your request when you email and always put a SUBJECT in the SUBJECT LINE or the email will not be responded to. Do not simply send a DPR with no explanation. Also always indicate your criminology option in the email.

Always use your official name shown on your DPR and use your student email address when emailing.

Permission numbers are issued for each section, beginning with section 1, until the sections are filled. You cannot request a particular section. Internship sections are all the SAME but split for administrative purposes.

 The DPR requirement is the same in each semester or intersession.

Emailed DPRs must be in the following format and look like the example below:

If your DPR download does not look like above, you are either not following the instructions, or are using a cell phone/browser version with limited functionality. Such DPRs will be rejected.

ONCE STUDENTS  ARE REGISTERED FOR SPRING 26 INTERNSHIP, they must quickly complete the tutorial and also upload one of the following, depending on circumstances:

The below documents are accessible in the internship sections on CANVAS once registered. Student access to the course on CANVAS is not immediate. Students should wait 48 hours for the course to show up.

Placement requests and Self Placements are not processed until students have completed the tutorial, and submited a resume and cover letter that comply with the posted instructions.

Below are documents that all students must provide immediately after registering for Internship.

1. Internship Placement Request (If you want the department to place you)

2. Self-Placement Form (when agency is first approved Dr. Schweizer and Mrs. Rosalinda Acosta/Mabrey

3. Waiver of internship hours (if you do not desire placement)
Students who do not desire placement for legitimate  reasons, (health, background problems, conflicting family or assignments, documents to  complete, and are required to keep a log of their course activities instead of working with an area organization.

4. A request to use current CJ related employment instead of an internship placement with another agency.    Such employment does not waive the internship course requirement, but assignments are adjusted to accomodate  the employment and students may document their work hours in the same manner as students who are placed as interns with area agencies.

The above documents are vital in determining suitable placements and also to assess the number of placements needed.  For that reason, it is important that students provide those documents before the actual start of their internship semester and immediately after they register for the class.

Any desired placement may not be possible if a student waits for the start of the semester or course  to register and then submits the placement documents. Students will be directed to potential openings on a first come/first served basis. This will occur through zoom placement meetings that are scheduled as soon as the internship section is open for registration, and only for registered students, and after a student has uploaded a placement document indicating a desire to be place with an agency. 

This is not relevant for students who placed themselves, completed a waiver, or are currently employed in a qualifying capacity. Students currently employed with a CJ related agency are still required to sign up for internship but have modified requirements once registered. They must also contact R. Acosta and Dr. Schweizer immediately after registering for internship.

Students finding their own placement must  contact R. Acosta and Dr. Schweizer for approval.  Such students may  not use any agency used for regular placements in order to avoid unneccesary confusion. the must also have completed the documents mentioned above.

Students registered for a prior semester cannot re-register the Spring 2026 semester, without first contacting Dr. Schweizer and R. Acosta.

PLACEMENT MEETINGS ARE HELD WITH STUDENTS WHO DESIRE TO BE PLACED BY THE CRIMINOLOGY DEPARTMENT. 

Only students who  are registered, have completed the tutorial/orientation that is posted on CANVAS, and submitted  a placement request, will be allowed to enter a zoom based placement meeting. 

Students who do not upload their placement request in a timely fashion, and immediately after registration, may not have the opportunity for an actual internship, and have to opt for alternative research assignments that are posted for each internship section.  These alternative assignments can also be selected by students who have health or other complications that would interfere with actual internship hours at an area agency.

Resumes should be uploaded immediately after registering for the class, and must be uploaded within two weeks after the first internship meeting, where we will discuss the writing of a resume.  Students will also need to write a cover letter. Additional information is posted and available on CANVAS. 

DO NOT send email through CANVAS. Email Dr. Schweizer at haralds@csufresno.edu and Rosalina Acosta-Mabrey, and use your regular Fresno State student email address.

Internship Class meeting dates:

Zoom links emailed to all registered students

FALL 2025 MEETING DATES

Zoom links are posted in each internship section

SPRING 2026 MEETING DATES 

Zoom links are posted in each internship section

SPRIING 2026 Meeting Topics

There are four required meetings. Three are online via Zoom.  A fourth meeting may be online or in person. Details will be posted on CANVAS or also emailed.

 21JANUARY Wednesday 1700-2000  ZOOM MEETING

• Course requirements, syllabus and resume format.

• Job applications, hiring requirements, background screening, testing

• resources posted in the modules on CANVAS.

Students missing this meeting must access and summarize the VIDEO presentation from the zoom meeting that will be posted on CANVAS. The paper must be at least 5 pages double spaced in length, and  submitted/uploaded in pdf at the zoom meeting notice in the assignments section for the date missed.

 

4 FEBRUARY Wednesday 1700-2000 IN PERSON MEETING AT UNIV REC CENTER 

(Tenative) presentation  by local law enforcement agency on their hiring/career opportunities and related information.  
THIS MEETING WILL BE IN PERSON AT THE UNIVERSITY REC CENTER unless the local agency cannot attend.

If the agency cannot attend, this meeting will be via ZOOM and also include a 

discussion of oral boards, homework, practice, clothing, interviews,
job descriptions, applications, background investigations, psychological and written testing, polygraphs or CVSAs.  

Students who cannot attend, must write a 15+ page paper on a topic that will be posted for that meeting day. If the in-person format is changed to Zoom, students must write a 10+ page summary of the recorded and posted zoom meeting.

25 FEBRUARY (Wed) (ZOOM MEETING) 1700-1200 

Continuation of topics from 4 February. Review of student progress. Placement information and instructions to be followed.

Students missing this third meeting must access and summarize the presentation from the zoom meeting that will be posted on CANVAS. The paper must then be uploaded in the assignments section on CANVAS, and be at least five pages in length double spaced, and include headings for the various topics.

 

11 March (Wed) 1700-2000  (ZOOM MEETING)  

Career related information, web sites with current openings in California and US, and different hiring processes, deadlines and background requirements. Review of student progress . Additional focus on resumes and cover letters.  May include a guest presentation related to careers connected to the three criminology options and FBS.

Students missing this meeting must write a five page paper summarizing the video posted of the zoom lecture.

INTERNSHIP IN GENERAL:

Students who cannot  be placed or whose personal situation precludes an actual placement with an agency, can select ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENTS once they are registered. These assignments are designed to expose the student to the hiring standards and related processes with criminal justice agencies or related non profit organizations.

Students who are enrolling in 18 or more units in any internship semester, will not be given a placement with an agency.  The department makes a commitment that students we place are able to complete 120 hours within the semester and after the background check and approval by the agency.  This is not realistic when taking 18 or more units. Such students should select the alternative assignments or find their own placement (agency) after approval by Dr. Schweizer and Ms.Rosalinda Acosta-Mabrey.

The following AdobeSign forms are only accessible once registered for internship and may be required depending on circumstances:

• Fresno State Learning Site Risk Assessment

• COVID 19 acknowledgement or Risk

• Fresno State Learning Site Risk Assessment
  

There are  face to face internship placements for students who qualify and at their own risk.

Students may decline actual placement and opt to complete alternative assignments to learn about CJ careers to complete the internship requirements that are based on their criminology option.

It is imperative for students interested in being placed to complete the required tutorial, a resume with cover letter as shown on CANVAs, and to submit the required INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT REQUEST immediately after registering for the course. Placements will be provided on a first come, first served basis during the weeks preceding the start of the internship semester/class, if feasible.
Students currently employed in the criminal justice field or a related area, should contact Dr. Schweizer to determine if the employment hours can be used as part of the internship requirements.

Students will have access to internship course documents and additional information as soon as they are registered.

For professional experience substitution consideration, consult your assigned internship faculty prior to or during the first internship meeting.  

CAREER LINKS FOR STUDENTS MAJORING IN CRIMINOLOGY AND/OR FBS

 A good source of information for sworn or civilian employment with California law enforcement agencies is the PEACE OFFICER STANDARDS COMMISSION. Students interested in employment with any criminal justice agency can access all of the open positions in California with salary and hiring requirements at 

https://post.ca.gov/law-enforcement-jobs

Open (current) positions (US-or world-wide) involving various types of community or social services  or any other field, can be accessed at

https://www.indeed.com/browsejobs 

For more information, please contact the Internship Coordinator, Dr. H.O. Schweizer (haralds@mail.fresnostate.edu) or Rosalinda Acosta-Mabrey (racosta@mail.fresnostate.edu)