Criminal justice internships: Integrating the academic with the experiential

Internships are considered an essential component of many criminal justice programs. They serve as an important bridging experience between students' academic careers and their careers as criminal justice professionals. This article examines a number of pedagogical and curricular issues related to the use of a required internship in a criminal justice program. Special emphasis is placed on the incorporation of an internship seminar as part of the internship requirement and on the advantages and challenges that such a seminar may provide.