Start planning for your career in criminal justice. Here are ideas for internships, sample career pathways, and career planning tools.

Criminal Justice Internships

Internships are a great way to explore areas of the criminal justice field, build a professional network, gain new skills, and make yourself more marketable for a good job after graduation. Our criminal justice internships are structured experiences facilitated by faculty. 

Recent internships include:
  • Massachusetts State Police
  • U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
  • Massachusetts Dept of Children and Families (DCF)
  • Local Police Departments (e.g., Lowell, Acton, Burlington, Methuen)
  • Legal Aid Society 
  • Middlesex County Sheriff's Office
  • Suffolk County Sheriff's Office 
  • Lowell Juvenile Court Probation
  • Lawrence District Court Probation
  • Massachusetts Department of Youth Services
  • Middlesex County District Attorney
  • Multiple area law firms

Student Statements About Internship Experience:

"My overall experience working at the Sheriff's Office proved to be beneficial to my education and future career. I consider myself lucky because the internship made my senior year of college so much more valuable. It was the final step I felt I had needed to take before receiving my diploma, which I successfully accomplished. I believe this internship contributed immensely to my education and if I had the chance to do it again, I would."

Kayla Kovacev

"Interning at the Lowell Police Department gave me real insight into policing that you can't get from a classroom. I saw how officers handle situations from community outreach to high-pressure calls. I rode along, asked questions, and observed the job up close. It helped me confirm I want a career in law enforcement. The officers and supervisors were very welcoming and treated me like part of the team. If you're serious about a future in criminal justice, this experience is worth it."

Eric Miniscalco

"The internship program at UMass Lowell gave me valuable, hands-on experience in the field of Criminal Justice, expanding my understanding and applying what I have learned in the classroom to my chosen agency. I had the opportunity to work in a unique and specialized role within the Crime Analysis Unit at a police department. This position offered me a behind the scenes look at how data and statistical analysis are used to support public safety efforts. I was able to observe how crime trends are tracked and interpreted, and how that information is used to make informed decisions about officer deployment and resource allocation. It was eye-opening to see the real-world impact of this unit’s work in reducing criminal activity. Additionally, the internship helped me build meaningful professional relationships and expand my network, which I know will be valuable as I continue to pursue a career in Criminal Justice. I benefited greatly from this opportunity and highly suggest participating in this program to students who are unsure about what they want to pursue after their undergraduate career."

  
Destiny Soto

Post-Graduation Pathways

A degree in criminal justice can lead to a variety of career pathways as well as graduate studies.

Federal, State and Local Agencies

  • Law enforcement
  • Homeland security
  • Intelligence and crime analysis
  • Juvenile justice systems 
  • Legal systems: courts, prosecution, defense
  • Corrections, re-entry, probation/parole

Community-based Agencies

  • Victim services
  • Re-entry support services
  • Community-based crime prevention

Private Sector

  • Industrial security/cybersecurity 
  • Criminal justice technology 
  • Private investigation 

Policy and Research

  • Reform/advocacy organizations
  • Legislative staff positions (federal, state) 
  • Research organizations

Advanced Studies

  • Legal careers/law school
  • Clinical careers (e.g., counseling, forensic psychology)
  • Research/advanced analysis (masters/Ph.D.)

Career Planning Tools

Career & Co-op Center

The Career & Co-op Center is a great resource for students exploring career paths related to your major. Career Counselors can help identify experiential opportunities to give you insight into career paths, help with job/internship searches, resume and cover letter development, interviewing and other related skills. Call for an appointment and/or review the website, which provides many online services for job and internship search, career exploration and more.

What Can I Do With This Major? 

The Career & Co-op Center’s "What Can I Do With This Major?" online resource helps identify various career areas related to respective majors, the types of employers in those career areas and strategies to make yourself marketable for positions. 

 O*Net

The O*NET (Occupational Information Network ) is a database of occupational requirements and worker attributes. It describes occupations in terms of the skills and knowledge required, how the work is performed and typical work settings. This is a great resource for career exploration, job specific salary research and more.

Handshake

UMass Lowell’s on-campus recruiting system, Handshake, is where employers post positions for prospective interns, co-ops, entry-level and experienced candidates. Also find the Career & Co-op events schedule and registration system here.