Sociology & Criminology Internships

UM sociology major Keeza Leavens holds a box of tomatoes at the farmers' market for her internship focusing on food insecurity in Montana.

About

Put theory into practice. As an undergraduate sociology student you can apply to participate in an internship for academic credit. You'll be able to see how the social problems and social dynamics that you learn about in your sociology classes play out in the "real world." You'll also explore different solutions for those social problems.

Your internship at a local organization could focus on law enforcement, additions, hunger and homelessness, domestic violence, victims' rights... and so on. There are over 45 agencies in town where sociology majors can intern. Here are a just a few:

  • Missoula Police Department
  • The Poverello Center
  • CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
  • Soft Landing Missoula
  • YWCA's GUTS (Girls Using Their Strengths) program
  • Missoula Food Bank

Benefits

If you intern, you'll earn credits while using your sociological knowledge and/or data analysis to help clients, organizations, and government agencies.

You'll also gain invaluable professional skills and experience, including how to carry yourself in a professional setting, how to communicate with colleagues, and how to give and receive feedback.

There will be opportunities to reflect on both your personal growth and on how your internship experience connects to your sociology coursework. Finally, an internship a great way to try out a potential career path.

Eligibility

To earn internship credits through the sociology department, a student must meet the following criteria:

  1. Have junior or senior standing
  2. Be a sociology major (with 30 SOCI credits completed or in process)
  3. Have a GPA of at least 3.0
  4. Be approved by an internship committee composed of sociology department faculty

Application Process

  1. Contact the faculty member who will be supervising internships for the semester during which your internship would take place. (Contact the Sociology & Criminology advisor in the H&S Advising Center for assistance if needed.)
  2. Meet to discuss your eligibility for earning credit as well as what kind of internship you'd like to do.
  3. Submit an application packet to the faculty supervisor that includes three documents:
    • Statement of interest in an internship
    • Unofficial transcript
    • Current resume
  4. If you are selected for the internship program (if the faculty committee accepts your application), you will then contact several agencies where you'd like to intern and begin their application/intern process.