The Criminal Justice Field Program enhances the criminal justice academic experience. Students have the opportunity to work in criminal justice-related settings while earning course credits.
Currently employed in the criminal justice field? You may qualify to earn credits for your real-world experience.
How to Sign Up for a Field Placement
Choose your semester for field placement.
The semester you choose will determine the due date of the application. Students must be accepted into an agency before enrolling.
Undergraduate students should choose a section in the Field Experience Practicum (Criminal Justice 311). This course may be taken for three credits (requires 96 semester hours), or six credits (requires 192 semester hours).
Graduate students should choose a section in Independent Reading with Dr. LeBel (Criminal Justice 999). This course may be taken for three credits.
Choose an agency and submit your application.
Review the list of field placement agencies and submit an application.
Toward the bottom of the application, you will enter the names of the criminal justice agencies where you would like to complete your field placement. You may enter up to four agencies.
Enroll in your selected term.
After your application is accepted and you have been placed with an agency, you will then be able to enroll in your chosen undergraduate or graduate student section.
Attend field placement orientation.
Information and dates will be mailed to you several weeks before the start of semester. Contact the program coordinator if you did not receive this information.
- Preference will be given to declared criminal justice majors and those who apply early.
- Must have junior standing or above.
- Must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
- Must have completed CRM JST 110: Introduction to Criminal Justice.
- Undergraduate students may take up to six field placement credits at the permission of the department chair.
- Graduate students are allowed three field placement credits.
CRM JST 311 is a graded course even though there are no class meetings throughout the semester. All of the following will be factors in determining the final grade:
- Orientation: Although not part of the overall grade, you must attend the orientation meeting and a final meeting during the semester of placement.
- Daily journal (25%): Details will be provided by the field program project assistant.
- Final paper (50%): Details will be provided by the field program project assistant.
- Field supervisor evaluation (25%): Your field supervisor will complete a performance evaluation and submit it directly to the program coordinator at the final meeting.
| Law Enforcement Placements | CRM JST 271: Police Process |
| Correctional Placements | CRM JST 273: Correctional Process |
| Legal Agency Placements | CRM JST 275: Criminal Court Process |
| Planning and Research Placements | CRM JST 662: Methods of Social Welfare Research |
Credits for Current Experience
Are you currently employed in the field of criminal justice? Do you have a job as a police officer, community service officer, probation/parole agent, correctional officer, paralegal or legal secretary, case manager or counselor for justice-impacted adults or youth, or another position in the field of criminal justice?
If yes, and you would like to potentially earn three credits for your current employment, please complete an online application for the field placement program.
The field placement course will require students to complete writing assignments based on their current employment position.
Associate Professor
Field Placement Coordinator
lebel@uwm.edu
414-229-2356
Trinity Flint
Field Placement Project Assistant
teflint@uwm.edu
Criminal Justice Field Program
Helen Bader School of Social Welfare
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
PO Box 786
Enderis Hall, Room 1125
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0786
Field Placement Deadlines
Spring 2027
Friday, Oct. 30
Summer 2027
Friday, Feb. 26
Fall 2027
Friday, April 30