Handbook BSFS Internship

1) Students must have senior status/be 4th year Forensic Science majors enrolled in the BSFS program. Typically, internships take place during the summer semester between junior and senior year. Pre-requisites to be eligible for the internship to qualify as a culminating experience include prior credit in FSCI 4240 (forensic DNA analysis specialization) or FSCI 4300 (forensic drug analysis specialization) or FSCI 3110 and FSCI 3120 (forensic examination specialization).

2) Internship must be located at or with a crime laboratory, coroner’s offices, law enforcement agency, court/prosecutor/defense office, or other qualified “laboratory” or research setting.

    a. Regardless of the setting, the student intern’s duties/responsibilities/assigned project/task/research must have a hands-on/experiential learning component that is somehow demonstrably related to forensic science.

    i. Per FEPAC accreditation (standard 4.1c), “…that should result in a capstone presentation, publication, or similar scholarly product.”

3) The FSCI 4890: External Internship is graded as Satisfactory (S)/Unsatisfactory (U).

4) A minimum of 200 hours at an internship setting is required for an internship to count as coursework.

    a. Students are required to complete the full internship schedule as specified by the employer and agreed upon by the instructor in the “Employer Internship Agreement” form to earn a satisfactory grade, even if that is more than 200 hours. Ending an internship early, without completing the full agreed upon schedule, will result in a grade of unsatisfactory (U). 

    b. The internship hours are to be completed between the first and last day of the semester and are to be recorded by the student in their activity log.

    c. Confirmation of the total hours worked will be required by the employer supervisor overseeing the student (or responsible employee, as assigned) through the “Supervisor Evaluation Form”.   

5) Students are required to meet with their BGSU instructor of record, virtually or inperson, for 4 scheduled meetings over the course of the semester.

    a. These meetings will cover the following topics:

1. Internship Requirements;
2. Additional FEPAC Topics (e.g. Quality Assurance/Quality Control in the Crime Laboratory, Ethics in Forensic Science, Forensic Science Applicable Laws);
3. Employment (Job Postings and Applications, Interviewing, Social Media, Background Checks, and Polygraphs) and Resume/Cover Letter Writing; and
4. Mock Job Interview.   

    b. Ideally, the meeting covering Internship Requirements will occur after the student has submitted the “Employer Internship Agreement” form to the forensic science office for review, but prior to the student being approved and registered for FSCI 4890.

    c. Failure to attend the 4 scheduled meetings with the BGSU instructor may result in a grade of unsatisfactory (U).

6) Students are required to complete all BGSU course assignments, including: a resume, cover letter, activity log, journal, reflection essay, and presentation about their internship. Students are required to give a formal oral presentation on their internship, which will be open to all forensic science undergraduate students, typically held during Fall Welcome week activities, unless otherwise specified by the instructor.

7) Employers will be asked to evaluate student performance using the “Supervisor Evaluation Form”.  While it is important for the student to receive constructive criticism and feedback regarding their performance, they are not entitled to view the employer evaluation form.  Students must receive a satisfactory or better evaluation from the employer; an unsatisfactory employer evaluation is grounds for a grade of unsatisfactory (U).   

8) Students must be enrolled in FSCI 4890 by the deadline for the “Last day to add classes WITHOUT college permission”, typically by the end of the first week of classes.  For summer session, this deadline is typically by the first day of summer semester. The application (“Employer Internship Agreement”) form must be received by the forensic science office for review no later than 1 week prior to the enrollment deadline. If the internship does not meet the criteria outlined above, students may still participate in the internship experience, but they will not be able to receive course credit for that internship as their culminating experience.