From Internship to Industry: Exploring the Impact of Internship Experience on Criminology Graduate’s Career Success

Abstract

This study explored the impact of internship experience on criminology graduate’s career success. It showed how experiences in the internship program influences the career success of criminology graduates, especially in terms of skills development, career development, and higher employability. This study employed a qualitative research design grounded in Colaizzi’s transcendental phenomenology. Twelve criminology graduates who passed the Criminologist Licensure Examination (CLE) from Academic Years 2019 to 2024 and were residents of Misamis Occidental were purposively selected as participants of the study. Data were gathered through semi-structured researcher-made, face-to-face interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step phenomenological method. The findings revealed three major themes: (1) Internship as Foundation for Career, which showed the influence of internship experience on criminology graduates’ career choices and expectations; (2) Internship Benefits, which highlighted the key skills and knowledge gained by criminology graduates from their internships and their contribution to job search and employment; and (3) Career Impact, which described the impact of internship experience on the employability of criminology graduates, including challenges and opportunities. The study concludes that a well-structured internship program can play a vital role in promoting career success among criminology graduates. To improve internship quality, it is highly recommended to strengthen the collaboration between academic institutions and criminal justice agencies.