Program Overview
The Criminal Justice Certificate Program includes an interdisciplinary sequence of classes and an internship, for students interested in the American criminal and juvenile justice systems. Certificate students select courses in legal studies and from the departments of Sociology, Political Science, Social Work, Psychology, Gender and Women’s Studies, Anthropology, History, Human Development and Family Studies, Rehabilitation Psychology, Integrated Liberal Studies, and Counseling Psychology. Students gain a broad understanding of the philosophy, theories, and operation of the adult and juvenile justice systems.
The Criminal Justice Certificate consists of a minimum of 6 courses. Students are required to take one course from each of the 6 defined groups. Of the six courses, one course should be related to race and justice studies. This certificate allows students to explore the criminal justice system through many different lenses including psychology, social work, sociology, and law. Students have the flexibility to focus the certificate from a field they are interested in.
Below are the six defined groups:
- Criminal Justice System– all students are required to take Legal Studies 131- Criminal Justice in America.
- Theories of Crime & Deviant Behavior
- Crime and Justice/Operations of the Justice System
- Broader Psycho/Socio/Economic Processes Related to Criminal Justice
- Ethnography-Internship Prep
- Fieldwork/Internship
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- Legal St 694: Field Observation in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies
- This course is 3 credits and offered every semester. Students are enrolled in legal studies 694 at the same time they are interning.
- In order to get permission to enroll in legal studies 694, students must participate in a pre-internship process that typically begins the semester before a student wants to enroll in legal studies 694 and intern.
- This is one option to complete the Group 6 requirement. Scroll down to courses to earn the criminal justice certificate to see other courses in other departments that may fulfill group 6.
- Here are examples of the pre-internship process per semester:
- Legal St 694: Field Observation in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies
* please note the assignments, deadlines, and guidelines change from semester to semester. These are just examples. Please contact cjcp@ssc.wisc.edu for more information.
Declaring the Criminal Justice Certificate
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How to Declare the Criminal Justice Certificate
There are no pre-requisites to declare the criminal justice certificate. Any student may declare the certificate, no matter what major or school they are in.
Students are encouraged to declare the certificate as early as possible within their college careers in order to prepare for field work/internship/research seminar course.
In order to declare, please review this entire webpage, including the section below, “courses to earn the criminal justice certificate.” After you have reviewed this webpage, please complete this form to declare the criminal justice certificate.
Courses to Earn the Criminal Justice Certificate
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Spring 2024 Courses
Major and Certificate overviews
Group 1 – Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/Sociology 131: Criminal Justice in America
Group 2 – Theories of Crime and Deviant Behavior
Psychology 526/586: The Criminal Mind
Social Work 612: Psychopathology in Generalist Social Work Practice
Sociology 421: Processes of Deviant Behavior
Sociology 441: Criminology
Sociology 446: Juvenile Delinquency
Group 3 – Crime and Justice/Operations of the Justice System
Ed Pol 150: Incarceration and Education (dars exception needed)
Legal Studies/Soc/GWS 425: Crime, Gender & Justice
Political Science 314: Criminal Law and Justice
Psychology 401: Psychology, Law, and Social Policy
Psychology 601: Prisoner Re-Entry (dars exception needed)
Rehab Psych 535: Forensic Rehabilitation (dars exception needed)
Group 4 – Broader Psycho/Social/Economic Process Related to Criminal Justice
**AfAm/GWS 625: Gender, Race and the Civil Rights Movement
**History 143: History of Race and Inequality in Urban America
**Human Development & Family St 474: Racial Ethnic Families in U.S. (Ethnic St)
Legal Studies 135: Disability and the Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies 422: Women and the Law
**Legal Studies/ChicLa/Soc 443: Immigration, Crime & Enforcemt (Ethnic St)
Legal Studies 444: Law in Action
Legal St 450: Courts, Constitutionalism and Human Rights
Legal Studies 477: History of Forensic Science
Legal St 459: Rule of Law
Psychology 405: Abnormal Psychology
Social Work 453: Substance Use Disorders
Social Work 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
**Sociology 578: Poverty and Place
Group 5 – Ethnography – Internship Prep
Communication Arts 373: Intercultural Communication and Rhetoric
Communication Arts 565: Communication and Inter-ethnic Behavior (Ethnic St)
Counseling Psychology 225: Intersectionalities- (Ethnic St)
Counseling Psychology 655: Clinical Communication Skills
Inter-HE 202: Careers and Leadership Dev (SOHE Majors only)
Inter-LS 210: L&S Career Development
Inter-LS 215: Communicating about Careers (Comm B)
Political Science 316: Careers in Political Science
Sociology 205: Intercultural Dialogues (Ethnic St) (application)
Group 6 – Field Work/Internship Seminar: (these courses require advance preparation/permission to enroll per department)
Legal St 694: Field Observation in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies
- This course is 3 credits and offered every semester. Students are enrolled in legal studies 694 at the same time they are interning.
- In order to get permission to enroll in legal studies 694, students must participate in a pre-internship process that typically begins the semester before a student wants to enroll in legal studies 694 and intern.
Below are opportunities in other departments that will fulfill the Group 6 requirement. Please refer to each program’s requirements for admission:
Ed Pol 500: Participatory Action Research (dars exception needed)
CSCS 601: Internship
Gender & Women’s St 660: Internship in Gender & Women’s Studies
Human Development and Family Studies 592: Research
Human Development & Family Studies 601: Internship
Political Science 315: Legislative Internship
Rehab Psychology & Special Ed 630: Internship in Rehabilitation or Special Ed
Social Work 401: Field Practice and Integrative Seminar I
Sociology 320: Research
**For students who declared Fall 2023 and later, one course of the above should focus on race/justice studies. This is marked by **
Summer 2024 Courses
Major and Certificate overviews
Group 1 – Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/Sociology 131: Criminal Justice in America
Group 2 – Processes of Order and Disorder
Sociology 421: Processes of Deviant Behavior
Group 3 – Crime and Justice/Operations of the Justice System
Legal St/Soc/GWS 425: Crime, Gender and Justice
Legal St/History 426: History of Punishment
Legal St 450: History of Prison
Political Science 400: Global Politics of Policing
Group 4 – Broader Psycho/Socio/Economic Processes Related to Criminal Justice
Legal Studies 400: American Constitutional Law
Legal St/GWS 422: Women and the Law
SW 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
Group 5 – Ethnography/Internship Prep
Communication Arts 371: Communication and Conflict Resolution
Counseling Psych 225: Intersectionalities, Self-Awareness, and Social Actions for Social Change
Counseling Psych 237: Mental Health, Self-Awareness, and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities
Counseling Psych 655: Clinical Communication Skills
SW 375 Social Welfare Self-Care: Cultivating Resilience
Group 6 – Fieldwork/Internship Seminar
Legal St 694: Field Observation in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies
- This course is 3 credits and offered every semester. Students are enrolled in legal studies 694 at the same time they are interning.
- In order to get permission to enroll in legal studies 694, students must participate in a pre-internship process that typically begins the semester before a student wants to enroll in legal studies 694 and intern.
- Here are examples of the pre-internship process per semester:
* please note the assignments, deadlines, and guidelines change from semester to semester. These are just examples. Please contact cjcp@ssc.wisc.edu for more information.
Below are opportunities in other departments that may fulfill the Group 6 requirement. Please refer to each program’s requirements for admission. Internships must be criminal/juvenile justice/legal related.
Gender & Women’s St 660: Internship in Gender & Women’s Studies
Human Development & Family Studies 601: Internship
Political Science 315: Legislative Internship
Public Affairs 327: Administrative Internship
Rehab Psychology & Special Ed 630: Internship in Rehabilitation or Special Ed
Social Work 401: Field Practice and Integrative Seminar I
Fall 2024 Courses
Major and Certificate overviews
Group 1: Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/Sociology 131: Criminal Justice in America
Group 2: Theories of Crime and Deviant Behavior
Legal Studies 400: Punishment and Society (dars exception needed)
Psychology 526/586: The Criminal Mind: Forensic & Psychobio Perspect
Sociology 441: Criminology
Group 3: Crime and Justice/Operations of the Justice System
Legal Studies 135: Disability and the Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/GWS/Soc 425: Crime, Gender, Justice
Legal Studies 426: History of Punishment
**Legal Studies 400: Criminal Injustice in America
Political Science 401: Politics and Crime (dars exception needed)
**Legal Studies/ChicLa/Sociology 440: Ethnicity, Race and Justice (ethnic st)
Psychology 401: Psychology, Law, & Social Policies
Psychology 601: Prisoner Re-Entry (dars exception needed)
Group 4: Broader Psycho/Socio/Economic Processes Related to Criminal Justice
**AfAm 671: Origins of Black Movements (Ethnic St)
**AfAm 671: Criminalizing Blackness (Ethnic St)
Legal Studies/English 160: Truth and Crime
**History 143: History of Race and Inequality in Urban America (Ethnic St)
**Human Development & Family St 474: Racial Ethnic Families in U.S. (Ethnic St)
Legal Studies 444: Law in Action
Legal Studies 641: Sociology of Law
Political Science 349: Global Access to Justice (dars exception needed)
Psychology 405: Adult Psychopathology
Social Work 420: Poverty and Social Welfare
Social Work 453 Substance Use Disorders
Social Work 523: Family Violence
Social Work 623: Interpersonal Violence
Social Work 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
**Sociology 633: Social Stratification
Group 5: Ethnography-Internship Prep
Counseling Psych 225: Intersectionalities, Self -Awareness, And Social Actions For Social Change – (restricted to students with first or second year standing)
Counseling Psych 237: Mental Health, Self-Awareness, and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities
Counseling Psychology 620: Interviewing
Counseling Psychology 655: Clinical Communication Skills
Inter-HE 202: Careers and Leadership Dev (SOHE Majors only)
Inter-LS 210: L&S Career Development
Inter-LS 215: Communicating about Careers (Comm B)
Political Science 316: Careers in Political Science
Sociology 205: Intercultural Dialogues
Social Work 441: Generalist Practice; Individuals, Families & Groups (SW Majors only)
Group 6: Fieldwork/Internship Seminar- All Internships must be Criminal/Juvenile Justice/Law/Policy Related
Legal St 694: Field Observation in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies
- This course is 3 credits and offered every semester. Students are enrolled in legal studies 694 at the same time they are interning.
- In order to get permission to enroll in legal studies 694, students must participate in a pre-internship process that typically begins the semester before a student wants to enroll in legal studies 694 and intern.
Below are opportunities in other departments that will fulfill the Group 6 requirement. Please refer to each program’s requirements for admission. Internships must be criminal/juvenile justice/legal/policy related.
Sociology 320: Community-Engaged Research for Solving Urban Problems
Gender & Women’s St 660: Internship in Gender & Women’s Studies
Human Development & Family Studies 601: Internship
Political Science 315: Legislative Internship
Psychology 412: Field Experience in Psychology. More information can be found here.
Rehab Psychology & Special Ed 630: Internship in Rehabilitation or Special Ed
Social Work 401: Field Practice and Integrative Seminar I
Program Requirement
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Program Advising
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