The Criminal Justice Certificate is an interdisciplinary certificate in which you take courses from a variety of departments.
Please refer to the list below for the most accurate list of courses offered that fulfill certificate requirements. If a course is listed below and it does not appear on your dars report, please email cjcp@ssc.wisc.edu
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Summer 2026 Criminal Justice Certificate Courses
Declared Fall 2025 or after:
Criminal Justice System: Legal Studies/Sociology 131: Criminal Justice in America
Race & Justice Studies
Chicla 330: Immigrant Justice: Law & Rights (dars exception needed)
Fieldwork/Internship/Research Seminar
Legal St 694: Field Observation in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies
– (only available to students currently enrolled in pre-internship canvas site. If you have an internship for Summer 2026 and you are not enrolled in pre-internship canvas site, please email cjcp@ssc.wisc.edu)
– 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.
Political Science 315: Legislative Internship
Poli Sci 402: Wisconsin in Washington Internship Course
Pub Affr 327: Administrative Internship
Electives
Coun Psy 237: Mental Health, Self-Awareness, and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities
Coun Psy 531: Prevention & Intervention in Mental Health Across the Lifespan
Coun Psy 655: Clinical Communication Skills
Legal Studies 160: Truth and Crime (dars exception needed)
Legal Studies/GWS 422: Women and the Law
Legal Studies/Soc/GWS 425: Crime, Gender & Justice
Legal St/Hist 426: History of Punishment
Psychology 405: Adult Psychopathology
Sociology 441: Criminology
Social Work 612: Psychopathology in Generalist Social Work Practice
Social Work 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
Declared Prior to Fall 2025:
Group 1 – Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/Sociology 131: Criminal Justice in America
Group 2 – Theories of Crime and Deviant Behavior
Social Work 612: Psychopathology in Generalist Social Work Practice
Sociology 441: Criminology
Group 3 – Crime and Justice/Operations of the Justice System
**Chicla 330: Immigrant Justice: Law & Rights (dars exception needed)
Legal Studies/Soc/GWS 425: Crime, Gender & Justice
Legal St/Hist 426: History of Punishment
Group 4 – Broader Psycho/Social/Economic Process Related to Criminal Justice
Legal Studies 160: Truth and Crime (dars exception needed)
Legal Studies/GWS 422: Women and the Law
Psychology 405: Adult Psychopathology
Social Work 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
Group 5 – Ethnography – Internship Prep
Coun Psy 225: Intersectionalities- (Ethnic St)
Coun Psy 237: Mental Health, Self-Awareness, and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities
Coun Psy 531: Prevention & Intervention in Mental Health Across the Lifespan
Coun Psy 655: Clinical Communication Skills
Inter-HE 202: Careers and Leadership Dev (SOHE Majors only)
Inter-LS 210: L&S Career Development
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
– (only available to students currently enrolled in pre-internship canvas site. If you have an internship for Summer 2025 and you are not enrolled in pre-internship canvas site, please email cjcp@ssc.wisc.edu)
– 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:
Political Science 315: Legislative Internship
Psych 621: Mentored Research and Seminar
Public Affairs 327: Administrative Internship
**For students who declared Fall 2023 and later, one course of the above should focus on race/justice studies. This is marked by **
Spring 2026 Criminal Justice Certificate Courses
Criminal Justice System:
Legal Studies/Sociology 131: Criminal Justice in America
Race & Justice Studies:
AfAm 272: Race and American Politics from the New Deal to the New Right (Ethnic St.) (dars exception needed)
Ed. Pol/History 143: History of Race and Inequality in Urban America (Ethnic St.) (Comm b)
English 182: Doing Time: Race, Labor, Incarceration (Lit) (honors only)
HDFS 474: Racial Ethnic Families in U.S. (Ethnic St)
Legal St./Soc 451: Race, Family and the State
Legal St./Af.Am. 435: Civil Rights
Legal St./ChicLa/Soc 443: Immigration, Crime & Enforcement (Ethnic St)
Legal St.400/Soc 496: Incarceration and Inequality (dars exception needed)
Pub Affr 520: Inequality, Race and Public Policy (Ethnic St.) (dars exception needed)
Sociology 578: Poverty and Place
Fieldwork/Internship/Research Seminar
Watch this Short Video About the Fieldwork Requirement
Please note: these courses require advance preparation/permission to enroll per department
Legal St 694: Field Observation in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies
- Only available to students currently enrolled in pre-internship canvas site. If you have an internship for Spring 2026 and you are not enrolled in pre-internship canvas site, please email cjcp@ssc.wisc.edu
- 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.
The other listed internship and research opportunities are administered by other programs. Some may be limited to students who are declared in those specific programs. All require advance lead time and authorization for enrollment by the specific program.
Legal St. 473: Health Impacts of Unmet Social Needs (Find more information & application here)
HDFS 592: Research Experience in HDFS
Political Science 315: Legislative Internship (If you are interested in enrolling in PS 315, once you have an internship in place, please email Amy Gangl at agangl@wisc.edu with the name and email contact info of your internship office supervisor, the number of hours you will be working each week during the semester (a minimum of 7-9 hours required), and your campus ID number.
Pub Affr 327: Administrative Internship
Rehab Psychology & Special Ed 630: Internship in Rehabilitation or Special Ed (Contact Rebecca Bradbury, rebecca.bradbury@wisc.edu, for questions regarding requisites and course permissions.)
Electives:
Coun Psy 237: Mental Health, Self-Awareness, and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities (Ethnic Studies)
Coun Psy 531: Prevention and Intervention in Mental Health Across the Lifespan
Coun Psy 655: Clinical Communication Skills
Econ 690: Economics of Crime (ECON 301 or 311 pre req) (dars exception needed)
Legal St. 135: Disability and the Criminal Justice System
Legal St./Hist 235: Prisons: From Antiquity to Supermax
Legal St. 400/Soc 496: The Penitentiary in Global Perspective (dars exception needed)
Legal St. 422: Women and the Law
Legal St. 444: Law in Action
Legal St. 477: History of Forensic Science
Political Science 412: The American Constitution: Rights and Civil Liberties
Psychology 405: Adult Psychopathology
Social Work 453: Substance Use Disorders
Social Work 627: Sex Trafficking and Sex Trading
Social Work 636: Indian Child Welfare Act
Social Work 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
Psych 526: The Criminal Mind
Psych 626: Issues in Prisoner Re-Entry (dars exception needed)
Psych 601: Psych of Juvenile Delinquency—Seniors only, Capstone Psych Course (dars exception needed)
Social Work 612: Psychopathology in Generalist Social Work Practice
Sociology 441: Criminology
Fall 2025 CJ Cert Courses-Declared Before Fall 2025
Group 1: Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/Sociology 131: Criminal Justice in America
Group 2: Theories of Crime and Deviant Behavior
Psychology 526: The Criminal Mind
Sociology 421: Processes of Deviant Behavior
Sociology 441: Criminology
Sociology 446: Juvenile Delinquency
Group 3: Crime and Justice/Operations of the Justice System
**AfAm671: Topic: Race & Mass Incarceration in US Hist (ethnic st) (dars exception needed)
Civil Soc & Community Studies 410: Human Trafficking (dars exception needed)
**English 182: Doing Time: Race, Labor, Incarceration (Lit) (honors only)
Legal Studies 135: Disability and the Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/Ed Pol 250: Incarceration and Education (dars exception needed)
Legal Studies/GWS/Soc 425: Crime, Gender, Justice
Legal Studies 426: History of Punishment
**Legal Studies 400: Criminal Injustice in America
**Legal St. 400/Soc 496: Incarceration and Inequality
Legal St. 400/Soc 496: The Penitentiary in Global Perspective (dars exception needed)
Legal St/LIS 460: Surveillance, Privacy, and Police Powers
Political Science 314: Criminal Law & Justice
Political Science 401: Politics and Crime
Psychology 401: Psychology, Law, & Social Policies
Psychology 626: Issues in Prisoner Re-Entry (dars exception needed)
Group 4: Broader Psycho/Socio/Economic Processes Related to Criminal Justice
Legal Studies/English 160: Truth and Crime (Lit)
**History/Ed Pol 143: History of Race and Inequality in Urban America (Ethnic St) (Comm b)
**HDFS 474: Racial Ethnic Families in U.S. (Ethnic St)
Legal St. 400: Criminal Justice & Popular Culture
Legal Studies 444: Law in Action
Legal Studies 641: Sociology of Law
Psychology 405: Adult Psychopathology
Social Work 453 Substance Use Disorders
Social Work 462: Child Welfare
Social Work 623: Interpersonal Violence (dars exception needed)
Social Work 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
Group 5: Ethnography-Internship Prep
Counseling Psych 225: Intersectionalities, Self -Awareness, And Social Actions For Social Change (ethnic studies)
Counseling Psych 237: Mental Health, Self-Awareness, and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities (ethnic studies)
Counseling Psychology 620: Interviewing (dars exception needed)
Counseling Psychology 655: Clinical Communication Skills
Com Arts 260: Communication and Human Behavior (dars exception needed)
Com Arts 262: Argumentation and Debate (Comm B) (dars exception needed)
Com Arts 266: Theory and Practice of Group Discussion (Comm B) (dars exception needed)
Comm Arts 272: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication (Comm B) (dars exception needed)
Com Arts 565: Communication and Interethnic Behavior (Ethnic Studies)
History 300: History at Work
Inter-HE 202: Careers and Leadership Dev (SOHE Majors only)
Inter-LS 210: L&S Career Development (1 credit)
Inter-LS 215: Communicating about Careers (Comm B)
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
Watch this Short Video About the Fieldwork Requirement
Legal St 694: Field Observation in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies
- 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. The Fall 2025 process began on March 14th. Please email cjcp@ssc.wisc.edu to be added to the process.
Legal Studies 400: Tribal Court of Appeals Project (Application required)
Legal St. 473: Health Impacts of Unmet Social Needs (Find more information & application here)
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.
HDFS 592: Research Experience in HDFS
Political Science 315: Legislative Internship (If you are interested in enrolling in PS 315, once you have an internship in place, please email Amy Gangl at agangl@wisc.edu with the name and email contact info of your internship office supervisor, the number of hours you will be working each week during the semester (a minimum of 7-9 hours required), and your campus ID number.
Pub Affr 327: Administrative Internship
Pub Affr 360: Workshop in Health Policy (pre-req is PA 200, find more info here)
Pub Affr 369: Workshop in Public Policy (pre-req is PA 200, find more info here)
Rehab Psychology & Special Ed 630: Internship in Rehabilitation or Special Ed (Contact Rebecca Bradbury, rebecca.bradbury@wisc.edu, for questions regarding requisites and course permissions.)
Social Work 400: Field Practice and Integrative Seminar I
**For students who declared Fall 2023 and later, one course of the above should focus on race/justice studies. This is marked by **
Fall 2025 CJ Cert Courses-Declared Fall 2025 or After
Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/Sociology 131: Criminal Justice in America
Race & Justice Studies
AfAm671: Topic: Race & Mass Incarceration in US Hist (ethnic st) (dars exception needed)
English 182: Doing Time: Race, Labor, Incarceration (Lit) (honors only)
Legal Studies 400: Criminal Injustice in America
Legal St. 400/Soc 496: Incarceration and Inequality
History/Ed Pol 143: History of Race and Inequality in Urban America (Ethnic St) (Comm b)
HDFS 474: Racial Ethnic Families in U.S. (Ethnic St)
Fieldwork/Internship/Research Seminar
Legal Studies 400: Tribal Court of Appeals Project (Application required)
Legal St. 473: Health Impacts of Unmet Social Needs (Find more information & application here)
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.
HDFS 592: Research Experience in HDFS
Inter-HE 601: Internship
Political Science 315: Legislative Internship (If you are interested in enrolling in PS 315, once you have an internship in place, please email Amy Gangl at agangl@wisc.edu with the name and email contact info of your internship office supervisor, the number of hours you will be working each week during the semester (a minimum of 7-9 hours required), and your campus ID number.
Pub Affr 327: Administrative Internship
Pub Affr 360: Workshop in Health Policy (pre-req is PA 200, find more info here)
Pub Affr 369: Workshop in Public Policy (pre-req is PA 200, find more info here)
Rehab Psychology & Special Ed 630: Internship in Rehabilitation or Special Ed (Contact Rebecca Bradbury, rebecca.bradbury@wisc.edu, for questions regarding requisites and course permissions.)
Social Work 400: Field Practice and Integrative Seminar
Electives
Counseling Psych 237: Mental Health, Self-Awareness, and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities (ethnic studies)
Counseling Psychology 655: Clinical Communication Skills
Legal Studies 135: Disability and the Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/English 160: Truth and Crime (Lit)
Legal Studies/Ed Pol 250: Incarceration and Education
Legal St. 400/Soc 496: The Penitentiary in Global Perspective (dars exception needed)
Legal St. 400: Criminal Justice & Popular Culture
Legal Studies/GWS/Soc 425: Crime, Gender, Justice
Legal Studies 426: History of Punishment
Legal Studies 444: Law in Action
Legal St/LIS 460: Surveillance, Privacy, and Police Powers
Legal Studies 641: Sociology of Law
Political Science 314: Criminal Law & Justice
Political Science 401: Politics and Crime
Psychology 401: Psychology, Law, & Social Policies
Psychology 405: Adult Psychopathology
Psychology 526: The Criminal Mind
Psychology 626: Issues in Prisoner Re-Entry (dars exception needed)
Social Work 453 Substance Use Disorders
Social Work 462: Child Welfare
Social Work 623: Interpersonal Violence (dars exception needed)
Social Work 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
Sociology 421: Processes of Deviant Behavior
Sociology 441: Criminology
Sociology 446: Juvenile Delinquency
Summer 2025 Criminal Justice Certificate Courses
Group 1 – Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/Sociology 131: Criminal Justice in America
Group 2 – Theories of Crime and Deviant Behavior
Social Work 612: Psychopathology in Generalist Social Work Practice
Sociology 441: Criminology
Group 3 – Crime and Justice/Operations of the Justice System
Legal Studies/Soc/GWS 425: Crime, Gender & Justice
Legal St/Hist 426: History of Punishment
Group 4 – Broader Psycho/Social/Economic Process Related to Criminal Justice
Legal Studies 160: Truth and Crime (dars exception needed)
Legal Studies/GWS 422: Women and the Law
Legal Studies 444: Law in Action
Psychology 405: Adult Psychopathology
Social Work 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
Group 5 – Ethnography – Internship Prep
Coun Psy 225: Intersectionalities- (Ethnic St)
Coun Psy 237: Mental Health, Self-Awareness, and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities
Coun Psy 655: Clinical Communication Skills
Inter-HE 202: Careers and Leadership Dev (SOHE Majors only)
Inter-LS 210: L&S Career Development
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
– (only available to students currently enrolled in pre-internship canvas site. If you have an internship for Summer 2025 and you are not enrolled in pre-internship canvas site, please email cjcp@ssc.wisc.edu)
– 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:
Legal Studies 473 (application required: link to website)
Political Science 315: Legislative Internship
Psych 621: Mentored Research and Seminar
Public Affairs 327: Administrative Internship
**For students who declared Fall 2023 and later, one course of the above should focus on race/justice studies. This is marked by **
Spring 2025 Criminal Justice Certificate Courses
Group 1 – Criminal Justice System
Legal St./Soc 131: Criminal Justice in America
Group 2 – Theories of Crime and Deviant Behavior
Psych 526/586: The Criminal Mind
Psych 601: Psych of Juvenile Delinquency—Seniors only, Capstone Psych Course (dars exception needed)
Social Work 612: Psychopathology in Generalist Social Work Practice
Sociology 441: Criminology
Sociology 496: Serial Killers in America (dars exceptions needed)
Group 3 – Crime and Justice/Operations of the Justice System
Legal St./Hist 235: Prisons: From Antiquity to Supermax (dars exception needed)
**Legal St. 400/Soc 496: Race, Family and the State
Legal St./Soc/GWS 425: Crime, Gender & Justice
**Legal St./Af.Am. 435: Civil Rights
**Legal St.400/Soc 496: Incarceration and Inequality (dars exception needed)
Psych 601: Issues in Prisoner Re-Entry (dars exception needed)
Group 4 – Broader Psycho/Social/Economic Process Related to Criminal Justice
Econ 690: Economics of Crime (ECON 301 or 311 pre req) (dars exception needed)
**History 143: History of Race and Inequality in Urban America
**Human Development & Family St 474: Racial Ethnic Families in U.S. (Ethnic St)
Legal St. 135: Disability and the Criminal Justice System
Legal St. 422: Women and the Law
**Legal St./ChicLa/Soc 443: Immigration, Crime & Enforcement (Ethnic St)
Legal St. 444: Law in Action
Legal St. 477: History of Forensic Science
Psychology 405: Adult Psychopathology
**Pub Affr 520: Inequality, Race and Public Policy (Ethnic St.) (dars exception needed)
Social Work 375: Pwr Poss, SJ and Social Change (dars exception needed)
Social Work 453: Substance Use Disorders
Social Work 627: Sex Trafficking and Sex Trading
Social Work 646: Child Abuse and Neglect
**Sociology 578: Poverty and Place
Group 5 – Ethnography – Internship Prep
Com Arts 260: Communication and Human Behavior (dars exception needed)
Com Arts 266: Theory and Practice of Group Discussion (Comm B) (dars exception needed)
Comm Arts 272: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication (Comm B) (dars exception needed)
Coun Psy 110: Human Resources Development: Career Strategies (dars exception needed)
Coun Psy 225: Intersectionalities- (Ethnic St)
Coun Psy 237: Mental Health, Self-Awareness, and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities
Coun Psy 525: Dimensions of Latin@ Mental Health Services
Coun Psy 655: Clinical Communication Skills
CSCS 125: Community and Social Change
ESL 200: Academic and Professional Speaking Skills for Undergraduate students
History 300: History at Work
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)
Group 6 – Field Work/Internship Seminar:
Please note: these courses require advance preparation/permission to enroll per department
Legal St 694: Field Observation in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies
- Only available to students currently enrolled in pre-internship canvas site. If you have an internship for Spring 2025 and you are not enrolled in pre-internship canvas site, please email cjcp@ssc.wisc.edu
- 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:
ChicLa 329: Community Based Research
GEN&WS 660: Internship in Gender & Women’s Studies
GWS/Psych 322: Sexual & Relationship Violence Research & Activism (dars exception needed)
LACIS 440: Spanish: Immigration Law Clinic
Legal Studies 400: Tribal Court of Appeals (application required)
Legal Studies 473 (application required: link to website)
Political Science 315: Legislative Internship
Public Affairs 327: Administrative Internship
Social Work 401: Field Practice and Integrative Seminar
**For students who declared Fall 2023 and later, one course of the above should focus on race/justice studies. This is marked by **