Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice

The field of criminology and criminal justice utilizes various viewpoints to investigate crime and violence's nature, scope, management, control, repercussions, and prevention.

The UCCS Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice presents current and future criminal justice experts with an opportunity to build and enhance their research and critical thinking abilities, problem-solving skills, and managerial and leadership skills.

The Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice prepares students for roles in a range of criminal justice environments, as well as government, research, and non-profit agencies.

Admission to this certificate program requires a bachelor's degree in any field from an accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better. As of fall 2018, current Master of Criminal Justice students may not pursue the Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice.

Current UCCS Students

Current UCCS students wishing to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice must submit a Certificate Declaration to cps@uccs.edu. Students in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program may count Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice courses completed with a grade of B- or better toward the degree's elective requirement, allowing students to complete the certificate in addition to the MPA as part of their degree plan.

New Students

New students interested in pursuing a graduate certificate only must complete the online graduate application, select their intended certificate and pay the $60 application fee. An unofficial transcript showing the undergraduate degree conferred should be sent to UCCS Admissions, 1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, or electronically to ugapp@uccs.edu. Official transcripts will be collected by the graduate college prior to the end of the first semester.

Certificate Completion Application

A Certificate Completion Application is required to be submitted upon completion of the required certificate courses and grades have been posted for the final course.  This form is located in the myUCCS student portal.  It is the responsibility of the student to notify the College of Public Service when they complete their graduate certificate.

Graduate Certificate Students

Graduate certificate students may also become interested in enrolling in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) or Master of Criminal Justice (MCJ) program. Up to 12 credit hours of graduate-level School of Public Affairs coursework completed with a grade of B or better as an unclassified (non-degree) student may be applied to the MPA or MCJ upon admission, subject to degree plan requirements and program director approval.

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