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.

Additional resources for Admissions:

• Tuition Rate
• Cost of Tuition Estimator
• Financial Aid
• Scholarships

The certificate consists of four courses totaling 12 credit hours of graduate coursework. A grade of B- or better is required in each course counting toward the certificate. Certificate students must maintain a 3.00 GPA once admitted to the certificate program. Please be advised that courses are typically offered alternately online and on campus, not concurrently. It is possible that pursuing a certificate fully online or fully on campus could take up to two years, depending on course availability.

• CRJU 5001 - Criminal Justice Systems, Policy, and Practice
• CRJU 5002 - Criminological Theory

Plus two of the following courses:

• CRJU 5005 - Law and Society
• CRJU 5007 - Violence
• CRJU 5008 - Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Social Class
• CRJU 5009 - Crime and Violence Prevention and Intervention
• CRJU 5010 - Mapping and Analysis for Public Safety
• CRJU 5100 - Administration of Criminal Justice
• CRJU 5220 - American Jury System
• CRJU 5391 - Sex Offenders and Offenses
• CRJU 5410 - Victim Studies
• CRJU 5430 - Drugs, Alcohol, and Crime
• CRJU 5510 - Contemporary Issues in Policing
• CRJU 5520 - Corrections
• CRJU 5552 - Criminal Justice Ethics
• CRJU 5553 - Women and Crime
• CRJU 5573 Organized Crime
• CRJU 6200 - Wrongful Convictions

Please visit the UCCS Academic Catalog for course descriptions and detailed program requirements.