The School of Social Work offers a certificate program in Criminal Justice with a concentration in either Corrections or Law Enforcement. The concentration in Corrections helps to prepare a student for work in a career such as probation or parole officer, jail or prison social worker, rehabilitation counselor, or court mediator. The concentration in Law Enforcement helps to prepare a student for work in a career such as police officer, detective, bailiff, deputy, park ranger, federal investigator, or customs agent.
Students enter the program from different backgrounds and with a variety of career objectives in the area of criminal justice. Many are interested in attending law school, some in seeking law-related professions, and others in pursuing an understanding of the relationships among law, society, and the justice system. In addition to traditional students who are seeking to complement their major program of study, those pursuing a certificate in Criminal Justice include police officers, correctional officers, ex-offenders, chemical dependency workers, juvenile justice advisers, community advocates, and social workers. The two concentrations are designed to meet the various objectives sought by such a diverse student population.
Corrections Concentration
The concentration in Corrections prepares students for practice in community-based and institutional corrections programs. The Corrections concentration has core courses that focus on incarceration, community-based corrections, commitment alternatives, equal protection issues, and treatment of offenders.
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