Administration of Justice, Certificate of Achievement (C): Criminology Emphasis

Program Overview

This certificate program equips students with a comprehensive understanding of the American criminal justice system, criminological theories, and the social implications of crime. It prepares individuals for careers in law enforcement or further academic pursuits in criminology or criminal justice. The program emphasizes critical thinking, analytical skills, and an understanding of the responsibilities and duties of law enforcement agencies.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Overview:

This certificate program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for a career in law enforcement or in criminology or criminal justice. Students completing this program will:

• Understand the American Criminal Justice system.
• Recognize the responsibilities of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies including arrest procedures and the parole process.
• Comprehend the system's duties to its communities as well as factors influencing crime.
• Be familiar with the concept of social implications of crime, and the communication gap between the criminal justice system and its communities.
• Understand criminological theories, their impact on crime and criminal patterns and their relationship to policy creation.
• Know the various crime measuring systems.
• Recognize the social, political, and legal aspects of crime, as well as punishment.
• Apply critical thinking and analytical skills cultivated while studying social sciences in preparation for advanced academic pursuits within a college or university setting.

Outline:

Course requirements for this certificate program are as follows:

Required Department Courses:

• AJ 101 Introduction to the Administration of Justice (3 units)
• AJ 102 Ethics in the Criminal Justice System (3 units)
• AJ 125 Introduction to Criminology (3 units)
• AJ 250 The Study of Murder (3 units)
• PSY 100 General Psychology (3-4 units) -OR- PSY 100H General Psychology, Honors (3-4 units)
• SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology (3-4 units) -OR- SOC 101H Introduction to Sociology, Honors (3-4 units)
• 2 courses from the following for a total of 6-7 units:
• AJ 103 Legal Aspects of Evidence and Procedure (3 units)
• AJ 104 Introduction to Corrections (3 units)
• AJ 105 Diversity, Law and Justice (3 units)
• AJ 107 Concepts of Criminal Law (3 units)
• AJ 111 Criminal Investigation (3 units)
• AJ 113 Community Relations (3 units)
• AJ 245 Constitutional Law (3 units)
• AJ 255 Terrorism and the Criminal Justice System (3 units)
• AJ 265 Crime and Human Behavior (3 units)
• AJ 271 The Study of Evil (3 units)
• PSY 170 Abnormal Psychology (3 units)
• SOC 104 Social Psychology (3 units) -OR- PSY 175 Social Psychology: Psychological Perspective (3 units)
• SOC 106 Sociology of Deviance (3 units)
• SOC 109 Social Problems (3 units)

Careers:

This certificate will prepare students for careers in Law Enforcement (i.e. police officer, deputy sheriff, and probation officer). This certificate also prepares students for transfer into a BA or BS program for studies in criminology, criminal justice, or related fields.