Program Requirements
Photo: Jeff Miller
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Eligibility
The CJCP is open to all UW undergraduate students who have an interest in criminal or juvenile justice and are able to complete required courses in a timely manner.
Declaration
Students must see an advisor in order to declare the Certificate. Office hours and appointment schedules are available at the Advising Hours & Appointments link.
Students are encouraged to enroll in the program early in their academic career. Early enrollment allows time to take courses required for the Certificate and also plan for the internship course requirement. Declaration will allow you to obtain authorization for courses when available.
Requirements
To earn a CJCP Certificate, a student must complete all requirements for a Bachelor's degree, requirements of their declared major(s), and graduate from UW - Madison. In addition, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 as governed by University regulations, take all required courses for a letter grade versus pass-fail, and receive a grade of C or better in all CJCP Certificate courses.
Completion of one course from each of the following groups is also required. It is not necessary to take classes in any particular sequence. However, Group I, II, III, and VI are prerequisites to the Group VII Field Work, Legal Studies/Sociology 694 course.
Group I - Criminal Justice System
Legal Studies/Sociology 131 Criminal Justice in America, 3-4 credits
Group II - Theories of Crime and Deviant Behavior
Sociology 441 Criminology, 3-4
Psychology 311 Topics: Inside the Criminal Mind, 3
Psychology 411 Topics:Juvenile Delinquency, 3 (Psych Maj only)
Group III - Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Social Work 453 Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, 3
Group IV - Law and Justice Processes
Legal Studies 400 Comparative Criminal Justice, 3
Legal Studies 400 Surveillance, Privacy, Police Powers, 3
Legal Studies 400 American Juvenile Justice in Comparative Perspective, 3
Legal Studies/Sociology 641 Sociology of Law, 3-4
Political Science 411/412 Constitutional Law, 8 (Must take both classes)
Political Science 417 American Judicial System, 4
Political Science 452 Criminal Law and Justice, 4
Psychology 411 Topics in Psych: Legal Psych; Criminal & Civil, 3 (Psych
Maj Only)
Psychology 509 Abnormal Psychology, 3
Social Work 523 Family Violence, 3
(SW Maj only)
Social Work 646 Child Abuse and Neglect, 3 (SW Maj only)
*See Fall, Spring and Summer Course Offerings for additional courses.
Group V - Statistical Methods
Political Science 551 Quantitative Analysis of Political Data, 4
Psychology 210 Psychometric Methods, 3
Sociology 360 Statistics for Sociologists, 4
Statistics 301 Introduction to Statistical Methods, 3
Statistics 371 Introduction to Applied Stats for Life Sciences, 3
General Business 303 Business Statistics, 3
Group VI - Interviewing and Communications
Counseling Psych 650 Theory and Practice of Interviewing (School of Ed),
3
(for PS 427, RP 630, HDFS 601, Psych 412, Gen&WS 660 interns)
Social Work 441 Practice II: Generalist Practice with Individuals, Families
& Groups (SW Maj only)
Legal Studies 400 Foundations of Field Education (for LS/Soc 694 Summer interns)
Group VII - Field Work
Legal Studies/Sociology 694 & Social Work 663: Criminal Justice Field
Internship (summer only), 3
Prereqs: Groups 1-3 & Senior St (86cr)
*Political Science 427: Legislative Internship, 3
Prereqs: 3.0 GPA & Upper Level PoliSci Course
*Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Ed 630: Internship
in Rehabilitation & Special Ed , 3-6 (You must take at least 3 credits
for CJCP) This courses Does Not Count for LAS Credit
*Social Work 400 & 401: Field Practice and Seminar (SW majors only)
*Human Development & Family Studies 601: Internship (HDFS majors only)
*Psychology 412: Field Experience in Psychology
(Psych majors only)
*Gen/WS 660: Internship in Gender and Women's Studies
(Gen&WS majors only)
*Must be a Criminal/Juvenile Justice oriented internship; student must see the Criminal Justice advisor prior to registering for the course. Space may be limited.
More About Field Work and Prerequisites
An integral part of the CJCP curriculum is an intensive field internship concurrent with Group VII course enrollment.
Legal Studies/Sociology 694 or Social Work 663 Field Observation in Criminal Justice
The majority of students enroll in this internship course. Students are placed in a criminal or juvenile justice agency for 300 hours (30 hours per week for 10 weeks) over the summer semester. Internships take place in local, state, and federal agencies as well as private non-profit programs throughout Wisconsin and other states.. Placements including, juvenile court programs, police departments, public defenders' and district attorneys' offices, secure facilities, various treatment and rehabilitation programs, programs working with people victimized by crime, and others. The CJCP staff assist students in obtaining an appropriate internship position. Internships are generally unpaid. Students most often enroll in the internship course during the summer between their junior and senior year.. Eligibility for Legal Studies/Sociology 694 & Social Work 663 includes completion of 86 credits and Groups I, II, III and VI by the beginning of summer, formal declaration of the CJCP, and planned completion of the remaining CJCP requirements. Students must be in good academic standing and received a grade of C or better in prerequisite courses.
Legal Studies/Sociology 694 & Social Work 663 also requires students to attend seminars where experiences are discussed, assignments are shared, and issues from the field are explored. Past students have viewed the internship course as opening up new dimensions and understanding of criminal and juvenile justice and as the cornerstone of their education.
Political Science 427 Legislative Internship
This internship offers practical experience in a legislative office and an opportunity to participate in public policy making. In addition to 8-10 hours per week of legislative work, students attend regular class sessions and engage in traditional course work. Eligibility for Political Science 427 includes a minimum GPA of 3.0 and at least one advanced course in Political Science in the field of American Political Institutions. Recommended courses include; Political Science 405 State Government and Public Policy, 420 Administrative Law, 424 American Parties and Politics, 444 Administration of Public Policy, and 445 Politics of Poverty and Social Welfare. Political science students apply for Political Science 427 through the political science undergraduate advisor. CJCP advisors are able to refer two non-political science majors per semester. Referral is on a first come first serve basis. In order to obtain credit for the CJCP, students must submit a short descriptive email to the CJCP advisors indicating with whom they were placed and the content of the criminal justice related experience. Political Science 427 is offered during the Fall and Spring semesters.
Social Work 400/401 Field Practice and Integrative Seminar
The School of Social Work offers this internship in the Fall and Spring semesters. This two semester course requires a minimum of 16 hours per week in the field and includes a weekly seminar. Students enrolled in Social Work 400 & 401 to satisfy Group VII of the CJCP are often, but not always, placed in the Criminal Justice Field Unit. One must be a Social Work major and have Senior standing in order to be eligible for this internship. Examples of past placments include, Office of the State Public Defender- Client Services, Division of Communtiy Corrections, Dane County Juvenile Reception Center, Oakhill Prison, Mendota Mental Health Institute, and a varitey of treatment services.
Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education 630
This internship is offered through the School of Education within the Department
of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education. The course provides an
experience in a rehabilitation-oriented agency or program under the supervision
of a rehabilitation professional. It is designed to give students an introduction
to professional practice in rehabilitation and to develop skills through supervised
clinical activities. Integrative seminars are typically held on campus once
a week. The total number of hours in placement determine the number of credits
awarded. Criminal justice students must take it for at least 3 credits and
will be placed in programs providing rehabilitation, education, or vocational
services to a criminal or delinquent population. Examples of past placments include, Dane
County Juvenile Shelter, Juvenile Detention, Oakhill Prison, and Mendota Mental
Health Institute.
Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education 630 is offered
Fall and Spring semesters. School of Education majors see Dr. Kristine Eiring in the Department
of Rehabilitation and Special Education to seek a placement. L&S students please note: credits earned
from this course do not count for Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) credits in the College of Letters
& Science.
Human Development and Family Studies 601 Internship
This internship experience provides juniors and seniors in the School of Human Ecology an opportunity to explore areas of interest in a deeper context via internship. Through partnership with local agencies, students gain skills and experience while contributing to the community. Examples of past placements include Dane County Juvenile Court programs, Neighborhood Intervention Program, Dane County Focus Program, Domestic Abuse Intervention Program, and Court Appointed Special Advocates. HDFS 601 is a variable credit course offering. CJCP students must enroll for at least three credits. This course is offered to juniors and seniors each fall, spring and summer.
Gender & Women's Studies 660: Internship in Gender & Women's Studies
Each spring GWS offers a 6-credit internship course available to GWS students through an application and interview process. Gen&WS 660: Internship in Gender and Women’s Studies is designed to provide students with opportunities for learning and working in organizations in ways that connect their coursework in gender and women's studies to specific issues in community settings. The program provides a venue for students to put theory into practice, to participate in community-based organizations, to engage in a service-learning course and to think critically and reflect on participating as feminists in activism. Open to Gender & Women’s Studies students only.
Psychology 412: Field Experience in Psychology
This course provides an opportunity for students to gain practical experience in the application of psychology in an organization serving social, mental health, educational, biological psychology, developmental, or industrial/organizational interests. Course offering is irregular and enrollment is limited. Prerequisites include declaration as a psychology major, consent of instructor, and course work appropriate to individual settings.
Program Benefits
Involvement in the CJCP provides a solid educational foundation in criminal justice. It introduces students to basic concepts about our justice system and the individuals it serves. It encourages exploration of critical issues facing the system today and fosters investigation into realistic solutions.
The CJCP is not a professional training program. CJCP graduates have secured jobs in police departments, district attorneys' offices, public defenders' offices, juvenile group homes, adult halfway houses, public schools, and prisons. They have been involved in restitution programs, deferred prosecution alternatives, victim-witness projects, and home detention/electronic monitoring experiments. The options are numerous and interesting. Many CJCP students pursue a degree in law or attend graduate school in a related field.
Assistance
Program advisors like to meet with students enrolled in the CJCP at least once a year. This allows for an opportunity to make sure participants are progressing at a pace which ensures graduation with a CJCP Certificate, and that they are getting the assistance they need related to classes, volunteer work and careers.
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