Criminal Justice (Graduate Certificate)

Why Choose Criminal Justice

Like our Master of Science degree program, the Graduate Certificate program is designed to produce graduates who have the research skills and theoretical knowledge to obtain professional, managerial and research positions in a variety of justice-related fields and/or pursue doctoral degrees in criminal justice or criminology. The program requires a minimum of 18 credit hours, including 2 required Criminal Justice courses (CRJC 521 and CRJC 540) and 4 graduate elective courses.

Unlike the Master of Science degree program, students are NOT required to take an advanced research methods course, pass the comprehensive exam, or write a thesis in order to be awarded the Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice.

Attending Fayetteville State University and obtaining my master’s degree in criminal justice forever changed the trajectory of my life.
Dr. Leslie-Dawn Quick
Criminal Justice Graduate
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What You Will Learn

Our department provides a variety of graduate courses related to criminology and criminal justice. Here are some examples: foundations in criminal justice systems, foundations of criminological thought, statistics applications in criminal justice, and research methods in criminal justice. We also provide different elective courses such as race, crime, and justice, and females, crime, and justice. For more information, please visit our catalog.

What You Will Do

Having a graduate certificate in Criminal Justice will help you get hired for a variety of jobs within the criminal justice field. Here are some examples: police officer, probation officer, juvenile detention officer, correctional officer, FBI agent, crime analyst, DEA agent, and legal researcher.

Courses

Here are some of the courses that we offer:

  • Foundations in Criminal Justice Systems
  • Foundations of Criminological Thought
  • Statistics Applications in Criminal Justice
  • Research Methods in Criminal Justice
  • Race, Crime, and Justice
  • Females, Crime, and Justice
  • Qualitative Methods in Criminal Justice
  • Program Evaluation in Criminal Justice
  • Corporate and Government Crime
  • Juvenile Delinquency and Justice
Admissions Requirements
  • Undergraduate degree from an accredited institution.
  • Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • Two letters of recommendation from previous professors. If an applicant has been out of school for a number of years, letters from work references may be considered, if the reference can speak to an applicant's ability to succeed in a graduate academic program. Exception: Recommendation forms may be used in lieu of letters if: 1) the applicant has earned a bachelor's degree from FSU, and 2) the forms are completed by FSU professors.
  • Personal statement describing the applicant's career goals and how earning a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice will help the applicant achieve those goals.

Research

To find out more about research, please go to each professor's individual page.