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Criminal Justice Administration Certificate

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Quick Facts

Delivery: Online or Onsite

Credit Hours: 12

Deadline: May 12

Classes Begin: June 14

We are currently updating our admissions process. If you have trouble with the online application, please contact us at (405) 325-0559 or pacsinfo@ou.edu.

TAKE YOUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE CAREER TO A NEW LEVEL

The Criminal Justice Administration Certificate focuses on leadership and decision-making as it relates to the law enforcement and corrections fields, as well as program and policy development skills required of contemporary criminal justice administrators. To complete the certificate, you must complete nine hours of required coursework, including Criminal Justice Policy Development, Ethical Decision-Making in Criminal Justice, Studies in Police Leadership and Correctional Leadership, and three elective hours focused on criminal justice or leadership. Elective hours include courses such as Drug Enforcement Operations and Management, Crime Analysis for Intelligence-Led Policing and Motivation in Work and Leadership. You also may choose to take Experiential Leadership I and II, which includes an opportunity to spend one week learning on OU’s Norman campus.

ABOUT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION CERTIFICATE

Graduate certificates provide an opportunity for a focused program of graduate study in a specified topic. You may complete the certificate program while enrolled in a graduate degree program, or you may be admitted directly to the certificate program. The credit hours you take to complete your graduate certificate may be applied to a graduate degree program.

Program Type

12 hours that can be completed 100% online or in a hybrid format. Note: Availability of onsite/hybrid courses depends on the number of students enrolled at each location. 

Certificate Topics:

  • Criminal justice policy deployment
  • Police and correctional leadership
  • Ethical decision-making in criminal justice
  • Community policing
  • Drug enforcement operations and management
  • Crime analysis for intelligence-led policing
  • Organizational communications and leadership

Admission and Retention

Students may apply to be admitted to the Graduate College to pursue the certificate program, or they may complete the certificate program while currently enrolled in a graduate degree program.

For students applying for admission to pursue the certificate, the admission requirements and process are the same as for a degree-seeking student; however, students cannot be admitted on conditional status to a certificate program.

The Graduate Certificate Program Report will be completed during the term the last course is being taken.

Use of Certificate Graduate Credit Towards a Graduate Degree

Credit hours gained during a certificate program are eligible to be applied to a graduate degree at OU. However, in all cases, the specific hours that may be transferred to the graduate degree are subject to the prevailing rules regarding residence credit. Certificate hours completed while a student is enrolled in a graduate degree are not considered to be transfer credit.

Read further information from the Graduate College.

Certificate Program Planning Sheet:

Criminal Justice Administration Graduate Certificate Program Planning Sheet

Curriculum

Program requirements

This graduate certificate offers a program of graduate level coursework in Criminal Justice:

  • Minimum of 12 hours of graduate credit, including a majority of 5000 and 6000 level courses
  • Minimum 3.0 GPA required for successful completion
  • No substitution of courses or transfer courses is allowed in the certificate program.

Required Courses

  • Criminal Justice Policy Deployment (three hours)
  • Ethical Decision-Making in Criminal Justice (three hours)
  • Studies in Police Leadership (three hours) or
  • Correctional Leadership (three hours)

Elective Courses (choose one)

  • Community Policing (three hours)
  • Drug Enforcement Operations and Management (three hours)
  • Crime Analysis for Intelligence-Led Policing (three hours)
  • Theories of Management and Leadership (three hours)
  • Cultures of Organizations (three hours)
  • The Individual and Leadership (three hours)
  • Organizational Communications (three hours)
  • Motivation in Work and Leadership (three hours)
  • Experiential Leadership I (must be taken with LSAL 5913) (three hours)
  • Experiential Leadership II (must be taken with LSAL 5903) (three hours)

Manageable Accelerated Courses

All graduate courses in this certificate are 16 weeks long. Most students choose to take two courses (or six credit hours) in the spring and fall semesters and one course (or three credit hours) in the summer. The number of credit hours you take each semester should be discussed with your advisor and reflective of your personal and work schedules.

Your Classmates

At OU Extended Campus, your cohort won’t look like the traditional college student. Many of our students are balancing family, work, and life responsibilities, and we make it our job to help them every step of the way. 

APPLY FOR CERTIFICATE

STEP 1: Prepare Application Materials

  • Statement of Purpose: A 300-500 word statement describing your career goals and how the chosen degree program aligns with those goals. The statement should also address educational history, including any disparity in undergraduate GPA, and significant life events leading to the decision to apply to graduate school.
  • Current Resume: Formatted in a professional manner, highlighting past work experience and education.
  • Last Degree Conferring Transcript: Must be uploaded with the rest of your materials.

STEP 2: Complete Online Application

Complete the online graduate application form. As soon as you have completed the required information, please submit your application. Your application will be reviewed when it is complete and all required materials have been received.

*NOTE: When completing your application, a GRE or GMAT score is not required to apply for OU Extended Campus certificates. If you have not taken either of these exams, simply click NO for each in the Test Scores section and leave the test dates blank.

After you submit your application, you will receive an email within 24 hours with instructions on how to submit your supplemental application materials.

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