Juvenile Justice ,Certificate
Criminal Justice, Criminology, Delinquency, children, youth
Do you have a passion for improving the outcomes of vulnerable youth within the juvenile justice system? Enhance your ASU undergraduate degree with a certificate that prepares you to better understand the psychology, societal response and criminal justice system's management of delinquency in youth.
In the juvenile justice certificate program, you cover key topics focusing on justice-involved youth, including theoretical perspectives on why youth engage in delinquent acts; life-course criminology and how key turning points in life impact trajectories of youth; the number of youth who engage in delinquency who have a prior history of victimization; and juvenile justice and how the criminal justice system, including police, courts and correctional agencies, responds to youth.
- College/school:
Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions
- Location: Downtown Phoenix or Online
2026-2027 Catalog Year
| Requirement | Minimum Grade | Credit Hours |
|---|
| Requirement | Minimum Grade | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
|
The certificate requires 15 credits, of which 12 are upper division. A minimum of 12 credit hours must be taken in residence at ASU. |
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CRJ 204 Juvenile Justice
3 Credit Hours
Minimum
Grade:C
|
C | 3 |
|
CRJ 404 Juvenile Delinquency
3 Credit Hours
Minimum
Grade:C
|
C | 3 |
|
CRJ 425 Life-Course Criminology
3 Credit Hours
Minimum
Grade:C
|
C | 3 |
|
Special Topics course CRJ 494: other juvenile justice-related topics may be substituted with approval.
6 Credit Hours
Minimum
Grade:C
|
C | 6 |
|
Prerequisite courses may be needed in order to complete the requirements of this certificate.
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Completion of the following prerequisite courses with grades of "C" or higher are required for enrollment in the certificate program:
- CRJ 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice
- completion of PSY 230 Introduction to Statistics or one of the following two-course sequences in research methods and statistics with a grade of "C" or higher: CRJ 302/CRJ 303 or JUS 301/JUS 302 or PSY 290/PSY 230 or SOC 391/SOC 390 or SWU 320/SWU 321 or FAS 361/SOC 390
Bachelor of Science in criminology and criminal justice majors who are also pursuing the juvenile justice certificate may not use CRJ 404, CRJ 425 and their chosen electives (CRJ 462 or CRJ 494) towards both their degree and the certificate.
A student pursuing an undergraduate certificate must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at ASU. Undergraduate certificates are not awarded prior to the award of an undergraduate degree. A student already holding an undergraduate degree may pursue an undergraduate certificate as a nondegree-seeking graduate student.
ASU offers this program in an online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. Applicants may view the program’s ASU Online page for program descriptions and to request more information.
Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program’s learning outcomes include the following:
- Demonstrate an understanding of how the criminal justice system, including police, courts, and correctional agencies, can best respond to juvenile delinquent acts through a comprehension of risk and protective factors.
- Apply knowledge about the nature of delinquency into the analysis of appropriate responses to delinquent acts.
- Illustrate competency in life-course theories of social control.
Those who complete this certificate program have developed expertise in understanding youth crime and responses to it. This expertise prepares them for employment opportunities in juvenile courts, juvenile probation and corrections, and social service agencies.
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
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UCENT 600
SCCJadvising@asu.edu
602-496-1658
Program term definitions
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
