Juvenile Justice, Certificate
Prepare for a rewarding career helping at-risk youth and navigating the complexities of the juvenile justice system. Complement your existing major with a credential that demonstrates your expertise in a high-demand area of public service.
Quick facts
Credits
Additional facts
Accreditation
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Certificate description
Juvenile Justice undergraduate certificate description
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.
Why earn a juvenile justice undergraduate certificate at ASU?
You study within the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, where social equity and community impact shape what you learn. This certificate bridges traditional criminology and social services for minors.
Additional details
Beyond the classroom, you can get involved through the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, which hosts student organizations such as Alpha Phi Sigma, the Criminology and Criminal Justice Club and the CCJ Graduate Student Committee. You can also take part in undergraduate research.
Courses
This undergraduate certificate includes courses focused on a specialized topic, so you can advance your skills for further professional opportunities. Explore all courses below:
2026-2027 Catalog Year
The certificate requires 15 credit hours. A "C" minimum is required for all courses in the certificate, although students must maintain a 3.00 GPA in the post-baccalaureate certificate program.
| 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. |
||
|
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.
|
What you'll learn
The following learning outcomes highlight some of the knowledge and skills you'll develop to support your future success.
- 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.
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.Enrollment requirements
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.
Here are the admission and application details
Paying for college
Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students recieve financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Get an estimateCareer opportunities
Careers this juvenile justice undergraduate certificate prepares you for
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.
Contact information
Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
|
UCENT 600
SCCJadvising@asu.edu
602-496-1658
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
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.
