Overview
The Certificate in Law and the American Criminal Justice System is a 12-credit certificate offered by the Department of Criminal Justice to all Temple undergraduates, whatever their major or minor. The courses selected for this certificate program are designed to provide students with a rigorous pre-law curriculum in the areas of Substantive Criminal Law, Criminal Courts, Criminal Procedure (Prosecution and Adjudication), Sex Crimes and Law, Restorative Justice, Capital Punishment, Sociology and Law. We also offer a special topics course annually to keep our curriculum fresh and relevant in today's rapidly evolving legal world.
The foundational courses are: (1) CJ 2501 Introduction to Criminal Law, which exposes students to a first-year law school required course, introducing the Socratic method, case briefing, and a court room observation of a current legal matter, and (2) CJ 2201 Criminal Courts and Criminal Justice, which provides students with the knowledge to understand the structure and foundation of the federal and state court systems and significant stages of the Criminal Justice and Law process. Our elective courses expose students to specific areas as noted above consistent with the shifting paradigm of our legal and justice system. Providing firsthand knowledge of how the Criminal Justice system operates in practice and the activities of the courtroom work group including the judge, prosecutor, defense attorney and victims is paramount. Gaining a more realistic view of the actual practice of criminal law, beyond generic pre-law advising, students will gain the skills needed for law school and be exposed to the broader issues in the Criminal Justice System. This certificate program will enhance our students as future lawyers and criminal justice practitioners.
Certificates are awarded only at the time of completion of the bachelor's degree and cannot be awarded either as a stand-alone program of study or after completion of the first bachelor's degree.
Campus Location: Main
Program Code: LA-LACJ-CERT
Double Counting of Courses
CJ 2501 plus one elective may count for both the Criminal Justice major and the Law and the American Criminal Justice System certificate.
CJ 2501 may count for both the Criminal Justice minor and the Law and the American Criminal Justice System certificate.
Contact Information
Kimberly Campanese, Criminal Justice Program Coordinator
Please contact the College of Liberal Arts' Center for Academic Advising for more information on minors, certificates or other CLA programs.
Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CJ 2501 | Introduction to Criminal Law | 3 |
| CJ 2201 | Criminal Courts and Criminal Justice | 3 |
| Select two from the following: | 6 | |
| Special Topics in Law and Justice | ||
| Capital Punishment | ||
| Criminal Procedure: Prosecution & Adjudication | ||
| Sex Crimes and the Law | ||
| Restorative Justice | ||
| Sociology of Law | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |