The Undergraduate Certificate in Victims and Victim Services applies a multi-faceted approach to higher education that enhances analytical thinking and inclusive, relevant approaches to learning and the development of professional skills; and focuses on specific, yet comprehensive, substantive areas of law enforcement that students can apply to their current or future careers in the field.

Students completing the certificate program will have the knowledge and skills to evaluate, manage and respond to a variety of situations and issues that professionals in fields related to victims and victim services face. Specifically, they will possess technical, analytic, substantive and ethical proficiencies that will facilitate their professional interactions and development. They will understand the different environments and contexts in which victim advocates and other professionals in this field, and related ones, carry out their responsibilities.

Program requirements

• The Undergraduate Certificate in Victims and Victim Services requires 18 credit hours of coursework.
• No more than 6 credit hours of transfer coursework may apply to the certificate.
• Students must receive a minimum C grade in each undergraduate course applied to satisfy the certificate.

Required courses

Students must complete all of the required courses below, totaling 12 credit hours. All course descriptions can be found in the Undergraduate Academic Catalog.

• CRJU 1000 - Criminology and Criminal Justice: An Overview (3 credit hours)
• CRJU 2041 - Criminological Theory (3 credit hours)
• CRJU 3285 - Trauma in the Criminal Justice System (3 credit hours)
• CRJU 4170 - Victimology (3 credit hours)

Elective courses

There are two elective categories, Violence Focus and Professional Setting. The Violence Focus elective allows the student to learn about an area of violence in a more in-depth capacity. The Professional Setting elective allows the student to hone skills related to service delivery.

Students must complete one course (3 credits) from the Violence Focus list below:

• CRJU 3250 - Violence in Society (3 credit hours)
• CRJU 3280 - Trauma Among Correctional Populations (3 credit hours)
• CRJU 4140 - Domestic Violence and Crime (3 credit hours)
• CRJU 4150 - Sex Offenders and Sex Offenses 
• ETST 2115 - Genocide in the 21st Century: Darfur and Beyond (3 credit hours)
• HDFR 1080 - Lifespan Issues in Family Violence (3 credit hours)
• HIST 4308 - Crime, Policing, and Justice in American History (3 credit hours)
• PSCI 4807 - Political Violence (3 credit hours)
• PSYC 3611 - Psychology of Women (3 credit hours)
• SOCY 4460 - Hate Groups and Group Violence (3 credit hours)
• SOCY 4780 - Violence in Relationships

Students must also complete one course (3 credits) from the Professional Setting list below:

• CRJU 4939 - Internship (must be pre-approved and related to Victims and Victim Services) (3 credit hours)
• HDFR 4003 - Leadership and Organizations (3 credit hours)
• HDFR 4004 - Family and Comm. Prog. II Grant Writing/Fundraising (3 credit hours)
• HDFR 4090 - Helping Profession Skills in HDFR (3 credit hours)
• HDFR 4260 - Family Systems and Social Justice (3 credit hours)
• HDFR 4860 - Trauma Informed Care for Diverse Populations and Co-occurring Disorders
• PUAD 3002 - Program Design, Evaluation, and Decision-Making (3 credit hours)
• PUAD 3003 - Introduction to Nonprofit Organizations (3 credit hours)
• PUAD 3110 - Seminar in Nonprofit Management (3 credit hours)
• PUAD 4002 - Leading for the Public Good (3 credit hours)
• PUAD 4009 - Human Service Organizations (3 credit hours)