Criminology Certificate & Internship
Criminology Certificate
The Criminology Certificate provides students with an in-depth exposure to all facets of the criminal justice system. Through exploration of both theoretical and applied social science research, students will learn about many aspects of crime as a social phenomenon. This exploration will include empirical research on crime and criminal behavior, the tools and methods used to study and prevent crime, and the institutions involved in the processing of juvenile and adult offenders.
The department of Sociology is home to the Criminology Certificate and is the only department on campus that offers any emphasis on criminology, corrections or criminal justice. Our program has a wide variety of recognized faculty who are engaged in teaching and research within the field of Criminology.
Declaration Form:
Students who are interested in declaring a Criminology certificate need to meet with the Undergraduate advisor in the Department of Sociology. You will be required to fill out a Certificate Declaration form and have it approved. Keep in mind, the Criminology certificate is not a major or a minor. It is an emphasis on your degree.
To schedule an appointment, use the "Book an Advising Appointment" feature located in the left-hand column.
To download the Certificate Declaration Form, click here.
Criminology Certificate Requirements:
Required Class: SOC 3561 Criminology (3)
Criminology Electives: Choose 3 (9) Credit hours
| SOC 3510 Special Topics-Deviance, Crime & Law (3) | SOC 3568 Sociology of Law (3) |
| SOC 3560 Deviant Behav & Soc Control (3) | SOC 3569 Terrorism, Violence, Aggression (3) |
| SOC 3562 Juvenile Delinquency (3) | SOC 3570 Gangs & Gang Violence |
| SOC 3563 Good Cop, Bad Cop (3) | SOC 3571 Murder in America (3) |
| SOC 3564 Locked Up! (3) | SOC 4566 Sexual Assault (3) |
| SOC 3565 Women & Crime (3) | |
| SOC 3566 Society and the Criminal Mind (3) | |
| SOC 3567 Corporations & Coruption (3) | SOC 3593 Criminology Internship (3) |
Criminology Allied: Choose 2
| ANTH 4138 Anthro of Violence & Nonviolence (3) | POLS 5520 Law Enforcement Administration (3) |
| ANTH 2220 Intro to Forensic Anthropology...(3) | POLS 5610 International Law (3) |
| ANTH 4272 Forensic Anthropology (3) | POLS 5670 US National Security Policy (3) |
| ED PS 5210 Interview Counseling (3) | PSYCH 1230 Psychology of Adolescence (3) |
| FCS 3240 Ecology of Family Belief Systems (3) CW | PSYCH 3215 or FCS 3215 Development in Infancy & Childhood (3) |
| FCS 5230 Adolescent Development (3) | PSYCH 3220 Childhood & Adolescent Development (3) |
| FCS 5370 Family Violence (4) CW | PSYCH 3250 Abnormal Child Psychology (3) |
| FCS 5380 Family Problems | PSYCH 3260 Social & Personality Development (3) |
| GEOG 3140 Intro to Geographic Info Systems-GIS (3) | PSYCH 3400 Psychology of Abnormal Behavior (3) |
| GEOG 3170/5170 Mobile GIS | PSYCH 4240 Psychology of Family Pathology (3) |
| GEOG 3320 Geog of Terrorism & Homeland Security (3) | PSYCH 5480 Psychology and Law (3) |
| GNDR 5900 Women and the Law (3) | PSYCH 3700 Drugs and Behavior (3) |
| H EDU 1030 Substance Use and Abuse (3) | SW All courses for the Drug & Alcohol Abuse Certificate Program |
| MGT 3410 Business Law: Commercial (3) | SW 2300 Social Welfare as an Institution (3) |
| PHIL 3500 Ethics (3) | SW 3214 Child Welfare Practice (3) |
| PHIL 3710 Philosophy of Law (3) | SW 3314 Child Welfare Policy (3) |
| POLS 3200 Intro Law & Politics (3) | |
| POLS 5120 Judicial Process (3) | |
| POLS 5211 Constitutional Law (3) | |
| POLS 5080 Islamic Law (3) | |
| POLS 5250 Corrections Administration (3) | |
| POLS 5450 Political Violence/Terrorism (3) |
Declaration Form:
Students who are interested in declaring a Criminology certificate need to meet with the Undergraduate advisor in the Department of Sociology. You will be required to fill out a Certificate Declaration form and have it approved. Keep in mind, the Criminology certificate is not a major or a minor. It is an emphasis on your degree.
Schedule an appointment using the "Book an Advising Appointment" feature.
To download the Certificate Declaration Form, click here.
Criminology Internship
The Criminology Certificate program offers students the opportunity to experience field placement in various community agencies whose work dovetails with the field of criminology and criminal justice (Examples include Juvenile Justice Services, Adult Probation & Parole, the Rape Recovery Center, and the YWCA) through our Criminology Internship. The Criminology Internship is offered EVERY semester to students in their senior year. There has been a great deal of student interest in criminology internships and field placement, particularly since students involved in criminology internships often take job placements soon after graduation. Government and law enforcement agencies, as well as advocacy programs often seek students to train through internships.
Dr. Larry Bench is the longtime director of the Criminology Internship program and has been successful in establishing an excellent rapport with sponsoring agencies in the Salt Lake Valley. Lists of agencies are provided in Dr. Bench's syllabus along with contact information so that students may contact agencies which interest them. Here are a few comments from students who have completed Criminology Internships:
Name: Kassie Monson
Hometown: Orem, Utah
Year: Senior
Major: Psychology/Sociology with a Criminology Certificate
Place of intern: Adult Probation and Parole (SLC)
"Interning is way cooler than taking classes. The semester I did my internship I had 15 credits but the course load was much easier to handle. There are no tests or homework, it is purely based on the time you spend at your internship (and one paper at the end of the semester, but that's easy!). For my internship at the office of Adult Probation and Parole, I was assigned to a Probation Agent as a kind of Junior Agent. I came in every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for about five hours (you have to intern 100 hours per semester which ends up being only a few hours minimum per week) and learned many things including how to write court documents and violation cases on offenders. The best part about my internship happened every other Thursday; on this day, my Probation Agent had desk duty, meaning that his team had the responsibility of meeting with each of their probationers in-office. I loved seeing the wide array of probationers and learning about their unique cases. I also really enjoyed going on home visits to check-in on offenders. Learning the way probationers are treated and classified will be invaluable in my future career plans and help me to better understand the lives of these individuals. I was privileged to be assigned with an amazing Probation Agent that was more than excited to answer any question I had; but, each Agent has such a different method. Also, there is opportunity to work with specialized groups such as sex offenders or extreme drug abusive offenders. Interning is really neat because you can find a plethora of agencies willing to take eager students. You can be an intern in many, many different places.
"I think that the internship program was invaluable to my education. EVERYBODY absolutely should do it! Even though I never planned to be a probation officer it helped to narrow focus regarding my future career and academic goals. The more you can apply knowledge from past courses to real-life experiences the more enriched you become! Doing my internship in my Junior year helped to restore my interest in Sociology and refreshed my academic mood overall."
Name: Laura Naylor
Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
Year: Senior
Major: Sociology
Place of intern: The Adoption Exchange, The YWCA/Family Justice Center
"I wish I had delved into the wonderful world of interning before now! Just last semester
was my first experience, and it was amazing. What better way to gain experience (as
every job you will apply for wants) than gaining it while getting school credit at
the same time? No books to buy, no lectures to sit through, it is like learning enhanced
to its highest level.
I have had wonderful experiences with the two internships I have done. The Adoption
Exchange I continue to volunteer for and am gaining valuable experience as I do so.
The Family Justice Center and YWCA is such a different environment and I have learned
so many new and noteworthy things. Before my internships, I was working two part time
jobs. I quit one of those jobs to be able to do the internship and I was very scared
of the outcome. What if I just quit my job for nothing and I do not learn anything?
I can say right now it was the smartest decision I've made regarding education and
I do not regret quitting that job at all. The knowledge and experience gained far
outweigh the small paycheck I was receiving.
"I interned during the fall semester with The Adoption Exchange working 9 hours a
week. This was the required amount for the number of credits I was receiving for my
Diversity Internship course. Now, I volunteer just 5 hours a week, to make room for
the other internship at The Family Justice Center, which is also 9 hours a week.
I know without a doubt my internships will help me in getting a job as I finish my
undergraduate degree. I already have talked to an organization that is looking to
hire someone in the spring and have been told I look promising because of my intern
experience with The Adoption Exchange. I could not recommend doing an internship enough
for undergraduate students. I only wish I would've known about them earlier.
"As I look back on the decision I have made to involve myself in interning, I can only identify great things. Experiences with children in the Foster Care system, experiences with victims of domestic violence, being able to be in a position to help those who are in need of help, personally has helped me feel much more satisfaction in myself, which would be a reward in itself. Then you add in the fact that I have real world experience to put on my resume, and receiving school credit all at once, honestly just makes it feel like a deal no student should pass up. I would not say such positive things about these internships if I didn't feel they were worth the hype. I have grown personally because of the experiences I have had, and what a bonus that it will help me in my education and future career goals."
Declaration Form:
Students who are interested in declaring a Criminology certificate need to meet with the Undergraduate advisor in the Department of Sociology. You will be required to fill out a Certificate Declaration form and have it approved. Keep in mind, the Criminology certificate is not a major or a minor. It is an emphasis on your degree.
Schedule an appointment using the "Book an Advising Appointment" feature.
To download the Certificate Declaration Form, click here.
View participating criminology internship agencies here.
