Criminal Justice Spanish Certificate

Program Description:

The Certificate in Criminal Justice Spanish is a specialized Spanish language program that prepares students to successfully interact with members of the Latino community as they gain oral and written competency in professional Spanish and an understanding of Latino cultures. The certificate is designed for college graduates who majored in Criminal Justice, Social Work, Sociology, or related disciplines in Public Safety and Human services, and now must be able to communicate effectively with Spanish‑speaking communities. The online program is taught fully in Spanish and focuses on specialized terminology as well as cross-dialectal and cross-cultural variation within Latin American and US Spanish. The Certificate Program will prepare students to engage in culturally appropriate communication and interaction in their professional settings.

With this Certificate, and a degree in Criminal Justice, students can pursue any number of traditional law enforcement jobs and will be better prepared for career opportunities in US Customs and Border Protection, FBI, DEA, TSA, as well as in any California state and local authorities.

Coordinator for Criminal Justice Spanish Certificate Program

Dr. Carmen Dagostino
Phone: 909-537-7386
Email: cjany@csusb.edu
Location: UH 201.43

Certificate Website Link

Admission to the Certificate

The minimum requirements for admission to the certificate are as follows:

Spanish Language Requirement: Span 1112 or equivalent transfer credit or Spanish AP exam score 4. Native speakers may take the Spanish Placement Exam and must place in Span 2111/2251/2261 or higher to begin the program.

Evidence of success potential in the program, including transcript showing strong academic performance in undergraduate coursework; personal statement; writing sample in Spanish; contact information for two references; and typically a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. Please note that the program takes a holistic approach to the admissions process, considering various candidate qualities, including a student’s personal attributes, past experiences, and future goals, and how those might contribute to a good fit with the program. Admission to the certificate is also contingent on the spaces available in the program.

Application Instructions

Your application for graduate study at CSUSB includes a two-part review:

Part 1: Office of Graduate Studies

The Office of Graduate Studies reviews your application for general university admission requirements and requires you to upload an unofficial transcript from the institution that awarded your bachelor’s degree. Also, upload transcripts from every post-baccalaureate institution attended, including study abroad and community college coursework. The Office of Graduate Studies may request additional transcripts from you at any time during the application process to complete our review.

Part 2: Criminal Justice Spanish Certificate Program

Spanish Language Requirement: All courses in the program are taught fully in Spanish. The Spanish language pre-requisite is Span 1112 or equivalent transfer credit or Spanish AP exam score 4 or higher. Native speakers without any prior Spanish coursework may arrange to take a Spanish Placement exam.

In addition to your Spanish skills, we consider a broad range of candidate qualities in our admissions process. These include your personal attributes, past experiences, and future goals, and how those might contribute to a good fit with our program and its values and objectives. You should therefore carefully prepare your supporting documents.

Please upload your personal statement (written in English or Spanish) to the documents section of this application. For questions about the application process, please contact the certificate coordinator.

We recommend that you thoroughly review both the Office of Graduate Studies and the Criminal Justice Spanish Certificate websites before you complete this application.

Application Requirements:

• $70 Application Fee
• Unofficial Transcripts from each college or university
• Personal Statement
• Writing Sample
• Two References

Application Details:

• $70 Application Fee
• Unofficial Transcripts from each college or university attended since high school graduation
• Personal Statement
  • Describe your academic and career goals and highlight why the Healthcare Spanish Certificate Program is a good fit for you. You may write your statement in English or Spanish and include your experience with academics, volunteerism, research, cultural and linguistic diversity, and work. If there is any context you wish to provide about your GPA or academic performance, you can provide that in your personal statement as well. Please limit your personal statement to 500 words.
• Writing Sample
  • One Spanish writing sample (500-750 words) that reflects your ability to write a balanced, well-reasoned argument or a clear, coherent presentation of information in Spanish, such as a college term paper or a work-related report.
• Contact information for two references
  • Names, position titles, and contact information (email and phone number) of two academic or professional references.