UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE
The Certificate in Criminal Justice is a unique and professionally relevant qualification suited to those wishing to enter or advance within the justice sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. Study criminal justice online to gain an in-depth understanding of the criminal justice sector in a flexible learning environment.
ENTRY TIMES
9 October 2023
29 January 2024
22 April 2024
15 July 2024
7 October 2024
DURATION
1 year - part-time
6 months - full-time
PRICE
$3,282* for domestic learners
$15,000* for international learners
*Fees outlined are based on the 2023 fee schedule and are subject to revision each year. Prices include GST where applicable. Non-tuition fees, such as the Student Services Levy (SSL), will also apply.
Explore financing options in the FAQ below.
QUALIFICATION
CertCJ
The Certificate in Criminal Justice offers a comprehensive curriculum consisting of four courses that delve into various aspects of the criminal justice system. Through these courses, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the structure of the criminal justice system, law enforcement and other agencies, and legal issues specific to the criminal justice system in Aotearoa New Zealand.
You will explore topics such as the history of crime and justice, the intricate relationship between ethics, politics, and justice, restorative justice principles, and the psychology of individuals involved in criminal behaviour. Additionally, the programme places emphasis on the unique historical, cultural, and social factors that shape the criminal justice system in Aotearoa New Zealand, including the country's colonial legacy, the significance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi | Treaty of Waitangi, and the influence of contemporary social issues on the justice system. By studying criminal justice online, you will expand your knowledge and gain the necessary skills to pursue a career or advance within the dynamic Criminal Justice sector.
To ensure that our learners have the necessary background and experience to succeed, you will need University Entrance (or equivalent) to enrol. If you are over the age of 20 and do not have University Entrance through NCEA or its equivalent, you may be eligible to apply for 20+ entry.
If English is your additional language, you are also required to meet UC's English language requirements.
For the full entry requirements, see the Regulations for the Certificate in Criminal Justice or use the admission requirements checker.
Not sure about your eligibility?
Please register your interest here and we will get in touch with you to discuss.
The Certificate in Criminal Justice will be available from October 2023, and can be undertaken part-time over one year. If you're interested in full-time study across six months, please get in touch with us here.
Time commitment
UC Online learners study across terms, rather than semesters. We have four terms per year (starting January, April, July and October) which consist of eight-weeks of study, plus a two-week period of marking and feedback.
Part-time learners complete one course every eight weeks, requiring approximately 18.5 hours of study per week. Full-time learners complete two courses every term, requiring approximately 37.5 hours of study per week. Our courses are flexible, enabling you to plan your study around your other commitments.
Upcoming term dates
Our current eight-week learning dates can be found below (please note: these dates exclude our two-week period of marking and feedback).
You’ll study four 100-level courses across the Certificate in Criminal Justice, including:
Through this course, learners gain a foundational understanding of the key components of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement, courts, corrections, and criminological theories. Additionally, the course explores the historical, cultural, and social factors that have shaped the criminal justice system in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Learn about significant historical events and issues that have had a profound impact on the social, political, and cultural fabric of Aotearoa New Zealand. This course will support you in developing a deeper understanding and awareness of our past, and enable you to use this to appreciate the different perspectives, complexities and sensitivities within the justice sector.
What should we do when justice and freedom conflict with each other? This course will introduce you to moral and political philosophy, examining ideas and arguments about how we should live our personal, social and political lives, and the crossover into the criminal justice system.
This course explores the application of psychological principles within the criminal justice system. Students will gain an understanding of criminal behaviour analysis, intervention strategies, and rehabilitation approaches. Through theoretical knowledge and practical case studies, aspiring professionals will develop skills to positively impact individual lives and contribute to a fairer justice system, promoting safer communities overall.
The Certificate in Criminal Justice is coordinated by Dr Helen Farley, with contributions from Dr Jayson Ware, Dr Madi Williams and other Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury academics.
Director of Criminal Justice | University of Canterbury
Helen is the Director of Criminal Justice at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury. She is interested in prisons and corrections, with her research focussed on prison education and training, technology for learning in prisons, dynamic security, and neurodiversities in the prison population. Before coming to UC, Helen worked for Ara Poutama Aotearoa | Department of Corrections, overseeing prison education across the South Island’s five prisons. She is the President of the Australasian Corrections Education Association, and is part of the Expert Working Group on Technologies for Prisoner Rehabilitation for the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute.
Senior Lecturer | University of Canterbury
Jayson is a Senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury. His research is focussed on offender treatment and rehabilitation, particularly the effective treatment of sex and violent offenders, as well as offender denial and acceptance of responsibility. Before coming to UC, Jayson worked as the Group Director for Offender Services and Programmes at Corrective Services New South Wales. His research and lecturing experience come from a desire to translate academic findings into simple, pragmatic solutions for practitioners and policy makers, with numerous publications in journals, textbooks and case studies.
Lecturer | University of Canterbury
Madi is a Lecturer in Aotahi - School of Māori and Indigenous Studies at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury. Her research interests include Te Waipounamu iwi histories and New Zealand history, with a particular focus on the histories of Te Tauihu; oral traditions and myth; and the Global Middle Ages, with a focus on Polynesia.
Our multiple start dates provide the flexibility to start your Certificate in Criminal Justice at a time that works best for you. Register your interest to keep up to date on when enrolments open.
Please note: UC Online has a minimum enrolment threshold that must be met to enable opportunities for interaction, discussion, and feedback. If the minimum number of enrolments required for a course is not met, enrolled learners will be given the option to defer their enrolment to the next course date, or receive a refund.
Enrolments open
Enrolments opening soon
Contact us to learn more
There are a range of options you can use to finance your study, which you can learn more about here.
StudyLink student loans
We know that many of our learners are planning on using a StudyLink student loan to finance their study. We've recently been made aware that this cannot be accepted by StudyLink without confirmation of learners' 2024 courses. We are currently working to enable this change early, so affected learners can edit their application and add their 2024 courses for StudyLink success.
From Sunday 1 October, all learners will be able to add their 2024 courses, so that their StudyLink student loans can be processed.
If you’ve already applied for your student loan, please make sure you have provided all of the documentation required, by logging into StudyLink and checking your communications. If there are no requests, you do not need to do anything until we confirm that you can add your 2024 courses on 1 October. You may receive a notification that your application is declined, but this will be automatically re-assessed after you add your 2024 courses on 1 October.
If you have not applied for your student loan yet, we would recommend starting this application process now, particularly if you are a first-time StudyLink learner, as you will need to fill in a Student Loan contract that is mailed to you. TYou may receive a notification that your application is declined, but this will be automatically re-assessed after you add your 2024 courses on 1 October.
We know that this process can take some time, so if your application is not approved before learning begins on 9 October, we will grant StudyLink learners preliminary access to the programme, while their application is processed. We are also extending our programme withdrawal dates for StudyLink learners so you will not incur any debt if you need to withdraw from the programme beyond the usual 2-week deadline.
Fees Free
If you're eligible for the Government's Fees Free initiative, this funding can cover the cost of your online Certificate in Criminal Justice. To be eligible you must be a first-time domestic tertiary learner who hasn't studied at university or a Te Pūkenga education provider before. You can directly check your eligibility using your National Student Number (NSN) here.
If you are eligible for Fees Free, this funding covers your first year of tertiary study fees, equivalent to 1 EFTS (120 credits) or $12,000. This funding can begin at anytime of the year (such as studying the CertCJ from 9 October 2023 – 8 September 2024).
If you haven’t used 1 EFTS (120 credits) or $12,000 in your first calendar year of study, you may have some Fees Free entitlement to use in future years. You can carry forward your remaining Fees Free entitlement (in EFTS and dollars) to use in future years. Your Fees Free entitlement will stop when you use up your remaining EFTS or remaining dollars – whichever you use up first.
You must have used less than 1 EFTS (120 credits) and less than $12,000 of Fees Free entitlement to be able to carry forward to another year. If you will reach one of these caps before finishing your studies, you may wish to apply for a student loan to cover the remaining amount. For more information about Student Loans visit the StudyLink website.
Employer payments
If your employer is financing your study and wants to pay via invoice, this can be arranged after your application is approved. Please note that your employer will need to provide a written guarantee of payment so you can start learning on 9 October. Alternatively, your employer can pay via bank transfer or credit card.
The Certificate in Criminal Justice is a unique and professionally relevant qualification suited to those wishing to enter or advance within the justice sector.
Bringing together the latest industry-informed learning applicable to your life and career, the UC Online Certificate in Criminal Justice gives you the same quality education as our on-campus programme, with the flexibility of online learning.
This includes 24/7 access, academic advice and technical support, giving you the support to study anywhere, anytime, at your pace.
The programme takes 1 year to complete studying part-time (1 course per term). A 6-month full-time option (studying 2 courses per term) is coming soon.
Tuition fees are:
| 2023 | Domestic | *Fees outlined are based on the 2023 fee schedule and are subject to revision each year. Prices include GST where applicable. | $3,282 |
| 2023 | International | *Fees outlined are based on the 2023 fee schedule and are subject to revision each year. Prices include GST where applicable. | $15,000 |
Please note that the fees are charged on a per year basis and the amount charged reflects the number of courses/points enrolled in the current year. These are based on the 2023 fee structure and subject to revision – you can learn more about the University of Canterbury’s Tuition fee structure here.
Student Services Levy costs
Each year university students around Aotearoa New Zealand are charged a Student Services Levy (SSL) in addition to their tuition fees. All the SSL money collected can only be used for the benefit of students - never for academic or administrative costs.
The SSL is automatically calculated on how many points you enrol in per academic year, capped at a maximum of 150 points. UC Online learners are charged a reduced SSL rate, which is 20% of the usual on-campus student levy. This is calculated as $1.654 per academic point in 2023. You can learn more about the Student Services Levy here, and more about UC Support Services here.
Studying online allows for flexibility in completing coursework, and the University of Canterbury's programme provides learners with the same quality education and resources as the on-campus programme.
Graduates will be equipped with a unique qualification that will prepare them for a career in the criminal justice fields, in particular roles within police and the justice sector. The Certificate is also relevant for work in other areas of government including prisons, probation and parole; criminal justice policy; forensics; public and private investigation and security; and social work.
The content of the programme is the same, but the online programme offers greater flexibility in terms of scheduling and location.
The programme is delivered entirely online, using a range of technologies including video conferencing, online discussion forums, and media.
Learners have access to the same support services as on-campus students, including academic advising, technical support, and library resources.
Applications are made online through our UC Online website – view open enrolments and/or expressions of interest for when enrolments open.
Learners are expected to participate actively in forum discussions, and complete assessments on time.
The Certificate in Criminal Justice is a standalone professionally relevant qualification but is also a good pathway into further Criminal Justice qualifications, such as the Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree, available on-campus at the University of Canterbury. We are also developing our online offerings - if you'd like to hear about our latest news and offers, join our mailing list.
Yes, once you've successfully completed the certificate, you can apply to credit 45 points towards a relevant further qualification, such as a Bachelor of Criminal Justice, at the discretion of the relevant University of Canterbury faculty Dean. Read the full requirements in the UC general conditions for credit regulations.
An on-campus version of this certificate is available through the University of Canterbury. You can also learn more about further on-campus Criminal Justice qualifications, such as the Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree.
We are also developing our online offerings - if you'd like to hear about our latest news and offers, join our mailing list.