Child Advocacy Concentration

The Child Advocacy Concentration within the Justice Studies major prepares students to work with children in an advocacy role in a variety of community settings. Law, sociology, and psychology provide this new program with multidisciplinary perspectives and equip graduates with unique training that will enhance both their skill and marketability in a variety of areas.

The curriculum includes courses that present students with an understanding of the legal and juvenile justice systems as these relate to child advocacy. Students then focus on the Child Advocacy Concentration which includes course work and applied fieldwork experience. Of particular significance to the Concentration is the emphasis it places on understanding child development and psychopathology, family systems, forensic psychology, eyewitness testimony, and jury selection. This will allow the child advocate to work in a more informed way and also set the groundwork for possible future careers in clinical, forensic, or community psychology.

The demand for appropriately educated child advocates in the State of New Jersey is acute. Presently, most individuals working in this capacity are self-proclaimed child advocates. That is, they are committed to improving the quality of life of children in many capacities but have neither the psychological depth nor the necessary socio-legal understanding of the juvenile justice system in order to be effective advocates. This Concentration provides students with the requisite knowledge to function in a myriad of settings including schools, residential facilities, and the courts. Specifically, Child Advocates are in great demand in the Division of Youth and Family Services' (DYFS) sponsored project Youth Advocate Program and on Child Assessment Resource Teams (CAR-T). In addition to court appearances, Child Advocates frequently serve as mentors to at-risk children or to juveniles referred by the Juvenile Justice System.

Students who seek rewarding work in a stimulating and challenging environment will find the Concentration in Child Advocacy an opportunity to make a difference in communities and with individuals where a difference is so desperately needed.

Child Advocacy is also offered as a post-baccaureate certification program.

Major in Justice Studies with Child Advocacy Concentration

REQUIRED COMMON CORE: 15-16 CREDITS

(All courses are 3 credits)

JUST200 Perspectives on Justice Studies I
JUST201 Perspectives on Justice Studies II
JUST221 Research in Justice Studies: Social Science Perspectives
JUST312 Research in Justice Studies: Legal Perspectives
JUST497 Senior Seminar and Field Experience in Justice Studies (Externship) 

I. Additional Required Courses: 12 credits

PSYC201 Child Psychology
PSYC224 Children's Rights and Child Advocacy
PSYC330 Forensic Psychology
PSYC430 Contemporary Issues in Child Advocacy

II. Choice of 4 courses from among the following: 12 credits

Students must include at least one Legal Studies or Sociology course from the courses listed below.

A. Students must include at least two courses from this group:

PSYC202 Adolescent Psychology
PSYC231 Psychology of Aggression
PSYC245 Mental Health Issues of Hispanic Americans
PSYC246 Psychology of the Black Experience  Or
SOCI205 Black Family
PSYC248 Psychology and Law
PCOM245 Introduction to Community Psychology

B. Students may include up to two courses from this group:

LSPR330 Family Law
LSLW315 The Mediation Process and Its Applications
POLS304 State and Local Government
PSYC265 Psychology of Women
SOCI204 Sociology of the Family
SOCI209 Sociology of Poverty and Welfare
SOCI322 Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice
JUST499 Selected Topics in Justice Studies

C. With departmental permission, students may substitute up to two courses at the 500 level.


TOTAL CREDIT HOURS FOR JUSTICE STUDIES MAJOR WITH A CONCENTRATION IN CHILD ADVOCACY: 39-40 credits