Students who successfully pass the ACA’s certification exam and complete the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s degree program in criminal justice may now become provisionally certified by the American Correctional Association (ACA) Corrections Certification Program.

The Corrections Certification Program offered by ACA is a national method by which individuals can gain recognition as qualified correctional practitioners. UM-Dearborn is the first four-year school in the country to have the certification option.

The UM-Dearborn’s criminal justice program includes courses on the judicial process, civil rights, urban politics, moral and political issues, social psychology and criminal law.

After completing the program, students may qualify for either an exam at the Certified Corrections Supervisor/Provisional (CCS/P) level or the Certified Corrections Officer/Provisional (CCO/P) level. Provisional certification will allow graduates to work for most corrections-related agencies.

Those who pass their complete 200-item, four-hour examination with a grade of at least 75%, complete one year of full-time professional employment in corrections-related work and receive satisfactory or better evaluation from their immediate supervisors qualify for ACA’s three-year certification credential.

In addition, UM-Dearborn’s bachelor’s degree in criminal justice program has established articulation agreements with community college programs in criminal justice throughout the region.This means it's easier to transfer credits from a participating community college to UM-Dearborn.

For more information about the program, contact the criminal justice studies office at (313) 583-6404 or criminal_justice@umn.umich.edu.

Michigan Department of Corrections FYI 052605