Curriculum

Becoming an ICM Fellow is a process of continual professional development. The first step for a candidate is to achieve Certified Court Manager status.

The next step is to achieve Certified Court Executive status. There are two ways to satisfy this requirement. A candidate for the ICM Fellows Program may achieve CCE status by attending each of the six required courses offered through national programs, partnerships, the CMP Licensee Program and/or the ICM Consortium. Those who earn CCE status through this method will begin their candidacy to become an ICM Fellow with the Distance Learning Phase, an online component that prepares Fellows candidates for the work necessary to complete the ICM Court Project Phase, the next phase toward attaining ICM Fellows certification.

Alternatively, candidates may apply to attend the ICM Fellows Program Residential CCE Phase and complete CCE certification in three weeks. This option is intended for those who desire an immersion experience with classmates from diverse court environments. Candidates must complete the Distance Learning Phase that runs from January through mid-May, which prepares candidate for the three-week in-residence CCE Phase held in Williamsburg in June. ICM Fellows candidates who complete the three-week residency are awarded Certified Court Executive certification.  After receiving CCE certification, candidates continue to the Court Project Phase of the ICM Fellows Program.

The third step toward becoming an ICM Fellow is completion of the Court Project Phase.  The Court Project Phase provides candidates with practical experience through the selection and completion of a court research and improvement project. Candidates must design and complete an independent research project and present a written report to the Dean of the ICM Fellows Program for approval. The Dean will assign an advisor to each candidate to oversee the court project. Final approved reports are equivalent in quality to a master's degree thesis and must include an abstract, introduction, literature review, methods, findings, conclusions and recommendations, appendices, and references.  Upon successful completion of the Court Project Phase, candidates are eligible to attend the Presentation Phase. 

The culmination of this professional development process, the ICM Fellows Program Presentation Phase, is a three-day master class held in Washington, D.C. Successful candidates are recognized at a graduation ceremony at the U.S. Supreme Court and awarded certification as a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management.

Faculty

The ICM Fellows Program is committed to bridging academic theory and public practice. Faculty members have experience in the public sector and are regularly involved in community service, training, research, and/or consulting with state and local courts. At the same time, they are scholars who view public affairs as a subject for analysis and evaluation in a broad social and historical context. As ICM faculty, they bring their ability to reflect critically on practical experience to the design of the Fellows curriculum. Faculty accomplish this not by merely adding current case studies to reading assignments, but by regularly recasting the questions addressed by the program in light of contemporary public concerns.

Academic Policies

The ICM Fellows Program will accept one relevant course earned within the past five years in an equivalent course or program offered through state or national judicial education organizations or other accredited institutions. Transfer credit, where appropriate, is awarded by the Dean of the ICM Fellows Program following review of appropriate materials, including course transcripts and/or course syllabi.

Cost: $100

2012 Tuition Costs

Distance Learning Phase: $1,500

Residency Phase:  $1,500
Court Project Phase: $1,500
Presentation Phase: $1,000