The Bachelor of Arts in Criminology provides students with a broad, liberal arts education that encourages them to think critically about crime, law, and justice. Our courses routinely examine social structural foundations of crime, deviance, and social control, as well as the power dynamics involved in defining crime, prosecuting crime, and sanctioning of deviance and those "at risk." 

Students with a BA in criminology find careers in social and human service occupations related to criminal, juvenile, and social justice. The criminology degree provides an excellent basis for graduate study in criminology, other social sciences, and law.

Requirements (effective Fall 2012*):  All students in the criminology major are required to take a minimum of 40 hours of coursework. Required courses include Understanding Social Life (SOCI 1810), Sociological Classics (SOCI 2020), Sociological Imagination and Inquiry A and B (SOCI 2005 and 2006), Criminology (SOCI 2250), Criminology Assessment (SOCI 3998), and a minimum of 20 additional criminology-related elective hours, 8 of which can be the Internship/Practicum. Elective courses must be selected from the following list:

• Juvenile Delinquency (SOCI 2255)
• Deviance and Society (SOCI 2260)
• Crime and Inequality (SOCI 2710) 
• Sociology of Law (SOCI 2750)
• Legal Actors and Institutions (SOCI 2755)
• Discipline and Punishment (SOCI 2760)
• The Female Offender (SOCI 2765)
• Kids and Courts (SOCI 2770)
• Wrongful Conviction (SOCI 2775)
• Women and the Law (SOCI 2780)
• Family and the Law (SOCI 2785)
• Policing Society (SOCI 2790)
• Capital Punishment (SOCI 2795)
• Drugs and Society (SOCI 2820)
• White-Collar Crime (SOCI 2830),
• Crime and the Media (SOCI 2855), and
• selected topics approved by the Chair

Criminology major requirements worksheet

 

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*IMPORTANT NOTICE:

As part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 2010, several new federal regulations (Program Integrity Rules) were established regarding the definition of "credit hours."  The University must comply with these regulations. Therefore, effective fall quarter, 2012, all Sociology classes that had previously been listed as five (5) credit hours will become four (4) credit hour courses. This change affects our major and minor requirements. The current requirement for both Sociology and Criminology majors is "a minimum of 40 credit hours of upper-division coursework, in addition to SOCI 1810 (Understanding Social Life)." The new requirement for both majors is "a minimum of 40 credit hours of coursework, including SOCI 1810 (Understanding Social Life)." Overall, Sociology and Criminology majors graduating prior to fall quarter 2012 must complete 44 credit hours in the major, including all the required courses.  Sociology and Criminology majors graduating in fall quarter 2012 or later must complete 40 credit hours in the major, including all the required courses. Students are expected to meet with their department faculty advisors to verify their major requirements. 

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